Global Fayre and Kickapoo Coffee

We’ve made a great discovery this week; 100% handcrafted artisan fair trade coffee from Kickapoo Coffee in Wisconsin.

It all began when our main coffee supplier, Equal Exchange, flagged up that there was a shortage of Columbian coffee due to adverse weather conditions in Columbia over the past year. We have a regular number of Columbian coffe drinkers, so knew that we needed to find a back-up supplier.

Where to start? As members of the Fair Trade Federation the starting point was to check out the coffee roasters on the member list. This list is available to non-members as well as members, and is a great place to start if you are trying to source Fair Trade products of any kind, whether as a retailer or consumer. So a search of the member list flagged up 15 coffee wholesalers in North America. Panning down the list, some names familiar some not so familiar, one named just jumped out – Kickapoo Coffee! Here in the Ozarks, the name Kickapoo is found everywhere, as it was a major settlement area for the Kickapoo. Turns out that the Kickapoo actually started in the Wisconsin area before moving (voluntarily or not) progressively southwards (check out Kickapoo history here).

So the next task was to find out more about Kickapoo Coffee. They describe themselves as a family-scale enterprise situated near the scenic Kickapoo River in the driftless region of southwest Wisconsin. The foundation of our business is our shared values: connection to the land, consideration for our local and global community, and commitment to our families and those of our trading partners. From our telephone conversations I found out that they take orders each Monday, then roast on Tuesday and Wednesday before shipping out towards the end of the week. So the coffee that we order on a Monday arrives at Global Fayre around a week later as fresh as it could be.

The next step was to find some third party reference about the quality of Kickapoo’s coffee. There is a really useful site called Coffee Review that reviews coffees in a similar way to wines, even giving them a score out of a possible 100. You can read the review of organic Columbian from Kickapoo Coffee here.

organic Columbian from Kickapoo Coffee

Since the samples arrived earlier in the week we have been brewing the Columbian every day to gauge customer response. Everyone seems to have really liked it. It’s a light roast, not at all hard-hitting, with a flavor to savor. Another great feature is the packaging; it comes in a wonderfully re-usable old coffee can!

We’ll be placing our first order next Monday, so might even have our first batch here by the First Friday Art Walk!

The plan is to stock it in the 12oz can, but also to have it in bulk, so that you can  bring your can back and refill it (for a discount of course).

Fair Trade versus Direct Trade

One of our local student papers, The Standard, had an article on fair trade and direct trade today.

‘Trend to benefit farms‘ included interviews with the owners of Global Fayre, Askinosie’s Chocolate and the Coffee Ethic, with their different viewpoints on fair trade and how and why it differed to direct trade. The article was interesting (and it’s great to see The Standard cover this type of topic) but I think is missed the core point, namely that fair and direct trade are not mutually exclusive. Fair trade does not automatically mean that quality is somehow compromised, or that levels of payment are restricted at an artificially low level.

As it gains in popularity, discussions about fair trade seem to be getting mired down in relatively subtle differences between the different models of fair and direct trade, and the different bodies and certifications available. It feels very like the discussions that centred around the term ‘organic’ 10 years or so ago.

Anyone involved in working with groups in developing countries has, of course, the right to use whatever model works for them. But, it would be great if we could focus more on the real prize, raising awareness with end consumers so that demand for ethically-sourced products increases, and less on the differences between the detail of our particular models of fair or direct trade.

Fun Fair Trade Accessories from South Africa

We just got another batch of GREAT fun Fair Trade accessories from our friends at Originals from Africa. We have rhinos, hippos, owls, buffalo’s……everything except the Ark! They are all available in our store at 324 S Campbell, Springfield, Missouri and will also be in our online store by the end of the day.

Rhino Keyring from South Africa

These quirky pieces originate from Cape Town, South Africa. The pieces are made from mixed metals, some of which are recycled. The pieces are formed by using a cast. Once the molded item has been made, the rough item is cooled, and then passed down the production line to the team of polishers. Here each piece is individually cleaned and checked for blemishes. Once the products have passed all the quality standards, they are assembled by hand by a group of ladies.

Baboon keyring

Global Fayre online Fair Trade store – update

We’re continually adding more products to our store. It’s a slow process, but we’re getting there!

Today we’ve added some great coffee selections from Equal Exchange. Check it out!

Global Fayre Online Store

Global Fayre Online Store

Global Fayre has just opened a second store…this time an online one

First Friday Art Walk

Yesterday was the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Springfield.

What a great evening! The weather helped, of course, but it seemed like everyone was ready to go out, socialise, and put the winter blues behind them.

The galleries all stayed busy from 5:30 right through to after 10 and the atmosphere was just uplifting.

If you didn’t make it, you missed a great night. But you can catch the exhibits throughout February at any of the participating galleries. For more information check out www.ffaw.org