The latest offering from Canaan; Estate Olive Blend

We just took delivery of a new Olive Oil from our friends at Canaan.

Estate Olive Blend is Fair Trade certified, central harvest, organic, cold-pressed and extra virgin; Canaan describes it as fresh, rounded and fruity.

Estate Olive Blend oil is from the remarkable olives of “Bayyada”, a hill of ancient tress that includes the Canaan orchard and those of surrounding farmers in the Palestine fair trade program. To retain their full-bodied characteristics, Bayyada olives are cultivated with extreme care and pressed in small batches the day they are picked.

About Canaan:

Canaan Fair Trade is committed to sustainable farming practices. They work directly with rural communities in Palestine to bring their traditional products to the international community.  Canaan guarantees a fair price to farmers and producers even when markets are low. A fair price or ‘living wage’ allows producers to cover the cost of harvest and tree maintenance while providing food, shelter, education, and medical care for their families. Canaan also requires that farm workers be paid one-third of the crop in good seasons and one-half of the crop in bad seasons.

It’s on the shelves in our store in downtown Springfield, and just about to be listed in our online store at www.globalfayre.com.

Here’s a sneak peak!

Estate Olive Blend from Canaan, now at Global Fayre

Fair Trade Vegan Market Baskets from Ghana

We started Global Fayre early in 2007, and opened our store in Springfield, Missouri in the December of that year.

There have been many many rewarding aspects of having the store (and now the online store too) but one element that becomes increasingly important to us (and to our customers) is the closeness between the end purchaser and the producer. We may be many thousands of miles apart physically, but through the close contact we have, either directly with the producers or via our importers, our customers get a real understanding of the producers and their world.

Better still, our customers get to ask for custom products – a real revelation in these days of mass production where the producer and end consumer have never met, have no interaction and live in different worlds (in all senses).

One great example of this closeness is the recent delivery we took of market baskets from Ghana. Of course we get market baskets all the time, as do thousands of retailers (fair trade or not) throughout the USA. We know that our market baskets are a little different – we source through the same importer everytime (Basket of Africa), we know that Cael uses the same weavers all the time, and we see the direct impact of this in the wonderful quality of the baskets that they make. So, when we had some customers asking for a vegan version of a market basket (vegan meaning no leather handle or straps) we were confident we could oblige. What surprised us was how quickly it could happen. The first sample arrived in the spring, and our delivery today included a dozen of the same type.

Isn’t that awesome?!

We haven’t added them all to our site yet, but you can see the images on our facebook page.

New consignment of Fair Trade products from Nepal

We had another delivery from our friends at Ganesh Himal Trading yesterday. Ganesh is one of the pioneers of the Fair Trade movement, and has been bringing in product from Nepal since the early 1980’s.

This consignment was all about bags:

Hemp and “no kill” leather; we’ve blogged about this range before; it has become a firm favorite here in our downtown Springfield store and is becoming popular too in our online store. In the mountains of Nepal hemp has been used for centuries because of its strength and durability. These bags are produced in Nepal by artisans who receive a fair wage and benefits. ‘No Kill’ leather is made from cows who have died natural deaths and is softened without using chemicals.

This time we also got our first batch of hemp/cotton bags. They are little more lightweight, but just as durable and available in a wider variety of colors.

Finally (at last!) we got some more recycled tire bags. Made from the inner tubes of car tires, these bags are just AWESOME! Each one is unique, showing different levels of wear and tear.

26.2 Miles 4 Africa

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?!

It’s the title of our next First Friday event at Global Fayre.

When?: Friday September 4th 2009

Where?: Global Fayre, 324 S Campbell Ave, Springfield, Missouri

What?: Go to www.run4africa.info and find out more!

Fair Trade Finger Puppets from CIAP of Peru

We took our first delivery from CIAP of Peru today. Not a large order; we’re increasingly cautious when we find a new supplier. Unless we’ve already seen their products “in the flesh” we tend to make the first order just large enough to gauge the quality of their core range of products, and to see how our regulars react.

Our first order from CIAP consisted of finger puppets, flutes and a few other musical instruments. We’re happy, very happy. Delivery was fast, the paperwork is clear, the quality of the products is great, the price-points seem just right – we’ll be ordering more for sure.

So who or what is CIAP?

CIAP is an Organization of Peruvian Craftsmen devoted to the production and the export of craft industries of various types from various areas of Peru. It carries out multiple activities to improve the living and working conditions of the craftsmen, their families and their communities.

Here’s how they describe their activities:

The principal activity of the CIAP is the export of the artisanal products of its members, which is carried out by the means of the company Intercrafts Peru.

In addition to this, the CIAP Association, carries out the following activities for the benefit of its associates

Formation and qualification. – administrative Management, commercial management, productive technique, etc.
Organisational support. – Consultation, office of consultants and management to improve the structures of the basic Groups
Development of Products. – Qualification and technical aid for the development of products in the Groups basic
Promotion and national and international information
Social activities. – Meetings, meetings, festivals, etc.

They are members of:

World Fair Trade Organization – WFTO
Group Réseau of Ecopnomias Solidaires of Peru – GRESP
Peruvian network of the Equitable Trade and Moral Consumption

Can’t finish this piece without giving you a glimpse – here’s our first little family of finger puppets from CIAP….available in our online store of course!

Introduction to Fair Trade, August 18th at Global Fayre

Being rabid readers of our newsletter (what? you don’t get our newsletter?! – then sign up here!) you will already know that we often give talks to community groups* about Fair Trade. (* community groups means anyone from pre-schoolers to Red Hat Ladies, churches, schools, volunteer groups).

Well this month we’re launching the first ‘open house’; an Introduction to Fair Trade for anyone who cares to come and listen (not just listen – we get plenty of interaction with these talks).

So – here’s the details:

Where: Global Fayre, 324 S Campbell Ave, Springfield MO 65806

When: August 18th, starting at 7pm (they usually last for around an hour)

Who: Anyone that wants to come!

What: Introduction to Fair Trade – starting at the basics of how Fair Trade started, and what it is all about

Why: Because it matters!

If you want more information, our contact details are:

www.globalfayre.com

info@globalfayre.com

417-873-9792

Botswana Baskets from the women of the Etsha Weavers Group – now at Global Fayre

Last night was the First Friday Art Walk, and we took the opportunity to showcase a selection of beautiful baskets from the women of the Etsha Weavers Group in Botswana.

Botswana is a landlocked country about the size of France, with a landscape dominated by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta. Although Botswana is potentially a wealthy country, the majority of its population remains rural and poor, without many opportunities for employment.

From Botswana’s harsh environment and natural resources a vast tradition of craft making has grown. These products continue to be made and used, making Botswana one of the largest remaining sources of traditional African crafts. Today, the increased production and sale of crafts for a commercial market provides the rural people of Botswana with a much needed source of cash income.

The most famous of all the craft products of Botswana is the basket. As an integral part of the Botswana agricultural culture, baskets have been made and used traditionally for thousands of years. The main producers of baskets are the women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes in northwestern Botswana.

Our Botswana baskets are woven by the 24 talented women of the Etsha Weavers Group who have many years of weaving experience. We’ve already added some to our online store – more will be added over the next few days.

First Friday at Global Fayre….the morning after

We had a great time last night.

There was a good crowd, everyone was in a great mood – and we got a lot of people talking about Kiva too. We donated $1 for every purchase towards our next Kiva loan, and that raised $78. So we’ll sit down tomorrow to figure out which loans to make.

First Friday at Global Fayre – August 2009

It’s almost here! Just 24 hours to go and we’re getting excited!

It’s been a long month; falling on the 7th means that this has been the longest gap between First Friday Art Walks that we’ve experienced. Of course, that has just meant even more time for procrastination to set in, the ‘to do’ list to get shuffled and reshuffled, and all the ‘must do’s’ to get completed even later than usual!

We’ve got a great evening in store at Global Fayre:

1 – Kiva Awareness

We’ve been lending through Kiva for some time now, but felt the time was right to step it up a notch. We’re using the Art Walk to promote awareness of Kiva, encourage people to make Kiva loans (in or out of the Global Fayre Lending Team) and to raise funds through purchases. Each purchase (no matter how small) will generate a $1 donation to Kiva. As we reach each $25 milestone, we’ll make the loan there and then, with people in the store making the decision about where the loan should go.

2 – Beautiful Baskets from the Etsha Weavers Group of Botswana.

Friday ses the launch of a month-long show for these wonderful baskets. They are simply the finest we’ve seen since opening the store, and it’s a delight to be able to share then with our customers.

The evening starts at 6pm and will go on until at least 10pm.