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 http://www.globalfayre.com.

Here’s a sneak peak!

Estate Olive Blend from Canaan, now at Global Fayre

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 Art Walk in Springfield, MO

Just two days to go before our First Friday Art Walk – we’re excited!

In truth, the summer Art Walks are a little quiter; fewer galleries take part (this month has 20 compared to our spring peak of 28) and the crowds are little smaller. That doesn’t stop the participating galleries pulling out all the stops, and the art walkers having a ball.

You can check out what’s in store this Friday by reading the First Friday Art Walk newsletter or visiting the main blog.

Global Fayre announces price reduction on Putumayo CD’s

We’re delighted to announce that with immediate effect the prices on all our Putumayo CDs has been reduced from $15.99 to $14.98.

This applies to sales in the Global Fayre store in downtown Springfield, MO as well as to sales through our online store at http://www.globalfayre.com.

We’d like to thank our friends at Putumayo for making this possible by lowering their wholesale price on the CDs.

So far as we are aware, this price reduction is a ‘permanent’ one, rather than a short-term promotion (though of  course prices are always subject to review and may change at any time).

Isn’t it GREAT to be able to give some good news?!

Mothers Day Fair Trade Food Basket from Global Fayre

If you think the title to this blog is a mouthful, you should check out the basket itself!

We’ve tried to replicate for the online store what it’s like when you come in to the Global Fayre store to put a gift basket together – so many goodies to choose from!

Here’s what the basic basket looks like:

So what do you get?

Inside the standard basket is a cookie mix (you get to choose from 6 wonderful options from Soups of Success, based in Indiana) a soup mix (a choice of 4 from the Women’s Bean Project and Soups of Success), a scruptious Cornbread Mix from the Women’s Bean Project and a pack of tea from Equal Exchange (choose from Earl Grey, Green, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast or Rooibos).

Think you’re finished? What about the basket….you can stick with the standard, or upgrade to a mini-Bolga market basket

or you could super-size and go for the full-size market basket:

or you could go for the Freeset options: