Archive for 2007

Katy and I are in Nicaragua with a variety of coffee partners who belong to Cooperative Coffees. The event will combine field visits to various coffee cooperatives in the Matagalpa region, where CRS works with the CECOSEMAC cooperative, workshops on pressing issues and meetings involving many of the different stakeholders in the Fair [...]

Read the entry: Updates from the Coffeelands →

No this is not the first pop quiz of the school year…it is our chance to let you know about some great initiatives of CRS allies! In addition to the core program educational materials we try to make available to our constituents, CRS Fair Trade is proud to spread the word about other ways [...]

Read the entry: How Can Your School Support Economic Justice? →

CRS Fair Trade supports the work of basket weavers in northern Ghana, as well as cocoa farmers in the central region of Kumasi. We are saddened to hear some of the very regions the Raise Money Right delegation visited last month are facing unrelenting rains in West Africa that started in July. CRS [...]

Read the entry: Artisans in Ghana face floods →

One of the best parts of a social justice movement is when you take time to sit back, reflect on your efforts, and CELEBRATE the successes. October, deemed Fair Trade month by TransFair, the U.S. third party certifier of Fair Trade products, gives you 31 opportunities to do just that. There are [...]

Read the entry: Fair Trade Month is Just Days Away! →

If you have been touched by the CRS Fair Trade program–enjoyed its products like yummy Divine chocolate, experienced the fun of shopping at a Work of Human Hands sale, or learned how your cup of Fair Trade coffee helps you live out your faith on a daily basis, then you have been touched by [...]

Read the entry: Buena suerte Michael →

Tom is one of our colleagues at CRS Headquarters here in Baltimore who just returned to the United States after many years overseas, including four years in South Africa, where he got hooked on rooibos.  One day Tom came to my cube to ask why we only promoted Fair Trade coffee and not Fair Trade teas.  He [...]

Read the entry: Rooibos, Anyone? →

 
 
 
 
Great news!  Equal Exchange will be joining our Coffee Program on October 1! 
For those of you who don’t know “EE,” it is our pleasure to help acquaint you.  EE is a:

Worker-owned cooperative.
Fair Trade pioneer.  The coop was established in 1986 when few people in the United States were talking about Fair Trade, developed an innovative  Interfaith Program that partners [...]

Read the entry: Equal Exchange to Join Coffee Program! →

Today is a big day for us: the first day of our carbon-neutral lives!  We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Carbon Fund to offset the carbon emissions generated by mailing out all the Fair Trade educational resources you order through our website. 
Every year, thousands of envelopes and boxes filled with Fair [...]

Read the entry: CRS Fair Trade Goes Carbon-Neutral! →

Hey, there!  Just a quick note to let you know that we have created two new resources to help you spread the word about Fair Trade in your community. 
The first one, a 16-page publication titled “Trading on our values,” explains the Fair Trade concept, profiles all four CRS Fair Trade Programs (crafts, coffee, chocolate and [...]

Read the entry: New Resources Available Now →

As Labor Day approaches, some of us look forward to three day weekends and final opportunities to enjoy the summer. That’s only natural, and I hope you do find ways to rest and rejuvenate before the long sunny days and light work and school schedules slip away. For myself, I have a whole [...]

Read the entry: Celebrating Labor Day the Solidarity Way →