February 2024 Newsletter ☕Fair Chocolate and Capit al with Equal Exchange? ?️ New Business Partners? ?Fair Trade Foods/Ingredients? ?Fair Trade Awards Ceremony?
Join Us This Saturday at the Media Library… for a Valentine’s Chocolate Tasting and presentation, with Fair Trade snacks, coffee and tea, and multiple opportunities to make a difference in our world. Equal Exchange, a worker co-op based in Boston MA, will be leading a chocolate tasting and present about their producers and how we can support them in their beautiful work. For over 35 years Equal Exchange has been supporting small holder farmers, giving them a market for their produce, and empowering them to live more prosperous lives. They have coffee, tea, avocados, bananas, nuts, dried fruit, and olive oil. You can buy many of these items in Media at Ten Thousand Villages, online, or through our Buying Club (email irabike@yahoo.com). They also recently invited consumers to meet regularly in online meetings to participate in their enterprise and now are offering an opportunity to invest in their model. Frankie Pandolph, a local Equal Exchange rep will be presenting with support from Rob Everts, a log time Equal Exchange worker – owner, and Danielle. Saturday February 10 from 2 to 4 at Media Upper Providence Library at 1 E Front St in Media. You could RSVP or not (fpandolph@equalexchange.coop)
New Media Fair Trade Business Partners
As a result of our recent holiday campaign we reached out to many businesses in Media and got some new shops on board with offering Fair Trade items. We also reconnected with some businesses that have renewed their support and even have brought in more Fair Trade items. Yay! We applaud all the Media businesses who expressed support for our cause and those going the extra mile to offer Fair Trade items. You can now find certified raw and organic sugar packets at Rye Byob. Temaki is using certified Fair Trade and organic sugar in one of their marinades and is waiting to get black pepper from our buying club. 320 Cafe and Market greatly expanded their Fair Trade chocolate bar selection and also now has local and Fair Trade Baba’s Brew Kombucha (my favorite!). As always, please look for these, ask for more, and let them know you appreciate their efforts. If you are a business wishing to get a shout out or want to know how to source Fair Trade products, please email mediafairtrade@gmail.com. If you would like signage showing your support please reach out also. We’d love to see Fair Trade designations on menus and signs of support on walls, windows and tables! You can see all the businesses and their Fair Trade items on our website. https://mediafairtrade.org/shop/
More Fair Trade Certified Products There are more and more Fair Trade certified products all the time. This is a great thing! You already learned about all the items Equal Exchange offers and about Kombucha, and that there is sugar and black pepper. If you read our last newsletter you would have seen that there are bicycle tires made with Fair Trade certified rubber. Other Fair Trade foods include vanilla (from our friend’s local company, Singing Dog), tomatos from Mexico, and pineapples. I have seen limes at Costco and cucumbers and squash at health food stores (Martindales in Springfield, Mom’s in Bryn Mawr). Swarthmore Co-op recently became able to sell alcohol and I have asked them to look for some Fair Trade options; now I see they are selling Purato Wines which are “green to the extreme!” Maggie’s is a wonderful company that has been doing the right thing for many years and sells cotton clothing and accessories. Same with Dr. Bronner’s; they offer soaps, creams and chocolate with certified Fair Trade coconut and cacao. They are also leading efforts for a regenerative agriculture certification. You can also find, fish, flowers, gold, grains, oils, herbs and spices. For more info, check out our website, Fair Trade USA, Fair Trade America, and Fair Trade Federation which is mostly clothing, accessories and home goods. We can also purchase many spices wholesale from Frontier Herb through our buying club. If you need help finding any of these items please reach out, mediafairtrade@gmail.com. And when you buy Fair Trade, take a picture and send it to us!
2023 Media Fair Trade Awards The Media Fair Trade Committee has a tradition of giving annual awards to any allies of the Fair Trade movement. This includes individuals, organizations, shops and governments, whether historical, current, local or international. To see a list of some of our previous awardees go to our website here. Late last year, I was able to present this beautiful certificate in person to David Bronner, the CEO (that is Cosmic Engagement Officer) of Dr Bronner’s, at Natural Products Expo East in Phila. They are celebrating 75 years in business and are an amazing company that everyone should support. You can buy some of their fantastic products in Media at Seven Stones Gallery. If you’d like to find out the rest of our 2023 awardees please tune in to Cable Channels 10 and 42, or come in person, to the Media Borough Council meeting on Thursday March 21, 2024 at 7pm.
