Volume 1 | Issue 1

A M A N I E X P L I C I T Volume 1 | Issue 1

T A B L E

C O N T E N T S

of

[1] Table of Contents

[2] An Introduction

[3] What is Fair Trade?

[5] Fair Trade Spotlight: Kopali

[7] Fair Trade events at Fordham

[10] Social Media

2

{AMANI

EXPLICIT} : n e w s l e t t e r h i g h l i g h t i n g F a i r Tr a d e i n t h e n e w s ; s p o t l i g h t i n g F a i r t r a d e o n c ampus ; and shar ing d i f fe ren t Fa i r Trade bu s ine s s tha t a re mak ing a d i f fe rence .

{AN

INTRODUCTION} What is Fair Trade? Why is it so important? What kinds of Fair Trade businesses are out there? How can I spot a Fair Trade product? What can I do to make a difference? We’re here to help. Amani Explicit is a newsletter that’s here to answer all of your questions about Fair Trade. Whether you want to learn about different Fair Trade companies or are looking for new and exciting Fair Trade events being held on campus,

this is the resource for you. New issues of Amani Explicit will be published biweekly (every two weeks) with new articles, pictures, and events! But also re-member: we want to hear from you. Give us your feedback and what else you would like to read about in our latest issues, and we will be sure to take your concerns and suggestions into consideration. Con-tact information will be provided at the end of each issue, so speak up! We want to hear you.

Breathe.

3

What is Fair Trade? By Jack Giacchetti

You may have heard of it, but just what is fair trade exactly? The obligatory “dictionary definition in-troduction” would have me tell you that Google's built-in dictionary defines fair trade as “trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in devel-oping countries”. However, as one might expect, this definition fails to truly and fully define fair trade for what it is: a move-ment that aims to eliminate unfairness in all business transactions, to promote sus-tainability and make it so that everyone receives the full pay-ment they deserve for their work. This could apply to any place where bureaucracy and corruption stop the weakest members of an economy from getting their money's worth, from third world countries t o r i g h t h e r e i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . The traditional idea of fair trade refers to the unfair situation surrounding the farmers and artisans in third world countries such as Africa and India, and was started after World War II. As it stands, a huge amount of the goods we consume, such as coffee, sugar and chocolate, are produced by farmers who are kept poor by corporations who take advantage of them. These middlemen take most of the profits of production simply by buying and reselling the farmers' products. However, this

process is not necessary to our reception of the products. By supporting fair trade, we can help farmer-run cooperatives survive and help their members live better lives, instead of having to worry about starving to death because the buyers of their goods refuse to pay them a fair wage. Fair trade products are guaranteed to have been pro-

duced and sold at a price that is fair for their producers, thus cutting out the middleman and allowing the economies of poor nations to grow. This benefits the consumer as well, because he or she does not have to pay these companies

for their distribution services. It is important that fair trade is not a charity; on the contrary, it is a solution to the poor living conditions of third world countries that does not resor t to “handouts”. This means that buying fair trade goods is a consideration that applies to people of all political belief systems. It also means that fair trade is a more sustainable option than simply giving away money and food. It's a matter of “teaching a man to fish”, so to speak, because what these poor economies need more than any-thing is a kickstart to facilitate autonomous pro-duction and hopefully ameliorate the conditions o f p o v e r t y i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e .

“a movement that

aims to eliminate

unfairness”

“It’s a matter of ‘teaching a man to fish’”

4

But what can we do?

It is obviously important to support fair trade, but for consumers, knowing is only half the battle. We also need to take action in useful ways. It is a good thing to buy fair trade products, but to really make an impact, we can work to make sure others in our community do our part too. Fair trade organizations need to become more popular in order to grow and be able to price their goods more competitively. Since they do not sell as much as major corporations now, co-ops have to deal with more ineffi-cient packaging and distribution sys-tems. Spreading the word and telling our friends about the benefits of fair trade products can encourage them to make the right choice as well. This can be achieved informally, or through public school and community events. The movement can also be sup-

ported through the other side; that is, by encouraging businesses to carry fair trade products. If a local supermarket does not carry any fair trade coffee, consumers can let them know that it would be appreciated if they did. The owners of supermarkets themselves don't even need to agree with the goals of fair trade; even if they're only inter-ested in money we can let them know that fair trade products are things we a r e w i l l i n g t o p u r c h a s e . It's an uphill battle, but we're slowly winning. The fair trade industry has grown massively in the last few years, and if we continue to support the cause, it will only continue to grow. Hopefully if people's intentions remain good, we can seriously improve the conditions of farmers and artisans in t h e t h i r d w o r l d s o o n .

“[encoura

ge] business

es

to c

arry fair tra

de p

roducts

”

To learn more about

Fair Trade, visit

www.fairtradeusa.org

5

Fair Trade Spotlight:

Kopali By Nicholas Martucci

Kopali Organics is a company that proba-bly sells the best chocolate on the market. They are a fair-trade certified company that crafts their chocolate goods based off of the purest ingredients available; all while being 100 percent organic. The company sells a vari-ety of products in-cluding chocolate covered espresso beans and chocolate covered cacao nibs. Kopali first launched its first line of chocolates in 2008 after the foun-der, Zak Zaidman, lived in Costa Rica on his own land where he cultivated crops using the organic raw materials available. This was in contrast to the heavy use of pesticides in food cultivation which were especially exploited in Costa Rica where chemicals are dumped out of planes onto crops. Meanwhile, children are playing nearby and inhaling these harmful chemicals. In an attempt to live the most

sustainable, natural life possible, Zak saw food as a catalyst in doing so. He shared his practices when he launched Kopali’s first chocolate line in 2008 after working with small groups of farmers throughout the country that have raised pesticide-free,

organic cocoa . T h e s e choco la te s a re priced around the $3.99 price range and a re wor th every cent. The all-organic, pesticide-free dark choco-lates taste abso-lutely divine. An added bonus is

knowing that the consumer is digesting the purest form of cocoa rather than a human-altered product full of genetically modified organisms. Kopali has caught the eyes of many not only for its delicious products, but also for its stand against unfair wages and poor working condi-tions. Good for the producer and good for the buy—what could be better?

6

Why purchase from Kopali?

Dark chocolate is good for the heart and

helps reduce cardiovascular problems.

Kopali’s dark chocolates do not contain any

animal products (such as dairy). Its products

are completely vegan and gluten-free.

The chocolate used has only one origin: Peru.

There are only 100-120 calories per serving.

Kopali chocolates contain 0 refined sugars;

0 cholesterol; and 0 trans fats.

Kopali is fair trade certified.

Kopali chocolates are coming to Fordham’s

campus soon.

www.kopali.com

www.facebook.com/kopaliorganics

10

Want to write for Amani Explicit?

Email [email protected] and tell us what you would be interested in writing! If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns, feel

free to email the provided address with your inquiries.

www.facebook.com/StudentsForFairTradeAtFordham

@FairTradeRams

[email protected]

{Coming Soon}

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22ND

“What is Fair Trade?”