Harper Adams gets behind Fairtrade Fortnight 2013

Posted 1 March 2013

A house made entirely of chocolate and a visit by a Costa Rican coffee producer have been just some of the highlights so far during Fairtrade Fortnight at Harper Adams University.

Catering staff at the university have arranged a series of events to promote the Fairtrade Foundation and show what Fairtrade is all about.

Fairtrade Fortnight sets aside two weeks every year in which the principles and products of fair trade are promoted and the links between consumers and producers are highlighted. This year’s event, which has the theme of Take a Step for Fairtrade, started on February 25 and runs until March 10.

Events organised by the university’s catering staff include a Fairtrade coffee morning, food promotions and a raffle for a Fairtrade chocolate house created by the university’s catering administrator Jenny David.

Costa Rican coffee farmer Gerardo Camacho visited the university yesterday(THURS) to talk to students about the benefits of Fairtrade and how it really makes a difference.

Gerardo is a member of his village co-operative, Cooperativa Llano Bonito. Its 532 coffee-growing members, 40 per cent of whom are women, live in and around the village of Llano Bonito.

Students were told the co-operative is a member of the Fairtrade consortium Coocafe which ensures the farmers get a fair price for the coffee they produce enabling them to cover the costs of production, send their children to school, buy clothes and in many cases keep a roof over their heads.

David Nuttall, the university’s catering manager, said: “Harper Adams supports as much British agriculture as we can but for the products we can’t get here we buy ethically through the Fairtrade Foundation to help support communities in developing countries.

“It has been a busy fortnight so far. We hosted the Telford and Wrekin Fairtrade Alliance launch last Friday and then helped do the catering for Gerardo’s first talk in Shropshire at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

“This week we are raffling the chocolate Fairtrade house and next week we have a Fairtrade coffee morning and also have a speaker coming to the Harper Forum.”

The newly launched Telford and Wrekin Fairtrade Alliance, of which the university is a member, brings local businesses and organisations in the area together to promote and support the Fairtrade campaign across the borough. Co-operative working is at the heart of Fairtrade and the new alliance is committed to doing as much as it can to promote the Fairtrade message.