Fair Grounds Newsletter from Cafe Campesino

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Heading Into a Fair Trade Autumn
Monthly Special: Colombian Medium and Dark Roast
Producer Profile: Fondo Paez
Café Campesino Community Caravan
Customer Spotlight: Apoteca
Fair Trade Partner: Pachamama, A World of Artisans
Test Your Coffee Knowledge
Quote of the Month
Past Issues of Fair Grounds

Wow – is summer already winding down? With heat index readings in excess of 100 degrees, we at Café Campesino are chomping at the bit for a bit of relief…but even if the hot temperatures persist, the events we have lined up for the next several weeks are sure to take our mind off of this sweltering weather!

Here’s what’s in store…

On September 2nd, Tripp and Bill head to Guatemala for Cooperative Coffee’s annual meeting. Then, on September 24th and 25th, we’ll be in Washington, DC, exhibiting at this year’s Green Festival, during which, on Saturday, September 25th at 3:30 we and fellow members of Cooperative Coffees will be hosting a Fair Trade Workshop. Right after our return from the Green Festival, Bill and Tripp head off to Chicago to participate in the National Fair Trade Futures Conference from September 30th to October 2nd — if you plan on attending and haven’t yet registered, now’s the time! To learn more about these exciting happenings, read on in this issue’s Community Caravan. Also in this month's Fair Grounds, we present a profile of Colombian cooperative Fondo Paez, spotlight our friends at Eatonton, GA's Apoteca, and profile Fair Trade partner Pachamama. Enjoy with an iced cup of Café Campesino!

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This month’s special is long overdue and is one of our long-standing favorite single varietals: Colombia, which is produced by our dynamic producer partners at Fondo Paez in southwest Colombia. Fondo Paez’ coffee has excellent balance, with a rich and creamy body, and sweet, mellow fruity/chocolaty flavor. Order our Medium Roast and/or Dark Roast of Colombia this month and receive 10% off of the regular listed price(s). Please use promotion code col805 when prompted at check out.

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(Sources: Cooperative Coffees & Alternative Grounds)

Founded: 1992
Coffee: Arabica SHB, Organic Certified by ECOCERT SA
Location: Southwest Region of Colombia

Fondo Paez was founded in 1992 with the primary goal of recuperating traditional indigenous agricultural knowledge. With more than 1000 farmer members, Fondo Paez encompasses 28 communities in the southwest region of Colombia. Fondo Paez is governed by a general assembly and belongs to a larger community named Nasa.

more...

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Even though there’s a lot to cover in this month’s Community Caravan, we would first like to welcome Kristy Nickerson to the Café Campesino family. Kristy joined us as our administrative assistant earlier this month and we’re thrilled that she’s on board. She is a native of Smithville, GA and has settled in Americus to pursue her degree in Business Management at Georgia Southwestern University. Welcome Kristy!

We’d like to thank our friends in Highlands, North Carolina, for including Café Campesino in their first ever Fair Trade Awareness Weekend on August 12-14! Breta Stroud single-handedly set up this extraordinary weekend, which Lee and Tripp spent sampling Café Campesino fair trade coffee and talking Fair Trade with the good people of Highlands. We are also grateful to Buck’s for hosting the main events at their bustling coffee shop. Buck’s is the real thing, so if you get to Highlands, stop there first — yes, the coffee is delicious, but the ambiance and people make it a great place to recuperate!

Finally, we’d like to thank Tom and Linda Clarke, who graciously opened their beautiful mountain-side home to Lee and Tripp for the weekend. In addition to their home’s extraordinary beauty and warmth and direct view of some of North Carolina’s most inspiring mountains, we appreciate the one-on-one experience Lee and Tripp had evicting a rogue raccoon who made its way into the Clarke’s pantry via the cat’s door. It was the trail of flour out the walkway and the raccoon’s revisit to the crime scene afterwards that gave Lee and Tripp what they needed to vindicate the cat and assign responsibility to the true culprit…rascally raccoon!

As you read in the opening of this month’s Fair Grounds, Tripp and Bill are heading off to Quetzaltenango and Santa Anita Guatemala where they will participate in Cooperative Coffee’s annual meeting. From September 2nd through the 9th, Coop Coffees members will gather with our producer partners to listen, learn and plan for the future.

On September 24th and 25th, Lee, Bill and Tripp head to Washington, DC, for the 2005 Green Festival, which is being held in the DC Convention Center. We’ll be in booth number 324, so stop by to say hello, sample some coffee and meet like-minded folks from all over. To learn more about this year’s Green Festival, visit www.greenfestivals.com.

From September 30 to October 2, 2005 Tripp and Bill will be in Chicago, IL for the Fair Trade Futures Conference, designed to strengthen Fair Trade mission-driven organizations and attract customers and activists to the movement. If you are interested in joining us, please visit http://www.fairtradefutures.org where you can learn more about the conference and register to attend. The National Fair Trade Conference is sponsored by: A Greater Gift/SERRV, Catholic Relief Services, Cooperative Coffees, Equal Exchange, Lutheran World Relief, Oxfam America and Ten Thousand Villages.

Finally, on October 2nd through the 5th, Geoffrey will be serving Café Campesino in Newnan, Georgia, at the 2005 BRAG Georgia BikeFest. A Café Campesino tradition, the Fall BRAG is sure to be another hit for bike and coffee enthusiasts alike. To learn more, visit www.brag.org.

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Café Campesino is truly pleased to feature our friends at Apoteca, located about an hour southeast of Atlanta, in this month’s Fair Grounds Customer Spotlight. Apoteca, a natural body care and supplement shop, opened this past Spring in the Lake Oconee area. It is unique in that all products meet European standards for safety and efficacy, standards that are far higher than those mandated by the US FDA. “We have already done the homework, so customers can walk through the door and feel good about our product choices,” says Stacey Johnson. The strict ingredient guidelines led Apoteca to stock many European and Pacific Island lines, including Dr. Hauschka, Lavera, Logona, Weleda, Bod, Trilogy and Decleor. Vitamins are also carefully screened so that they contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or fillers.

Additionally, Apoteca makes an effort to carry products from companies that are environmentally and socially responsible, a philosophy that led them to Café Campesino Fair Trade coffees. All teas carried are Fair Trade and they are also considering the addition of Fair Trade chocolate.

“We have really enjoyed educating customers on Fair Trade business practices,” commented Brynn Horne, Apoteca associate. People love to sample the Café Campesino coffees in the store, and they are always impressed with the quality and aromas.”

If you are anywhere near Atlanta, we recommend making a visit to Apoteca, located at 114 Harmony Crossing, Suite 3, Eatonton, GA 31204. Their telephone number is 706-923-0330.

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Pachamama, A World of Artisans

Café Campesino is delighted to feature our friends at Pachamama in this month’s issue of Fair Grounds. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, Pachamama, A World of Artisans, is a Fair Trade organization dedicated to working towards economic justice through educating consumers about the importance of purchasing Fair Trade products.

A member of the Fair Trade Federation, Pachamama is developing conscious consumerism through Fair Trade via: 1) the sale of Fair Trade products - fostering Fair Trade relationships with artisans worldwide, educating the consumer about the high quality products these artisans create and selling them at home parties, online and during special events; 2) the production of Fair Trade events - producing an annual Fair Trade Expo in Santa Cruz, CA and other cities; 3) conducting Fair Trade tours - organizing Fair Trade tours to cooperatives overseas in order to allow people to see first hand the affects their purchases have on people around the world; 4) providing Fair Trade education - presenting the issues about Fair Trade, the problems with NAFTA & CAFTA (Free Trade Agreements of the Americas) and Corporate Exploitation to educate friends, family, co-workers, employees and customers and; 5) publishing a monthly e-newsletter to help keep the public updated on issues focused on Fair Trade and the labor movement.

Pachamama means Mother Earth. It is from the Quechua language which is spoken by the Quechuan people in the Andean region of Latin America. It is spoken today by approximately 13 million people in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Northern Chile, Argentina, and Southern Colombia. It was the official language of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire. The Quechuan people honor Pachamama's power and good humor towards people and their necessities, which is one of the main aspects of survival in the Andean regions with hard climate.

To learn more about Pachamama, A World of Artisans, visit their website at www.pachamamaworld.com, email them at info@pachamamaworld.com or give them a call at 831-427-0889.

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We're giving away coffee!

Think you know a lot about coffee? This month's intriguing question can be found here. Entering is easy and it's FUN!

Carol Anderson is the winner of last month's Coffee Knowledge Crossword Puzzle. The two-word puzzle answer was "Fair Trade". Congratulations, Carol!

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"Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night"

-- Hal Borland

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Fair Grounds is produced by:

Café Campesino
725 Spring Street
Americus, GA 31709

Contact Information:

Orders and General Information
Phone - 888.532.4728, 229.924.2468
Fax - 229.924.6250
http://www.cafecampesino.com
www.cafecampesino.com/store/index.php
info@cafecampesino.com

Staff:
Lee Harris
Tripp Pomeroy
Bill Harris
Kayci LeRoy
Kristy Nickerson

Fair Grounds is designed and delivered by:

Starstruck Design
335 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01354

Contact Information:
Don Kruger
Lynn Nichols
Phone - 413.863.7752
Fax - 413.863.7752
http://www.starstruckdesign.com

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