Equal Exchange - Faces of Fair Trade

Banana farmers from Ecuador and Costa Rica, a pecan farmer from Georgia, and a local fruit and vegetable farmer may seem worlds apart, but they are all part of the same movement to build a fair and sustainable food system.

Three New England-based organizations that dedicate themselves to finding markets for small farmers are sponsors of the farmers’ story tour: Oké USA, Red Tomato and Equal Exchange. Local groups in each city are also sponsoring the tour.

Celebrate Fair Trade Month!

Join us for a rare opportunity to hear these farmers from different regions of the globe talk about the challenges they face, their experiences in the market, and the impact of consumer support for fair trade and family farms.

Tour Dates:

10/18 - 10/23: Minneapolis/St. Paul

10/24 - 10/25: Boston

10/26: New Haven, CT

10/26 - 10/28: New York City

10/29 - 10/30: Philadelphia

10/31 – 11/1: Washington, D.C.

You can download a tour flyer here:
Northeast Faces of Fair Trade: Uniting the Global and Local tour flyer (in pdf format)
Minnesota Faces of Fair Trade: Uniting the Global and Local tour flyer (in pdf format)

Tour Calendar

Minneapolis/St. Paul:

Thursday Oct. 18th, at 7:15 pm Linden Hills Membership Meeting at St. Thomas Catholic Church/Carondelet School Cafeteria, 2900 West 44th Street, between Upton & Vincent. Come welcome these farmers to Minnesota!
Friday Oct. 19th, at 7pm Dinner and OKé farmer presentation at Los Andres Restaurant at 317 W. Lake Street, Minneapolis
Saturday Oct. 20th, 1-4pm Seward Co-op Pie pumpkin giveaway w/ Featherstone Farms (outdoors, weather permitting).
Sunday Oct. 21st at 8:50 am Immanuel Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie
Sunday Oct. 21st at 10:30am Minnetonka United Methodist
Sunday Oct. 21st at 10:30am All Saint's Lutheran in Minnetonka
Monday Oct. 22nd, 6:00-7:00 pm Temple Israel Panel Presentation. Uptown Minneapolis.
Tuesday Oct. 23rd, 2:30 to 4:00 Wedge Co-op. Come meet the farmers in-store on the last day of the tour.

BUY-COTT! On Tuesday October 23, come to the Wedge, Seward Co-op, Lakewinds, or LindenHills and buy up these farmers' products: Oke Bananas, Equal Exchange Pecans, and PastureLand Butter. Let's clear the shelves and send some funds back to these farmers and their communities!
- Recipe: Fair Trade Banana Bread
- VIDEO: El Guabo Banana Cooperative (BlipTV)
- PastureLand's SummerGold Gouda Wins at American Cheese Society's 2007 Competition!

Boston:

On Wed., Oct. 24th, at 6:00 pm the farmers will speak at Harvard Medical School at the Tosteston Medical Education Center, Room 126, 260 Longwood Avenue, Boston MA
On Thurs., Oct. 25th, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm the farmers will speak at an interfaith and community event at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St. in Copley Square, Boston.

Local Boston sponsors include Oxfam America, Grassroots International, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), Community Church of Boston, Harvard Medical School, The School of Public Health, Restaurant Associates and Students for Environmental Awareness (HMS).

New Haven:

On Fri., Oct. 26th, at 2:30 pm the farmers will speak at Yale University (Bowers Auditorium in Sage Hall, 205 Prospect St.).

The farmers will also tour an apple and peach orchard near Middlefield, CT as part of their visit.

Local New Haven sponsors include Oxfam America.

New York City:

On Sat., Oct. 27th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm the farmers will speak at the Park Slope Co-op, 782 Union St., Brooklyn.
On Sun., Oct. 28th, from 7:30 – 9:30 pm the farmers will speak at an interfaith and community event at the Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, New York City.
On Sun., Oct. 28th, from 2 - 4pm, Latino Community panel presentation (in Spanish) at St. Peter's Parish, 91 Ludlov St., Yonkers, NY 10705

Local New York sponsors include Oxfam America, Slow Food NYC, NYC Fair Trade Coalition, Park Slope Food Co-op, Judson Memorial Church, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Agricultural Missions, Inc., and Oxfam @ NYU.

Philadelphia:

On Mon., Oct. 29th at 7:00 pm, the farmers will speak at Bryn Mawr University (Gateway Conference Room, Gateway Building, off of Morris Ave.).
On Tues., Oct. 30th, from 2:00 – 4:00, the farmers will speak at Joe Coffee Bar, 1100 Walnut St., #110, Philadelphia.
On Tues., Oct. 30th, the farmers will present a community event at the Tabernacle United Church, 3700 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Local food tasting catered by Fair Food begins at 6:00 p.m. followed by a panel discussion at 6:30, and food samplings after.

Local Philadelphia sponsors include Oxfam America, Bryn Mawr University Dining Services, White Dog Community Enterprises and Fair Food Program, Tabernacle United Church, and Joe Coffee Bar.

Washington, D.C. (banana farmers and local farmer only):

On Wed., Oct. 31st , from 1:00 – 3:00 pm the farmers will speak at a panel discussion hosted by American University, at the School of International Service (Formal Lounge).
On Nov. 1st, at 8:00 pm the farmers will speak at a panel discussion hosted by George Washington University (Marvin Center, Room 403, 800 21st St NW).

The farmers will also tour Four Seasons banana ripening facility during their visit.

Local Washington, D.C. sponsors include GW Students for Fair Trade, Oxfam America and Divine Chocolate.

All events are free and open to the public, and will include product tastings.

Sponsored by Oké USA, Red Tomato and Equal Exchange