Fair Trade in Practice
Making Dreams a Reality
Jose Ferreira and Elza Castro are one of those couples who were made for each other.
Married for 24 years, they finish each other's sentences and agree about almost everything.
And even when they don't, they laugh about their disagreements. Like what to do with the money they get from this year's coffee harvest.
He wants to pay off their debts and invest in the coffee business they've been running for 20 years. She wants to take a few weeks off and see the world.
"My life's dream is to get on a plane in Brazil and get off the plane in Paris," Castro said. "And from there go to Rome, Portugal, Madrid..."
In reality, Jose and Elza can probably travel and invest in the business. Jose produced 252 sacks of coffee in 2008 and it was good quality. In 2008 he expected to bring in at least 30,000 reais in sales, or about 18,000 US dollars.
He is hopeful he will sell Fair Trade for the first time this year after securing Certification in May, along with the other members of the Union of Small Specialized Coffee Producers of Martins, or Unipcafem.
The association is located in Martins, a small community in the south of Minas that is famous for the Italian immigrants who arrived there in the 19th century. Blessed with fertile soil and a great climate for coffee, the association started in 2005 and has 53 members farming plots that average around 15 hectares.
Although the first farmers have yet to sell Fair Trade coffee, Unipcafem's members have enthusiastically embraced the Fair Trade concept and the community services its premium can help provide.
Elza and Jose are adapting in their own special way.
"The environmental side was easy for him, the organizational side was more difficult. That side of things he sends to me," said Elza, gently teasing her husband for his lack of administrative guile. "I've had to stop making my cheese and cakes and bread in order to note everything down.
"And I love doing it. I want to give lessons to the other wives to get them away from the oven and help them understand. A lot of people are going to find this hard because they don't have the education or the understanding."
The cooperative has already held talks to help its members understand Fair Trade and several people have spoken on the importance of meeting the FLO guidelines. Not only that, the cooperative's organizing committee has also discussed how to spend their first Fair Trade premium.
President Guido Reguim Filho said they plan to use their cash to build a warehouse so members can avoid having to rent space in neighboring barns. For a cost of 50,000 reais, they estimate their members will save 125,000 reais a year in rental charges.
Thanks to sponsorship from the local electricity company, they have already set up a computer center in conjunction with the adjacent school. The center is a huge success – "the kids ask me every day if they can use the computers," said teacher Mayara Reguim – and what Unipcafem hopes will be the first of many such educational projects funded with Fair Trade cash.
"This is the jewel in our crown," Reguim Filho said as he watched 10 boys and girls excitedly sit in front of their computer screens.
Elza and Jose are playing their part in the association. While he works the fields she is helping prepare a special party to celebrate them being awarded certification. Elza the lawyer is writing a special plaque to adorn the cooperative building, while Elza the housewife will cook for the knees-up.
Elza the world traveler is thinking further ahead to the fruits of their labors. Much to the pretend chagrin of her more frugal husband. While she dreams of seeing the Old World, his feet are firmly planted in the soil of central Brazil.
"We need to invest in the business," Jose told his wife when she spoke of splashing out. "If you eat your chicken then the next day you've no eggs. And I'd rather eat an egg every day than chicken just once."