This week’s Humpday Giveaway trivia question was a little tricky… Ken and I learned a lot about the organization Fairtrade International when we were putting together the current issue of Barista Magazine a few months ago. We traveled to Africa to spend time with Jonathan and Sarah Robinson, the sister and brother team who own Bean There Coffee Company, a South African-based specialty roaster-retailer with an intense commitment to fair trade practices. This includes buying Fairtrade International-certified coffees, as well as uncertified coffees that they simply choose to pay a premium for. I got really interested in the topic when the U.S. segment of Fairtrade International ”then called Transfair ”broke off to be its own certification, and called itself Fair Trade USA. I was really confused by this ”so you’re not with Fairtrade, but you’re calling yourself Fair Trade? If I was this confused, I was sure our readers were, as well.
So I connected with an old friend of mine, Kyle Freund. Kyle and I have been pals since he worked for Coffee Kids a while back. Now he works in Bonn, Germany, at the headquarters for Fairtrade International. Not only did Kyle give me and Ken a great understanding about what Fairtrade actually is, but he personally guided us through several Fairtrade-certified coffee co-ops in Ethiopia as we were putting this story of Jonathan and Sarah together. (Check out my article about the trip in the April/May issue of Barista Magazine, “Exceptional Africans,” as well as Ken’s story about Fairtrade, “Navigating Fair.”)
That’s the back story.
In writing his article, “Navigating Fair,” for the current issue of Barista Magazine, Ken learned all about the organization’s rich and interesting history. And, a history buff himself, that’s how Ken devised this week’s Humpday Giveaway trivia question: What was the name of the original organization that spawned Fairtrade International?
Because it’s a tricky one, we decided that we’re accepting either Max Havelaar or Solidaridad, as a correct answer.
Before we announce the winner of this week’s Humpday Giveaway, we want to shout out one last time to our amazing friends at Espresso Parts for donating not one but two awesome prizes for this week’s contest!
Thanks, Espresso Parts pals! You guys like having fun just as much as we do!
So without further ado… we printed out the names of the folks who answered correctly, cut them up, put them in the hat, and pulled a name…
Congratulations, Jonathan Pascual! You are this week’s Humpday Giveaway winner! Thanks so much for playing! We’ll be in touch to get your mailing address and tshirt size so Espresso Parts can ship these goodies right off to you.
