Fair Trade food is delicious, a point proved most powerfully at the recent Fair Trade Fiesta in Paddington. At 6pm, May 10, the doors of the town hall were opened to the public for the main event of the evening featuring Fair Trade stalls, an insight into the effects of Fair trade by coffee farmer Guillermo Vargas and food prepared by Kylie Kwong and her restaurant team.

Throughout the day, and night, over 700 people, including school children, were able to come along, learn about Fair Trade, and sample Fair Trade delicacies. The night event was a chance to buy a huge range of Fair Trade items and to find out different ways of supporting and becoming involved in the work of Fair Trade throughout Australia. It was also a chance to hear of the impact Fair Trade was making globally. An evocative presentation by Guillermo Vargas, a coffee farmer from Costa Rica, shared his experiences of Fair Trade and the difference it has made to his life and that of his community. He spoke about how Fair Trade ensures 5% of the money the plantation receives for its produce goes back into community development, a total of around $500,000 so far. He also spoke of the impact this has made to the lives of the children in the community, many of whom are able to receive further education because of financial support coming from the plantation.

His presentation, however, also highlighted the need for greater growth in the Fair Trade industry, quoting only 30% of his produce is able to be sold as certified Fair Trade because there is no demand for the other 70% which is still sold on the normal, exploitative, market. This speech was very powerful as it allowed an insight into the effect of Fair Trade on the ground, the real impact it has on individuals not just on market statistics.

As a volunteer on the evening I was really inspired by the passion of so many of the Fair Trade groups present on the night. All the stall holders was so willing to share about Fair Trade, their products and the impact of their work. It was so refreshing to hear of companies being passionate not about profit but people. I was also surprised about the variety of Fair Trade products available from Fair Trade rice through to jeans, shoes and soccer balls! It was an excellent opportunity for the public to be welcomed into a relaxed environment where they could buy, sample and learn more about Fair Trade from groups who supported it so wholeheartedly.

The attendance at the Fiesta was an excellent reflection of growing awareness regarding Fair Trade in Australia. Although fair trade Fortnight has now officially ended it has set an encouraging tone for the year to come. For an interesting round up of media articles see: www.fta.org.au.

As a sidenote, Fair Trade chocolate should come with a health warning, I’m completely addicted . I’m just going to pretend Fair Trade equates to super healthy…

Libby Collison