International Youth for Fairtrade Conference

The good news is this International Youth Conference sounds really cool, the bad news (for us) is that it’s in London, ye Olde Englande.. BUT if you happen to be following this blog about lil’ old Dunedin from overseas, maybe you could check it out?And if you just want to see what happens at a Fairtrade university, their web site here.

The panel debate question “Has Fairtrade been hijacked by Multinationals?” is an interesting one. Surely if Fairtrade has become mainstream enough for big corporations to want to hitch a ride then that is a sign of the movement’s success? The downside is that the Fairtrade system could lose some of it’s integrity. For example, to supply Fairtrade cocoa to huge companies like Cadburys requires a massive number of co-operatives whose outputs need to be managed by a governing body – which is putting middle-men back between the producer and the seller,  going against Fairtrade’s initial plan of small farmers directly connected to the people who buy their produce. However, thousands of people will be better off, will get the Fairtrade minimum price and a portion of the Fairtrade premium, oh and no child slavery either which is a Good Thing.

Complaining about corporations changing the nature of Fairtrade is a bit like travelling to a place and complaining that it’s touristy. Everything changes with increased popularity, but hopefully Fairtrade will keep its essence..

The best kind of justice.. edible!

If you’ve enjoyed the recipes we’ve tried over the last few months then you might want to head to the Sweet Justice web site. Representing Trade Aid’s range of Fairtrade baking products, the site has LOADS of yummy sounding things like Double Chocolate Banana Berry Muffins, Chocolate Chilli Mousse and Chocolate Cashew Biscotti.. well worth a look if you’re trying to procrastinate studying or looking for inspiration! And if you feel like reading instead of baking, there’s also lots of info about Fairtrade cocoa producers..

Mighty mousse – only for the brave!

This recipe is not for the faint-hearted.. or the diet-minded. It has only three main  ingredients: chocolate, cream and eggs. It is pure and unadulterated, smooth and  delicious and rich. The recipe comes from a tiny restaurant in a tiny town on the pebbly east coast beaches of the USA, a carefully guarded secret smuggled to New Zealand,  hidden for decades in the kiwifruit orchards of the Bay of Plenty only to emerge now,  transformed and glorious to YOU, reader, I can only say: use it wisely..

7 oz Fair Trade chocolate (I used Scarborough Fair dark chocolate)
5 eggs
1½ cups of cream (whipped to chantilly)
2 T instant coffee dissolved in 2 T of rum
Melt chocolate gently in a double boiler. Blend egg yolks with coffee and rum and stir into chocolate. Beat egg whites until stiff and stir ¼ into the choc mixture. Fold in the remaining whites. Fold in the whipped cream. Refridgerate. Lick the bowl, hee hee..

chocolate cake for vegans

Set oven to 190°C
A. 1 ½ c flour
1 c Fairtrade sugar
1/3 c Fairtrade cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

B. 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c cold coffee or water
2 tsp vanilla

C. 2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Sift ingredients in A. Mix ingredients in B together and combine with A. Grease and line cake tin. Add cider vinegar (C), stir in gently and then pour into cake tin.  Bake 25-30 mins.

Chocolate Icing:

1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp soy milk
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

Trade Aid and cool Fair Trade stuff!

To continue our search for great places to buy Fair Trade products we visited the Trade Aid Shop, at 133 George St, to see what we could find. I have fond memories of Trade Aid. As a child it was like a dim Aladdin’s cave, full of small and shiny and exotic things that smelled like places with huge moons and acacia trees, places with tigers and elephants and giant butterflies. Best of all, everything in the shop is, of course, Fair Trade.. so buying here will help people and their communities right across the globe . The shop in Dunedin is still full of bright-coloured and shiny things – jewellery, Russian Dolls, toys and candles, baskets and bags – but it also has Fairtrade food products.

This is what we found: Chilli, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Ginger and Cloves and to go with your spicy meal, there are yummy-flavoured poppadoms. There is Palestinian extra-virgin olive oil, cous cous, dates, raisins and nuts alongside all kinds of coffee, sugar, tea, cocoa and chocolate in dark, peppermint and mocha. Mouthwatering stuff, and if you want to wander among the exotic foods and exotic gifts they can whip you up a delicious flat white to sip on while you browse.

Read more about Trade Aid here

Cadbury’s turns full circle..

After enduring a month or so of thorough vilification for introducing palm oil to their chocolate, Cadbury’s has backed down, changed their mind, reformed and in the process have taken a huge leap forward.

Not only have they removed palm oil from their ingredient list, they have also pledged to buy only fair trade cocoa for their Dairy Milk chocolate, a step that will triple New Zealand’s Fair Trade sales – and hopefully improve lives and reduce the high levels of child labour that currently abound in cocoa-producing regions of West Africa. The company are hoping to be fully certified by the Fair Trade Labelling Association by Easter next year. We like it!! 

Read more about Cadbury’s move to Fair Trade here

And if you want to see how it will work, Cadbury UK decided to go Fairtrade earlier this year, aiming to be fair in the kiwi Spring of 2009 – which is really soon. 1 September? There is a blog written from Ghana following their progress and with lots of interesting stuff about chocolate and cocoa trading here.

FREE… hot choc & choc sometime soon…

FREE… Rumour has it there is going to be free Fair Trade hot choc & chocolate at Uni sometime soon.  To launch Otago Uni to become a Fair Trade campus.

Last thursday was postponed.  We will keep you in the loop so you can support the movement for a Fair Trade campus & warm your belly with a delicious a hot chocolate.

ethical chocolate

yummmm…

Fair Trade chocolate- Trade Aid, Green & Blacks chocolate is looking better and better- its yummy and guilt free.

Cadburys have gone to the dark side, their move to introduce palm oil in their chocolate- along with the smaller size clumsily camouflaged by a cardboard cover is not fooling us. . .

Palm Oil production is the main cause of the destruction of hundred and hundreds of acres of rainforest. Borneo, is one main Palm Oil producers.  I have visited Borneo and seen vast landscapes planted in monoculture Palm Oil.  Whole ecosystems are being lost and destroyed to this grow this product. Borneo is also home of the endangered Orangutang.  Much of their habitat has been destroyed from the growing hunger to produce Palm oil. Cadburys a large corporate business, has fallen ethically, attempting to cut costs by using cheap Palm oil. Cadburys chocolate, with the Palm Oil, tastes different, it now sticks to the roof of your mouth with a lingering aftertaste. But Im not even going to taste Cadburys to find out. Even if cadburys advocates it uses sustainable Palm Oil plantations, it is still creating demand for palm oil and thus threatening rainforest and many species that live there.

Next time you are shopping looking for a sweet fix, reach for chocolate that is not only tastier but has positive spins to communities- ultimately a better choice.

a good night out

It was quality entertainment last night at the Academy Cinema. Greeted with yummy Fair trade chocolate and warming hot chocolates and coffees on arrival. All this and 2 films- for only $5. Bargain.

The Film ‘Cheat Neutral’ was entertaining and very clever, showing clever humour as effective tool to bring about change. Quirky, fun and lighthearted. For those of you who missed it can see it next Saturday @8pm (16th May).

‘What about me?’ A sequel to ’1 giant leap’.  A thought provoking film, using music to convey the complexities of human nature.  The music is from 50 different countries from KD Lang, to Chinese rappers, Gabonese Pygmies and Tuvan Throat singers.  I gained lots from watching it- it was empowering and encouraging humans to celebrate ourselves and our wild spirits, while being aware of marketing powers and pressures.

Credit to Trade Aid & Forest and Bird, for organising these events

4.5/5 for me. what did you think?
“a genuinely groundbreaking audio-visual project of global dimensions” – Daily Telegraph

fair trade chocolate

yummy dark chocolate from the Trade Aid shop

5/5     DARK -smooth, satisfying chocolate. Reasonably priced.

4.5/5 PEPPERMINT- tasty sweet rich chocolate smaller amount -a little expensive but yummy after-dinner delicacy

4.5/5 MOCHA- milk chocolate with mocha inside, tasty and moreishing.