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Republica Coffee, an Australian company that sells 100% Fairtrade and organice Certified products, is up for a Sydney Business Award.
You can help spread the word about Fair Trade by voting for Republica Coffee. This way you'll also support coffee farmers in the 3rd world. By gaining recognition, they'll get more respect.
To vote, go here, or, if in Australia, send an SMS to 0421 266 662 with the word REPUBLICA.Voting closes Monday 28 July.
Couple's Quest for a simpler life is helping the Poor
Graham Readfearn
Courier Mail, Wednesday Feature 9/7/08 p34
‘‘We were tired of our lives— we wanted to break everything down and live as simply as we possibly could,’’ Sheedy says.
In 2003, Sheedy gave up her job flogging boutique wine, sold all her designer clothes, shared out her possessions and set off with her Buddhist boyfriend, now husband, Mick.
She returned with a germ of an idea which within five years helped her establish a social business and propel her to the forefront of Queensland’s fairtrade movement.
'I strongly believe that
all of us can create
change by our choices
and actions and the words we use'
Shannon Sheedy
For full article:
click hereMEDIA RELEASE
July 17th 2008
Growing Australia’s Fair Trade In Coffee
The volume of ethically sourced coffee imported into Australia will jump by more than 15% over the next year thanks to Wild Bean Café, one of the country’s key coffee retailers, Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand announced today.
An on-the-road café concept located at BP service stations, Wild Bean Café has decided to ensure that every coffee on its menu is made using 100% Fairtrade Certified coffee beans.
With more than 100 outlets across the country, this decision is a first for a national café retailer in Australia.
Melbourne indie rock band Ancient Free Gardeners announce their support for fair trade with the release of their single 'Innards Out'. The song, a sneak preview from the bands upcoming full length debut, presents a curious, critical gaze at the ever growing trend of consumer capitolism. In their personal and professional lives the band have witnessed the ill consequences of globalisation, and the mass producing, advertising supported society it promotes. Their support for fair trade, and the release of Innards Out, is an apt expression of this experience.
Innards Out was recorded independently, and is released under a Creative Commons licence; it's free to all, to use however they like, with no restrictions (except commercial use), in line with some of the underpinning principles of fair trade.
Learn more about their music and their latest release here.
The program was broadcast Sunday 13th July at 09:00 AEST, on ABC Radio National. The audio can be downloaded or podcast and a few days after the broadcast a transcript will be posted on the website at
Etiko, an Australian company offering a range of ethical and fair trade products, including Fairtrade Certified sportsballs and garments made from Fairtrade Certified cotton, are up for a Banksia Business Sustainability Award.
Etiko recently won a Victorian Premier's Sustainability Award for Small Business for their success in combining ethical sourcing and environmentally sound materials in their product range.
Vote today by 11 July to support Etiko for the Banksia Award. Click here to vote.
Out of this chaos has emerged a man of deep compassion, who cares about his country and now travels the world as an articulate spokesman for fair trade.
'What I say to these young guys is, "You can be like me",'says Willington. 'I tell them I grew up in the same environment - sharing blankets, sleeping on mats, going to fetch water before school, with no underwear, no shoes until I was 17.
The social improvements for poor Third World producers and their families that were made possible under the Fairtrade Certification system, were outlined at the National Consumer Congress, in Perth, in March this year.
Executive Director of Fair Trade Austraila and New Zealand (FTAANZ), Stephen Knapp, told delegates that fair price and additional investment premiums paid to small growers enabled them to escape a spiral of debt and poverty, improve local schools and healthcare and keep rural communities intact.
Fast growing local company Celcius Coffee has been named among the cream of the country’s roasters with a double triumph in the 2008 New Zealand Coffee Festival.
The Hutt Valley/Wellington based coffee roaster took gold and silver medals in the prestigious competition – just 15 months after being launched.
The Celcius certified organic Fairtrade blend Capital, named in honour of Wellington, won gold in the plunger/filter category of the Auckland based festival.
Certified organic Fairtrade blend Booster won silver in the Fairtrade espresso class. The awards followed the success of the company’s Firehouse blend which won bronze in the flat white category last year.
The judging panel of international experts assessed 240 coffees from across New Zealand, in eight categories, under stringent, audited, blind tasting conditions.
Celcius Coffee Owners Nick and Stephanie Fry said the company was delighted to have achieved such success in so short a time.
“As a business, our first priority is our coffee,” said Nick. “We have a small team focused on providing consistently great coffee.
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