FAIR TRADE CHOC CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Linda Broom, Fair Trade Promotions Coordinator, sends us an update (as of June 2006) on the “chocolate kisses” Fair Trade Chocolate campaign:
Oxfam and the Fair Trade Association of Australia and NZ (FTAANZ) ran the “chocolate kisses” campaign leading up to Fair Trade Fortnight (April 29 - May 13, 2006), where they collected postcards as a petition, signed with a chocolate kiss, asking for choclate to be fairly traded. There was a speaking tour organised in Fair Trade Fortnight, with Erica Kyere and Agnes Abrafi (who came to NZ to promote FT from Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana) which travelled around the country giving talks on the benefits of Fair Trade.
Also in FT Fortnight Erica, Agnes, Oxfam and FTAANZ met Whittakers and presented them with two big boxes full of chocolate kisses!
They were very interested in Fair Trade, and have clearly already looked into the possibility of using Fair Trade certified cocoa.
Whittakers then attended an FTAANZ Fairtrade industry seminar the following week to find out more about the practicalities of switching to Fair Trade. However, they are not committing to anything as yet, so Oxfam and the FTAANZ will continue to work with them to keep them informed about the market for Fair Trade chocolate and the opportunities for them.
In terms of the campaign - it is in a temporary lull at the moment! We are currently just doing all the follow up after fair trade fortnight and working on the planning for next year. We will still be actively campaigning on Fairtrade coffee and chocolate and are planning to continue the chocolate kiss campaign for the next few months at least - aimed not just at Whittakers, but all the chocolate companies. In the meantime, we are encouraging people to write letters to their favourite chocolate companies (including Whittakers) asking for fairtrade.
TAKE ACTION:
Write to your favourite chocolate manufacturer and tell them you love their choc but it’d be so much tastier if it was fairly traded.
Check out Oxfam’s campaign for Fair Trade
Visit the FTAANZ website to download the guidelines for the Fair Trade School, Workplace & Church Awards schemes or email campaigns@oxfam.org.nz to find out more about making your University a Fair Trade University or your town a Fair Trade Community.
Photos:
1. Children at Kuapa Kokoo Day Care centre in Ghana - possible thanks to the fair prices assured for cocoa by Fair Trade. Photo kindly provided by Oxfam.
2. Erica Kyere and Agnes Abrafi from Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana speaking at Dev-Zone during Fair Trade Fortnight. Photo by Dev-Zone.
3. Just Focus chocolate kisses stall in Wellington’s Cuba Street
