If you've seen the words "fair trade" on bags of coffee and wondered what it means, here's your chance to hear the message from someone with first-hand knowledge.

The chairman of Oromia Coffee Farmers' Co-operative Union in Ethiopia is spoke at Trade Aid in Henderson on Sunday May 15.

Tadesse Meskela was the face of the 2006 documentary Black Gold which explained that the price paid to farmers can be so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.

By forming a co-operative, coffee farmers can negotiate a better price for their beans instead of being forced to accept low prices from multi-national companies that dominate the coffee trade.

Mr Meskela grew up in poverty but was determined to find a way out of it.

"Our hope is one day the consumer will understand what they are drinking," he says.

"Consumers can bring a change. It's not only on coffee, all products are getting a low price – and the producers are highly affected."

The fair trade movement strives to give marginalised workers in developing countries a fair price for their products. Mr Meskela is coming to New Zealand for Fair Trade Fortnight which runs until May 22.

The Oromia union represents more than 130,000 coffee farmers in 143 co-operatives across southern Ethiopia.

Since it was established, $2 million has been returned to farmers in dividends. The union also supports construction of schools, medical clinics and wells.

Henderson Trade Aid store manager Debbie Thorpe says the fair trade concept is complex.

"It is hard for people to make the connection between what they buy and the workers in another country. We hope this will show them that they can make a difference. People may not be able to afford to buy everything fair trade because it is more expensive.

"But just by choosing one product and buying it fair trade can make a difference," she says.

Trade Aid is a non-profit organisation which has pioneered fair trade in New Zealand.

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Article source: www.nzherald.co.nz
Article by: Catherine Healy
Photo supplied: Debbie Thorpe