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They’ve got the cashews. We’ve got the market. And then… nature intervenes. Part I

Rodney North — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:30:34 +0000

Part I: They’ve got the cashews. We’ve got the market. It’s a perfect match…

Coffee. Tea. Chocolate. Bananas. Almonds. Olive Oil. Geobars.

Last year we decided to add cashew nuts into the mix of new products we sell to food co-ops and consumers. You could sense the excitement in the meeting rooms of Equal Exchange from the moment the decision was made.

For over twenty five years, food co-ops have been some of our strongest allies. They helped Equal Exchange launch the fair trade movement when we were just starting out, bringing Nicaraguan coffee from small farmer co-operatives into the U.S. for the first time.

Much has changed in these past 25 years. Today, many consumers know; at least in rough terms; what fair trade is about. The idea of knowing where your coffee – chocolate, tea, even bananas, comes from – is not an unfamiliar concept to shoppers at food co-ops and we have many to thank for this revolution in the food system and how we choose our food products.

But nuts? Dried fruit? Trail mix? Even though these products can all be purchased in packages and in bulk at our local food co-ops, how many of us know anything about them; where they come from, who grows them, and under what conditions.

Do you?

Ever since the U.S. fair trade certifying agency, Transfair USA, (now called Fair Trade USA) went rogue, walking away with the intellectual property of the fair trade movement (and stealing the name “Fair Trade” along with it), Equal Exchange has renewed our efforts to keep Fair Trade authentic. We’re doing this not only by educating consumers about what’s happening in the world of fair trade, but also by redoubling our efforts to support small farmer co-operatives and strengthen small farmer supply chains from farmers to consumers.

One way to do this is through the delivery of more fair trade products direct to food co-ops from small farmer organizations.

Enter cashew nuts. It’s 2012. We’ve discovered our first source of high quality, organic, DELICIOUS cashew nuts from a small farmer co-op in El Salvador. Check, check, check, and check. Add to all that perfection, something else: the co-op members of Aprainores have a very moving story. These farmers all participated in El Salvador’s 12-year civil war to fight against structural poverty, grave injustices, and tremendous repression. When the war ended, each of these combatants was given a few acres of land in the south of the country on an old cashew plantation. One portion of the plantation, where 20 farmers now live, is located on the island of Montecristo, a beautiful nature reserve filled with mangrove estuaries and endangered bird species. By buying these cashews, consumers are not only getting some of the best tasting nuts we’ve sampled, but are also helping to ensure that these farmers improve the quality of their lives and continue to protect the fragile ecosystem that they are stewarding. Another check.

Truly, what could be better?

Well, for me, there’s another level of excitement: I used to live and work in El Salvador; I know this part of the country intimately; I even met with these farmers many years ago when the organization I worked for was offering co-op development trainings to newly formed co-ops. It’s been years since I’ve known anything about what has happened to them and now Equal Exchange is in a position to support them by selling their cashews into the U.S. market. CHECK.CHECK.CHECK,

We received our first shipment this past February. The food co-ops and the consumers love them. (Actually, the staff loves them so much that we had to be careful or they might never have made it to market.) We sold more than we imagined possible. The excitement builds. For the first time, a consumer can buy organic cashew nuts on Fair Trade terms, get amazing quality and flavor, AND know the whole story behind the product. Click here for their full story and photos of the APRAINORES farmers.

Next: Part II: Nature intervenes.

Brutal eviction of the workers of an Argentinian Graphic Cooperative

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:03:30 +0000

On 14 May, employees of the Graphic Cooperative MOM, former Lanci Printing, in Buenos Aires (Argentina), were “brutally evicted by the Metropolitan Police that arrested 15 of them”, according the Federation of Worker Cooperatives in Argentina, FECOOTRA.

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Nutrida participación en el 5to Encuentro por Video Conferencia de la juventud cooperativista de las Américas

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:57:37 +0000

El 5to Encuentro por Video Conferencia organizado por el Comité de Juventud de la ACI-Américas concitó una altísima participación, por lo que en esta edición fue dividido en dos grupos, para poder controlar mejor la actividad y hacer más productivo el video debate.

En el primer bloque participaron representantes del Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo IPACOOP, estudiantes de la Tecnicatura en Cooperativismo de Argentina, el Comité de Juventud Cooperativa de México (JOVENMEX) y el Instituto Nacional Cooperativo de Uruguay. Además se contó con la participación del representante mundial de la Juventud, José Antonio Chávez, y los miembros de la junta Directiva del Comité Regional de Juventud, Carlos Medrano, Mylene Bruneau y Ernesto Guevara, así como la secretaría técnica.

El desarrollo de este bloque puede verse en el siguiente enlace http://youtu.be/mVF1IvrFBrQ

En el segundo bloque participaron delegados del Grupo del Mouvement Desjardins de Canadá, jóvenes de la Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito (COOPEUCH) de Chile, de la Confederación Guatemalteca de Federaciones Cooperativas R.L de Guatemala, representantes del Comité Nacional de Jóvenes de la Liga de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico. De igual forma Carlos Medrano, Myléne Bruneau, Ernesto Guevara, Gabriel Di Francesco y la secretaría técnica del Comité Regional de Juventud de ACI Américas fueron participes de este debate.

En este enlace puede ver el desarrollo del mismo http://youtu.be/3Mvn9MNqBmQ

El Comité Regional de la Juventud realizará un documento con las principales conclusiones y retos que surgieron de todos los aportes realizados.

Sara, her new Italian lover & the lunch of shame

Rosanna Mayhew — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:57:43 +0000

Here’s Sara’s last post before she cycles off into the distance!

Crikey – my last post before the MITIE London Revolution ride after a couple of days of getting to know my new Condor Italia. I hadn’t anticipated a summer romance this year (well any year actually) but I think I’m falling in love with this Italian.

Sara’s new Italian love

Aside from the fact that it looks incredible, it’s unbelievably light (I can literally lift it up with one finger) and has the most amazing gears which change without the merest suggestion of effort. I’m suddenly filled with confidence about Box Hill and some of the other slightly alarming looking hills on the Day 2 profile. In fact I glide up Croombs Hills with such ease now, it’s not so much the prospect of the circuit that’s making my eyes water any more, but the prospect of completing it on a wafer thin racing saddle! I’m definitely a commuter in this department. Sorry Claire (I have tried) and thank you Sonja for the nice padded gel cover.

Other than upping my laps of GreenwichPark, my training schedule has involved upping my calorie intake. This has been an unexpected fringe benefit of riding 180 miles in 2 days. My ‘lunch of shame’ was snapped by my incredulous boss (it was my second lunch of the day) and my chocolate covered Brazil nut and new Divine Caramel bar consumption has gone through the roof! I’m going to miss my guilt-free munchies next week.

Sara and her lunch of shame

I couldn’t start the ride without thanking everyone for their generous sponsorship and introducing you to ‘Team Divine’ who will be doing the 2 day circuit with me. The pit crew, Tony and Isla, will be following us around the circuit with back-up supplies, chocolate samples and my old saddle just in case! And my brother Cameron will be riding with me. He was the only person I knew other than my husband who would be up for registering for a 2 day cycling event just as the training schedule had ended.

Tony and Isla test driving the Condor

So what’s left for today? I’ve made my ‘to do’ and packing lists – a surprising amount to do and bring before a crack of dawn start tomorrow.

TO DO:

1. Collection of my repair kit from the Post Office.

2. A crash course in changing an inner-tube from Team Divine’s chief engineer (Tony).

3. One last trip to the Divineoffice to pick up some chocolate samples and Usherette tray for all the deserved cyclists at the Windsor Racecourse on Saturday night (look out for the woman in the Divine t-shirt walking like John Wayne).

TO BUY:

1. A giant tub of Vaseline!

Et Viola. I’ll be all set. See you on the other side!

Sara will be tweeting her way around the MITIE Revolution Race from @dubblehq

Filed under: Cycling, Divine Chocolate Tagged: Chocolate, Condor, Cycling, Mitie Revolution

Cooperative education: Working together to build a better Uruguay

AlisonGrant — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:59:16 +0000

Last December, ICMIF member SURCO Seguros of Uruguay organised a national competition for school children as part of their celebrations of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2012) and also as part of their CSR activities. The competition was called “Working together to build a better Uruguay” and school children throughout Uruguay were invited to write short stories about their experiences of interacting and working together with others. The aim of the competition was to promote awareness of the nature and benefits of cooperatives amongst the schoolchildren as well as an understanding of the importance and the growth of the cooperative sector in Uruguay. This also provided an opportunity for the promotion of the International Year of Cooperatives. 128 schoolchildren took part in the competition.

The competition had the support of the National Education Administration in Uruguay and also the Fundación ACAC, the main channel for the CSR activities of Cooperativa ACAC, a savings and credit cooperative.

Lic. Silvana Tachini, Director of Human Resources for SURCO Seguros, told ICMIF:

“For SURCO Seguros the experience of organising the competition was extremely valuable…it promoted greater understanding amongst families and communities on cooperatives, their principles and inherent values. The competition is a powerful tool which we use in our social responsibility activities, in strengthening ties across a number of institutions such as schools, cooperatives and the community and also on a personal level between adults and children across the country.”

Read the full report from SURCO Seguros here (Spanish)

Read the first prize story here (Spanish)

Cooperativistas en Chile aspiran a ser un movimiento social fuerte y con incidencia política

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:01:40 +0000

Con una asistencia aproximada de 450 personas que llenaron el Salón de Honor del Congreso Nacional en Valparaíso, se realizó la sesión inaugural del Congreso Nacional Cooperativo. La actividad, organizada por la Mesa Cooperativa, en conjunto con la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y ambas cámaras del Parlamento, contó con el apoyo de una naciente agrupación de parlamentarios cooperativistas.

En la sede porteña hicieron uso de la palabra -para saludar esta iniciativa- el presidente del Senado, Camilo Escalona (PS); el presidente de la Cámara de Diputados, Nicolás Monckeberg (RN);Guillermo Miranda, director de la OIT para el Cono Sur; Germán Verdugo, diputado RN que preside la Comisión Mipyme de la Cámara; Rodrigo González (PPD), en representación de la Bancada de Diputados Cooperativistas; el jefe del Departamento de Cooperativas (Decoop) del Ministerio de Economía, Carlos Schultze, y Sergio Fernández, representante de la Mesa Cooperativa.

Según los miembros de la Mesa Cooperativa, que reúne a diversas orgánicas que representan a variados rubros económicos, el propósito principal de este Congreso era instalar en el seno del Poder Legislativo, tres demandas fundamentales del movimiento cooperativo chileno. En primer lugar, que el Estado de Chile asuma una real política de fomento hacia el sector; luego, que se termine con la situación de “asimetría” o discriminación que sufre el cooperativismo en la legislación nacional -en el sentido de que pueda competir en igualdad de condiciones con las empresas capitalistas-, y, finalmente, que se forme una estructura amparada por el Estado que reúna y coordine a los organismos públicos con el mundo cooperativo.

Conozca las principales conclusiones de las comisiones de trabajo en el documento adjunto

Fuente: Cristian Sotomayor Demuth, El Ciudadano Nº139, enero-febrero 2013

Argentina: Comenzó el Seminario Académico de Derecho Cooperativo

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:07:17 +0000

El Seminario Académico de Derecho Cooperativo es co-organizado por la Asociación de Abogados de Buenos Aires (AABA) y la Asociación Iberoamericana de Derecho Cooperativo, Mutual y de la Economía Social y Solidaria (AIDCMESS) y cuenta con la adhesión de COOPERAR (Confederación de Cooperativas de la República Argentina).

Esta actividad cuenta con la participación de abogados locales y suramericanos especialistas en derecho cooperativo que analizarán la legislación del sector desde una perspectiva regional, con vistas al Congreso Continental de Derecho Cooperativo que se realizará en Brasil.

"Siempre es importante fomentar el estudio del derecho cooperativo y que la Asociación de Abogados de Buenos Aires nos dé un lugar donde podamos poner el granito de arena para intentar la mayor difusión del sector, y sobre todo la mejora en su legislación, es muy importante", destacó a Ansol el vocal del Consejo de Administración de la Confederación Cooperativa de la República Argentina (Cooperar), Carlos Mansilla.

La primera exposición Contradicciones y tensiones en el derecho cooperativo, estuvo a cargo de Mario Schujman y Alfredo Moirano, presidente y tesorero de la Asociación Iberoamericana de Derecho Cooperativo, Mutual y de la Economía Social y Solidaria, respectivamente.

La jornada continuó a las 15 horas con la exposición de Dante Cracogna, relacionada con la Ley Marco para las Cooperativas de América Latina y Estatuto de las Cooperativas del Mercosur.

En tanto que el cierre del seminario será el viernes 17, con la exposición de los letrados Alberto García Muller (Venezuela), Hernando Emilio Zabala Salazar (Colombia), Diego Moreno (Uruguay).

El cierre de las jornadas estará a cargo de la presidenta de la Comisión de Economía Social de la AABA, Lilian Lapadula.

Fuente: Ansol

Argentina: Comenzó el Seminario Académico de Derecho Cooperativo

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:53:53 +0000

El Seminario Académico de Derecho Cooperativo cuenta con la participación de abogados locales y suramericanos especialistas en derecho cooperativo que analizarán la legislación del sector desde una perspectiva regional, con vistas al Congreso Continental de Derecho Cooperativo que se realizará en Brasil.

La jornada continuará a las 15 horas con la exposición de Dante Cracogna, relacionada con la Ley Marco para las Cooperativas de América Latina y Estatuto de las Cooperativas del Mercosur.

En tanto que el cierre del seminario será el viernes 17, con la exposición de los letrados Alberto García Muller (Venezuela), Hernando Emilio Zabala Salazar (Colombia), Diego Moreno (Uruguay).

El cierre de las jornadas estará a cargo de la presidenta de la Comisión de Economía Social de la AABA, Lilian Lapadula.

Fuente: Ansol

Celulosas y Papel, S. Coop. And.

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:52:55 +0000

A successful example of a failed enterprise transformed into a cooperative is the cooperative “Celulosas y Pepel”, located Mollina, a rural town of Andalusia with 5000 inhabitants, in the South of Spain. The cooperative was created in February 2010 after the bankruptcy of CEDEMOLL, active in the production of cellulose and paper for more than 25 years. In particular, four former workers of CEDEMOLL created the “Celulosas y Papel”, which now has doubled the number of workers since its (...)

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Les opérations remarquables 2013

Lourier Vincent — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:19:58 +0000

4 coopératives d'Hlm ont reçu, jeudi 16 mai un "trophée des opérations remarquables 2013" destiné à valoriser des initiatives et opérations originales développées par les coopératives d'Hlm.

Ce trophée valorise des opérations ou actions innovantes relevant de trois catégories :

l'innovation sociale
l'innovation économique
l'innovation environnementale

Cette année, une nouvelle catégorie consacrée à la communication a été ajoutée.

Vous pouvez également découvrir les opérations lauréates en 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 et 2012.

Innovation sociale

La résidence Jean Ferrat à Hazebrouck (59)
Une réalisation de Notre Cottage

Un centre d'accueil d'urgence de 10 appartements géré par le Pact et une pension de famille de 20 appartements.

Pour visualiser la présentation de cette opération, cliquez ici (format PDF).

Communication

Le Propriétai'R Tour
Une initiative d'Escaut Habitat

Une démarche commerciale innovante à l'attention des client.

Pour visualiser la présentation de cette opération, cliquez ici (format PDF).

Innovation économique

Le Clos des Baccharis à Audenge (33)
Une réalisation du Toit Girondin

11 maisons locatives sociales en ossature bois et architecture locale à prix très maîtrisé.

Pour visualiser la présentation de cette opération, cliquez ici (format PDF).

Innovation environnementale

Le Jardin de Jules à Villeurbanne (69)
Une réalisation de Rhône-Saône Habitat

24 logements en accession sociale sécurisée et 14 logements pour le compte de la coopérative d'habitants Le Village Vertical.

Pour visualiser la présentation de cette opération, cliquez ici (format PDF).