Each for All: The Co-operative Connection

First, we are pleased to have with us in the studio Dr. Ian MacPherson, director of the BC Institute for Co-operative Studies. Our hope is that Ian can provide us with an insight into the relationship co-operatives have with ethical production and trade. Thanks for joining us Ian.

Many of us are familiar with the fact that the Rochdale Pioneers started the first co-operative store in 1844 to sell unadulterated goods during the industrial revolution; a time when factory workers were being ripped off by the general stores which were often run by the factories themselves. And we heard last show from Peter Couchman, from Midcounties Co-opeartive, that co-operatives in the UK were the first stores to bring Fair Trade items to the UK. So can you set the stage Ian, how would you describe the relationship in Canada between co-operatives and ethical trade and purchasing?

Black Gold: A Look at Fair Trade and the Global Economy of Coffee

A documentary by Nick and Mark Francis (2006, 77 mins)

Coffee has become the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. Yet while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields. Black Gold is a mesmerizing and beautifully shot documentary that traces the trade route of Ethiopian coffee beans through various middlemen to your friendly neighbourhood cafe or supermarket shelves, and drives home the human value of fair trade. Visit the Black Gold website for more movie info and trailer.

Guests: Stacey Toews (Level Ground Coffee), Ian Hussey (Canadian Student Fair Trade Network), Moges Kebebe (Victoria Ethiopian Association) and Mekonnen Aragaw (Phd candidate, UVic School of Environmental Studies with extensive background in rural development in developing countries).

Interview Jacqui MacDonald

We are pleased to have with us in the studio, Jacqui MacDonald.

Jacqui is a fair and ethical trade consultant working with a variety of institutions. Her extensive resume includes having held a key role in creating The Body Shop International’s cornerstone fair and ethical trade strategies, as well as its Statement of Human Rights and Trading Charter. She Established and expanded the Community Trade programme to over 40 suppliers, 150 tonnes of ingredients and 15% of accessories and gifts sold annually, and built the programme’s global reputation as a successful example of responsible corporate trade. She is also co-author of Business and Poverty: Bridging the Gap. Jacqui lives here in Victoria, BC.

Jacqui was an Associate of the Co-operative College in the UK, where she taught Responsible Retailing and an Associate Director of The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). She is also Regional Representative for Verité, an US-based NGO operating in 66 countries to verify trade and export.

Jacqui is also a keynote speaker at next week’s Ethical Purchasing Forum here at UVic.