Please join us for an evening with Dr. Francisco VanderHoff, one of the founders of the Fair Trade Certified movement.

Dr. VanderHoff is a Catholic priest who has been working with indigenous people in Oaxaca, Mexico for more than twenty-five years. The founder of the first Fair Trade labeling organization (Max Havelaar in the Netherlands) and co-founder of the largest Fair Trade Certified coffee co-operative in the world (UCIRI in Oaxaca), Dr. VanderHoff has not only been a successful practitioner of Fair Trade, but an insightful critic of attempts by large corporate actors to later down the standards of Fair Trade in ways that are detrimental to small producers. An inspiration to all in the Fair Trade movement, Dr. VanderHoff has also been recognized for his work by leading political figures, such as the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Anan, and the former President of France, Jacques Chirac. Fair Trade Certified sales were nearly $5 billion last year with 7.5 million people benefiting from the movement.

We invite you to join a conversation with Francisco and others that will explore some of the emerging issues in the fair trade movement. The purpose of this talk is to stimulate discussion on furthering our efforts to create a more just and sustainable global economy.

The event will take place on Wednesday September 23 at our Grange/Victoria Plaza coffee bar starting at 7 PM. If possible, please RSVP to Bill Barrett (bill@planetbeancoffee.com or at 519-837-3242).