30 Rebecca Street, Stratford May 2016 Issue

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1 30 Rebecca Street, Stratford May 2016 Issue Super Powered Nutrients for Women Look inside for the latest news from women's health researchers, including some surprisingly powerful nutrients every gal should know about. Check out our monthly Flyer! Sale dates: May 5th - May 21st, 2016 (Click HERE for our flip page flyer) What is Fairtrade? With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day. With one simple choice you can get farmers a better deal. This means that they can make their own decisions, control their futures and lead the dignified life everyone deserves.

2 Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. It s about supporting the development of thriving farmer and worker communities that have more control over their futures and protecting the environment in which they live and work. It s your opportunity to connect with the people who grow the produce and make the products that we all depend on. What does the Fairtrade mark mean? When you buy products with the Fairtrade mark, you are supporting farmers and workers as they work to improve their lives and their communities. The mark means that the Fairtrade ingredients in the product have been produced by small-scale farmer organizations or plantations that meet the Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards. These standards include protection of workers rights and the environment, payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in business or community projects. Fairtrade works to benefit small-scale farmers and workers, who are among the most marginalized groups globally, through trade rather than aid to enable them to maintain their livelihoods and reach their potential. For certain products, such as coffee, cocoa, cotton and rice, Fairtrade only certifies small-scale farmer organizations. Working through democratic organizations of small-scale farmers, Fairtrade offers rural families the stability of income which enables them to plan for the future. For some products such as bananas, tea and flowers, Fairtrade also certifies plantations - companies that employ large numbers of workers on estates. Our Standards for such large-scale production units differ by protecting workers basic rights; from keeping them safe and healthy, allowing them freedom of association and collective bargaining, to preventing discrimination and ensuring no bonded or illegal child labor. They also require employers to pay wages that progress towards living wage benchmarks. Ensuring decent working conditions and strong worker rights is central to Fairtrade s work. The producers themselves decide how the Fairtrade Premium should be invested. The premium is the additional sum of money paid on top of the Fairtrade Minimum Price that farmers and workers receive which can be invested in social, environmental and economic developmental projects to improve their businesses and their communities. In real terms, it means investment in schools, transport, health care, sanitation, an improved environment and better business equipment and practices. For more information, go to Fairtrade Canada.

3 Did YOU Know... Chemicals Workers Bananas are the most heavily sprayed food crop in the world. Four of the chemicals used are classified as extremely hazardous by the World Health Organization, and three organophosphates are banned in the UK. Most corporations spend more money on agrochemicals than on worker wages. In addition to the chemical sprays, banana bunches are wrapped in insecticide-coated plastic while still on the trees to prevent against disease. To ensure high yields, intensive production methods are used which result in toxic chemical residue remaining in soil, water, sediment and fish in the areas adjacent to plantations. In Latin America, workers on plantations can earn as little as 1% of the final price of the banana. Hours of work can be as long as hours of unpaid overtime. Chemical sprays can gravely affect the health of workers, the surrounding communities and the environment. Additionally, workers may risk their jobs or even their lives if they attempt to form trade unions. Women often face gender-specific abuse, including discriminatory employment policies, compulsory pregnancy tests before hiring, limited access to maternity leave and sexual harassment. Why Fairtrade bananas? Ec onomic empowerment Profits must be equally distributed among the members of the cooperative or association Workers have the right to establish or join an independent union Salaries must be equal to or higher than the regional average or than the minimum wage Commu nity building

4 All members of the producer organization must have a voice in the decision-making process and in the group organization The premium must not be used to cover ongoing operating expenses, but rather to improve living and working conditions Basic rights Forced labour and child labour of children of 15 years and under is prohibited. Work for children over 15 must not interfere with their education Health and safety measures must be established in order to avoid work-related injuries Environmen tal sustainability Use of certain pesticides and herbicides are prohibited even on non-organic bananas Measures are taken to mitigate damage to native vegetation a challenge on single-crop plantations Equifruit Bananas All Equifruit bananas are Fairtrade Certified by Fairtrade Canada and organic certified by Ecocert Canada. Equifruit s insistence on organic farming is not just out of concern for the Canadian consumer but also to protect the health and land of our producers. We operate within a fair trade system, designed to address the stark inequalities of the conventional banana trade. We agree to pay our small-farmer cooperatives prices which allow them and their families to live with dignity. Equifruit also contributes a social premium for each case we buy, which is then pooled to fund community development projects. For more information, check out Equifruit.

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6 From Camino website: Who harvests the organic ingredients used in Camino products? We work closely, and where possible, directly, with our partner co-operatives of family farmers to ensure transparency, respect and fairness in the supply chain. To accomplish this, we visit them in the South to learn more about their challenges and successes. Similarly, we invite representatives from our partner co-ops to Canada to learn more about the markets in which their products are being sold. These visits help us and our partner co-operatives of family farmers to identify new opportunities and to learn about what improvements can be made in the future. We source ingredients for all Camino products from co-operatives of family farmers in 9 countries: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. Fair trade All Camino products come from ingredients harvested through fair trade practices. Positive fair trade practices are key to building vibrant sustainable communities, through good food for you, and abroad, through greater prosperity and health for family farmers. Nut-free Chewy Protein Bars Mix the following ingredients together in a mixer on high speed: 1 cup dates 1/2 cup organic sunflower butter (SunButter Sunflower Seed Spread without sugar) 1 1/2 cup Arayuma fair trade organic coconut milk 1 tbsp pure organic vanilla 1/2 cup Sunwarrior protein powder 1/2 cup Camino fair trade organic natural cocoa powder 1/2 tsp salt Combine the following ingredients in a second bowl: 2 1/2 cups organic oatmeal 1/2 cup Camino fair trade organic dark chocolate chips 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries Mix all ingredients together and create a rectangle block on baking parchment paper, bake 15 minutes at 350 F. Cut into squares. Enjoy immediately, refrigerate or freeze. For more recipes, check out Camino.

7 Introducing Café Feminino from Planet Bean Flyer A unique story is developing in the remote Andes mountains of northern Peru. Café Femenino is an initiative of some of the poorest women in the country. It involves them growing their own coffee, keeping it separate from other coffee and keeping the revenue generated through its sale in their own hands. Planet Bean Coffee of Guelph roasts Café Feminino which is sold throughout southern Ontario by cafés and retailers. This is remarkable since these Peruvian women would normally be passive and marginalized by the men around them. They live in isolated homes, cook over open fires, carry their water, look after children, work their farms and are under the control of their husbands. Women in these rural areas are said to be at a 70% risk of sexual assault. They have few resources, no support network limited education and no control over the household income. Cafe Femenino is their proactive plan to change their lives and the lives of their children. At Planet Bean we have decided to fully support their efforts. The coffee is organic and certified fair trade by Transfair Canada, but the women are paid higher than the official fair trade price and part of that goes into a separate fund which they administer for community projects. In the summer of 2005 Planet Bean members traveled to Peru to find out more about this story, meet and interview the women involved, gather video and photos of their lives to bring back to tell people about their project. They have heard and seen some amazing things. There are now more than 750 women involved in the project spread throughout 50 communities. A

8 meeting of about 60 of the women involved in Café Feminino was held this past summer. At the meeting the women evaluated the past harvest and planned for the future. They discussed the community projects they would initiate and how Café Feminino was changing their lives. Café Feminino represents an exciting evolution in fair trade. These women have created their own structure within the existing fair trade movement. Their example can inspire other women involved in fair trade co-ops throughout the world. The coffee also tastes great. The women have been focused on growing and processing a quality product. They know that their long term success will be based on flavour and their coffee produces an exceptionally tasty roast. The coffee is perfectly balanced and full bodied with deep caramel, chocolate and fruity nuances. Part of the Café Feminino mandate is to connect women in communities around the world which is why Planet Bean is providing the coffee free to local women s shelters through Guelph Wellington Women In Crisis (W.I.C.). Maria Sabina Hernandez Queva represents the women of Café Feminino. She lives with her husband just outside of the remote village of Agua Azul in the northern Peruvian Andes. She has a 2-acre field of her own, half of which is dedicated to coffee. We decided to separate the coffee produced by women from the coffee produced by men. We can decide what to do with the money we receive from our product because it belongs to us. Sabina, who has a grade five education, has a son and a daughter who are able to pursue further education because of the extra revenue. She also has hopes for simple improvements to her life I want to do renovations in my house, like being able to have toilets. I would also like to have more coffee plants. As for the Café Feminino organization she believes more women should get involved in their communities We are preparing new women leaders to work for the organization because, if one day I leave, there should be more women leaders. I would like to tell you that this market is really supporting small coffee producers. North Americans have to consume more of our products so more women can get into this market. What is happening at the Gentle Rain this month?

9 Visit our website at thegentlerain.ca If you wish to SUBSCRIBE to our mailing list, please click here. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please click here.