Taste and see fair trade in action at the Jamestown Arts Center (JAC) on Sunday, November 2 at 3:00 p.m. Coffee from Dean’s Beans, chocolate from Equal Exchange, fair trade wine, and fair trade products from Fair Trade Winds, Jamestown’s own fair trade store, will be available for purchase. Following a select screening of “Connected by Coffee,” a film documenting the human relationships between coffee farmers, buyers, roasters, and consumers, a panel of special guests will engage with the audience, responding to questions about the movie and about fair trade.
The movie discussion panel will include Jamestown resident Dean Cycon, a maverick, social activist, and founder of Dean’s Beans (www.deansbeans.com). Cycon won the Nobel Prize Of Business For Promoting Fair Trade in 2013. For over two decades, Dean’s Beans has paid coffee growers premium prices for their product, which has allowed thousands of farmers across twelve countries to work and live in a sustainable framework. Cristina Liberati is the Grants Projects Manager at Equal Exchange (www.equalexchange.coop). Liberati works primarily on a USAID cooperative development program with cacao and coffee producers, which centers on issues related to quality, productivity and capitalization in Peru, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. Paul Culler, founder of Fair Trade Winds (www.fairtradewinds.net), will also be on the panel. Culler is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fair Trade Federation of North America and owns seven family-operated fair trade retail stores across the country. The store seeks to empower customers to become an integral part of a global, cooperative effort that benefits farmers, artisans, and the environment.
“Connected by Coffee” filmmakers Chelsea Bay Dennis and Aaron Dennis of Stone Hut Studios describe the documentary as “a 1000-mile journey across Central America to show how coffee farmers and consumers can work together to create a more just world.”
Fair Trade Winds, located at 47 Conanicus Ave., is managed by new Jamestown resident Reva Greenstein. Greenstein is dedicated to educating customers about fair trade and sharing artisan stories. The store offers eco-friendly lighting, home décor, wall art and frames, housewares, handmade jewelry and accessories, greeting cards, bath and body products, musical instruments, seasonal gifts, chocolate, coffee, and tea.
Please join us, and the growing ranks of conscientious consumers, for this special event. Admission is a suggested donation of $5.00 at the door.