6 Mayors and a President

Now Fairtrade Fortnight is over, we look back at the Mayor's and the President Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo farmer's met along the way!

Divine Chocolate and Kuapa farmers in the City

Kojo and Paul were out and about in London's financial district on Monday. In the morning, they spoke at a well attended Business Breakfast at Guildhall, the old 15th century seat of government for the City of London.

At the event there was also a speaker from the Fairtrade Foundation, and someone from BT, who spoke about how they implemented Fairtrade purchasing across the company. Kojo and Paul spoke about the benefits of Fairtrade to cocoa farmers in Ghana, and about how Divine's unique farmer-owned model meant that they themselves received a share of the profits from Divine's first dividend last year.

Off to nearby St Mary le Bow Church on Cheapside for a lunchtime debate, organised by Trading Visions and Justshare. The farmers spoke alongside speakers from Divine, Tropical Wholefoods and Fairtrade Foundation, along with an academic and a sceptical business consultant. It was a lively debate with good audience participation, with wine and chocolate afterwards.

Paul and Kojo had time to visit St Paul's while they were in the City, climbing the great dome of one of the largest cathedrals in the world. They thought it was an amazing building and really enjoyed the bright February sunshine views across London, though they also found the wind rather cold!

A Divine Fairtrade Fortnight Launch

What a fantastic start to Fairtrade Fortnight!

Fairtrade companies, supporters, producers, farmers, Londoners and everyone in between gathered together on the Thames on London's Southbank to celebrate the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight with a Fairtrade Fairground.

Divine Chocolate was giving away free delicious tasters of chocolate and were joined by a Henna Tattooist who was giving free Adinkra symbol Henna tattoos (the Ghanaian symbols which feature on the Divine packaging). The two Ghanaian cocoa farmers from Kuapa Kokoo, the cooperative of farmers which co-owns Divine Chocolate, had flown into Heathrow that morning and met visitors to the stall and telling everyone about the difference Fairtrade is making to them and their communities. The weather was glorious and the event was a lot of fun thanks to dancing Fairtrade bananas, a walking talking Dubble bar, games and rides for the children and lots of wonderful Fairtrade samples to try.

Happy Fairtrade Fortnight everyone

From everyone at Divine Chocolate and Kuapa Kokoo

Countdown to Fairtrade Fortnight

Sunrise in Bayerebon, Ghana

Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 is round the corner! There are so many ways you can get involved to make this the best year yet!

• Send off for your free Divine Chocolate supporter kits from Ethical Superstore. They contain leaflets, postcards, posters and of course chocolate so you can set up an event to spread the Divine word! http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/divine-chocolate/divine-chocolate-supporter-promotion-pack/
• Check out our events calendar and attend an event and meet the farmers for yourself. Divine Chocolate will be in London, Exeter, St Austell, Wales and Ireland, see you there! http://www.divinechocolate.com/events/upcoming.aspx
• Visit the Fairtrade Foundation bus tour http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/fortnight_bus_tour.htm
• Make something Divine, like a cake and take it into work. For recipe ideas visit http://www.divinechocolate.com/joinin/recipes.aspx
• Look out for offers in your supermarkets over the next 2 weeks on Fairtrade goods, especially delicious Divine Chocolate!
• Stock the choc, if your local newsagent or store does not stock Divine Chocolate then please request for them to sell it. You will be directly benefitting thousands of Ghanaian farmers by doing so
  

Valentines Day

While you wait for Fairtrade Fortnight, celebrate Valentines by sending your loved one a free bar of Divine Chocolate http://www.divinechocolate.com/home/default.aspx

Fairtrade Fairground

For the first time ever the Fairtrade Foundation will be holding a large public launch event to mark the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight!

Come and enjoy a Fairtrade Fairground on London's South Bank on Sunday the 24th February.
With a traditional helter skelter and tea cup rides, you can also try your hand at the Fairtrade coconut shy and decorate Fairtrade certified cotton T-shirts or get your fortune read in Fairtrade tea leaves.

Divine Chocolate and Dubble will be there with samples and tasters and a Henna tattooist who will be giving free Adinkra symbol tattoos to all the stall visitors. Two cocoa farmers from Ghana will also be there to meet you and share their experiences of how Fairtrade has improved their lives.

Hope to see you there!

Date: Sunday 24th of February
Time: 11am - 4pm
Location: Coin Street on the South Bank
Getting there: the closest Underground Station is Waterloo

Fairtrade Fortnight Tour

image by kim naylor

Welcome to the Divine Chocolate Fairtrade Fortnight blog.

Divine Chocolate is inviting two cocoa farmers from Ghana to join them here for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25th February – 9th March). Throughout the tour Divine Chocolate and the two farmers will be regulary updating this blog with stories of their journey. This year Divine Chocolate’s tour will include visits to Ireland and Wales, as well as several events in England.

Throughout the two weeks Divine Chocolate and the two Kuapa farmers will be attending a variety of Fairtrade-inspired events and talking to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade steering committees. They will be telling their stories of how Fairtrade, and owning a chocolate company, has changed their lives – and in turn discovering how much we love chocolate here in the UK – and why ‘chocolate makes the world go round’!

The current schedule includes England events in London, Exeter and the Eden Project in Cornwall. In Wales the tour includes Bangor, Powys, Cardiff and Aberystwyth. Then on to Ireland where visits to Dublin, Cork and Belfast are planned.

Divine Chocolate has toured every year for the past six years with cocoa farmers during Fairtrade Fortnight, and 2008 will be the first time the farmers who come will be men! Their roles as Recorders are key to the structure and organisation of Kuapa Kokoo – they are elected as trusted fellow-farmers to weigh the cocoa accurately and pay farmers the right price accordingly. Each year thousands of people in the UK have had the chance to hear farmers speak and hear firsthand the impact of Fairtrade, and hundreds of them have had the chance to speak to the farmers in person. This direct connection with the farmers behind the food we love is key to the appeal of Fairtrade.