Fair Trade Towns & Universities Producer Tour with Kenyan Coffee Producer

Parker Townley April 18, 2012

Raymond Gitau of Kenya Joins the Fair Trade Towns & Universities Producer Tour

 
Follow the travels of Raymond as he hits the road with Courtney Lang, Grassroots Outreach Manager at Fair Trade USA, to see how concious consumers and Fair Trade organizers like you are spreading the word about Fair Trade in the US!
 

Did you know that almost $17 million dollars in Fair Trade coffee premiums were paid to producer organizations in 2011 ?   Raymond Gitau is an extraordinary cooperative leader who has helped manage Ndumberi Coffee Farmers Society by ensuring that small-scale producers receive training and support to acquire credit and build capacity.  His experience in community leadership, as well as knowledge of credit systems and cooperative management has played a large role in growing the cooperative so that more producers become members and more premiums are returned to this coffee growing region.  This month Raymond will be taking his story on the road and talking to Fair Trade Town & University campaigns about how his work has helped bring back more social premiums to his community.

As many have experienced, hearing about Fair Trade from the source inspires us to make a commitment to Fair Trade purchasing.  But you may not realize that is it equally as moving for producers like Raymond to be given the chance to see first-hand how people are making Fair Trade the norm in their communities and on campuses. That’s why Fair Trade Towns and Fair Trade Universities is thrilled to be leading a two week-long producer tour of the Northwest and Southern United States where Raymond will visit campaigns to share his story, and to talk about the realities of life as a Fair Trade producer.

Catch us on the Road:

Sunday, April 22 – Portland, Oregon

  • 4:30 – 6:00 – Portland State University

Tuesday, April 24 – Austin, Texas

  • 4:00 – 5:00 – Fair Bean Coffee Shop

Wednesday, April 25 – Houston, Texas

  • 6:00 – 7:30 – Bohemeo’s Restaraunt

Friday, April 27 – New Orleans, Louisiana

  • 2:30 – 4:00 – Tulane University

Sunday, April 29 – Pensacola, Florida

Tuesday, May 2 – Orlando, Florida

  • 9:00 – 11:00 am – Ten Thousand Villages

Raymond & His Work in Kenya:

Raymond Gitau is the manager of Ndumberi Coffee Farmers Society, a coffee co-op located in Kiambu, Kenya that serves over 2,600 coffee farmers.  Gitau currently holds numerous Chairman and leadership positions and is the Director of the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade International (FAST). Gitua has represented Kenya in multiple Specialty Coffee Associations in both the US and Europe, and was elected by the Fair Trade Coffee Advisory Council in Germany in 2010. In 2006, he was awarded the Head of State Commendation for Community Leadership and Development by Mwai Kibaki, the President of Kenya.

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Parker Townley, National Organizer | Fair Trade Colleges & Universities

Parker Townley works for Fair Trade Colleges and Universities to help connect students and faculty with the resources they need to effectively campaign for Fair Trade on campus. In his free time Parker explores the Sierra Nevadas with his trusty backpack, roams the Bay Area in search of the perfect cup of coffee, and cultivates a small veggie garden.