Rafael Goldberg, CEO interrupcion* Fair Trade

Fair Trade Blueberries, Tucuman, Argentina.

Fran Estrada & Pablo Ballazini

In the rich soils of Tucumán, interrupcion* fair trade blueberries soak in warm sun while surrounded by the high Andes mountains and sugarcane fields. Berries del Aconquija S. A. & Berries del NOA are farms founded by Francisco and Pablo, two entrepreneurs that made social responsibility and sustainability their guiding principles. Back in 2005, when they were writing their business plan they contacted interrupcion* to help them to measure and maximize their social and environmental impact. We worked with them to identify their communities and their needs. At that time, they built strong ties with the local organizations giving them support and guidance in understanding of the main issues facing the community. As soon as both companies were formed and the farms went into production, Pablo and Fran decided to certify their operations with Nature´s Choice Certification and Global Gap Certification. Both certifications guarantee safe labor conditions, monitor and regulate environmental impact and establish guidelines for good relationships with workers.

One of the first projects implemented was to invite local bank representatives to the farm to help permanent and temporary workers open their own savings accounts, so they can manage their money safely and take the first steps toward establishing credit. They then realized that some local labor contractors were using false registrations to avoid paying the national minimum wage to temporary workers. In response, Pablo and Fran rewrote their agreement with labor contractors to guarantee proof of payment for each temporary worker and installed a fingerprint scanner on the farm to ensure that those working on the farm are getting paid.

In 2007, interrupcion* started the fair trade certification program and Pablo and Fran were enthusiastic about getting involved and working towards fair trade certification.

The good relationships that they had cultivated with workers, their genuine concern for labor & social issues, and their well defined and documented processes helped them to obtain Fair Trade certification. As time went by, sales of Fair Trade berries made the social Premium fund grow and the workers showed a serious commitment to their communities, eager to create positive social change. In this rural and poor area. Workers decided to invest some premium money to solve urgent problems that their community was facing: a lack of shoes for the children of the community school, a necessary but expensive surgery for a very ill child, and the purchase of a specialized wheel chair for a severely handicapped child. In addition, as Pablo, Fran, and interrupcion* taught during assemblies, workers need to be organized to create an institution governed by themselves to address the most important issues that they face as a community. From this awareness came the decision to create an independent branch of Asociación Civil Interrupción* in Tucumán to provide goods and services for all the workers and their communities, goods and services often basic but difficult to obtain. Two main projects are being evaluated by the workers and Asociación Civil Interrupción:

- The creation of a community bakery to provide affordable and healthy bread

- The creation of a community factory to produce bricks and provide affordable materials for housing and small construction projects in the community.

Fran and Pablo are supporting these projects on their farms through a commitment to Fair Trade practices and are advising and assisting workers by providing the tools and freedom necessary to create make them a reality. Asociación Civil Interrupción is working closely with the workers committee to bring their projects to life and to continue to define and implement projects that can harness the benefits of Fair Trade in this community.

We started today our North Region Certification Tour. We´ll be with Alejandra, the IMO Inspector, visiting our associate producers to renew the Fair Trade Certification.

Our schedule is:

August 10th: Tucumán- Blueberry Producers

August 11th: La Rioja- Organic ExtraVirgin Olive Oil producer

August 12th-13th: Mendoza – Chimichurri and Olive Paste producers

August 14th: Buenos Aires Province- Blueberry Producers

August 15th: Santa Fé Province- Dulce de Leche Producer

We´ll be posting everyday updates on how things are going. If you want to follow the tour in real time follow me on Twitter.

I came out to Union Square where my friends and fellow interrupters were gathering to celebrate the occasion. We were twelve young, strong, passionate people uniting for a common goal: to make an impact on a person to person level by trading a piece of fruit for a piece of their time. We donned our interrupcion* t-shirts with the orange beacon of hope signaling the call to arms, and loaded ourselves to the gills with bushels and baskets of gala apples. I had brought my guitar in case the situation called for it. We needed to get across the message of fair trade by any means necessary.

It was my first experience as an interrupter. For most people I encountered, it was their first experience being interrupted. It was a chance to share with people just what exactly is fair trade. How did these 1,500 royal gala apples wind up on a bustling corner of a park in Manhattan, and what were we going to do with them? For the apples, their story was coming to an end. We would soon hand out the delicious argentine apples to be enjoyed by anyone and everyone willing to listen to that apple´s story from the beginning. It´s a story all too well known and all too easily forgotten. Farmers teetering on the edge of poverty, who are being taken advantage of for the benefit of a select few. World Fair Trade Day was a chance to be their voice to those willing to listen. Along with a strong coalition of dedicated interrupters, I filled up my basket with fruit and flyers and began interrupting.

*Excuse me, do you have a minute for fair trade?*

They want an apple. I know it. I want a minute of their time. Seems like a fair trade, no? One little apple for one big idea?

*Oh, I´ve heard of that but what is it?*

People were more than willing to step outside their life´s daily routine and engage their curiosity to find out what fair trade means, why it matters, and how we can do more to make trade fair. It was a time to share, to talk and to listen.

*Well, fair trade guarantees a certain set of standards that uphold a quality of life that every human being is entitled to have. Fair wages and proper working conditions. Fair trade cuts out unnecessary middlemen in favor of the farmer who deserves a fair shake.*

*well, what´s the catch?*

*There´s no catch. No strings attached. Know that your purchase has power. Every time you purchase your produce you have a choice. Know where your money goes when you spend it. How is that money being used? How fair is your fruit? Right now there is a problem with the trade process. The people that need money the most end up getting the least. We need to change the system. Your choice can be that change.*

*Where can I buy fair trade?*

*You can buy fair trade at your local supermarket right here right now in New York, New York. The next time you find yourself in Gristedees, Whole foods, or the Food Emporium, look for the * and make the change to fair trade. What´s there not to love? You are supporting a community that needs it the most. Know where your money goes. Feel good about the decision you make while you make a difference.*

*Where are these apples coming from? Shouldn´t I buy local to support my community?*

*These apples, along with a wide variety of other fruit, is coming from Argentina. When fruit isn´t growing here, fruit is ripe for the picking in Argentina. So when you can´t buy local, buy fair trade.*

*Good apple. Buy fair trade. Why not?*

*Thanks for caring. Have a flyer and look for the asterisk!*

*Thanks for the apple. What is this, a royal gala? It´s delicious.*

We were in full swing on Fair Trade Day with interrupters engaging in conversation with baskets of apples in hand, handing out fliers and sharing ideas. Everyone was excited. People were ready to listen. We found out most people are more than willing to learn. All we need is to spread the message, share our feelings, and put things in their right place. It´s not just about treating somebody fairly, its about treating someone the way you would expect to be treated yourself. Justly. It starts with a conversation , it builds into a revolution, and it ends in a collective conscious founded on our commitment to each other, to ourselves and to our world as an all inclusive community. This is our world. We are in this together. Let us unite.

When I found myself at the rally and ideas took shape, the question for my action was not why? Rather, why not? Why not us, why not here, why not now? What is it you believe in? What will you do to realize that dream and make right this reality? Oftentimes we can be creatures of habit and skeptics of change. But if something isn´t right, how do you make it better? What will stand in your way? What will be the turning point, and what will you have to do to get there? How will you recognize the call and how will you embrace the call to arms? What´s the difference if you don´t behave differently? What do you care about enough to make other people care just as much? How big of a difference do you think there is between you and me? How can we bridge the distance between where we are and where we need to be?

That Saturday wasn´t the signal of the changing seasons. It was a changing of the guard. The change came from within me. It had always been there since before I could remember. I just finally embraced it. I had become part of Interrupcion*, an active member of the movement to support the cause and help realize the solution. Interrupcion* connected with people, and people made the connection: Isn´t it time we made the world fair? Our dedicated group of interrupters reached out to everyone around us and people embraced the fair trade way. In time, the message will be spread until we´re all singing the same tune. Maybe that´s why I brought my guitar. Let us continue this change until there is no difference between us and them. My name is Brandon, and I´m an interrupter.

John Oliver from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, hosted his stand up comedy on fair and unfair trade.