Join us for a night of celebration as we hear stories from different fairtrade licensees. Entrance will include a raffle ticket for a chance to win fairtrade goodies!

Proceeds from the raffle will go towards the Fairtrade Producer Relief Fund.

A zoom link will be sent out closer to the date of the event.

List of Panellists:

Loic de Fabritus Gautier - etik & co.

Originally from France, Loïc has spent 2 years working for Equiterre, an environmental NGO based in Montreal, before joining the Quebec Fair Trade Association as manager of the Fair Trade Programs in the province. In March 2018, Loïc founded etik & co., an online store dedicated to Fairtrade certified organic and vegan fashion. Loïc imports clothing, footwear and accessories made with Fairtrade certified cotton from some of the most ethical fashion brands in the world to make them available to Canadians at an affordable price.

Madison Hopper - Equifruit

Madison is the Marketing Manager for Canadian-based Fairtrade banana company Equifruit. Madison also teaches a course at York University called The Business of Fair Trade that explores a variety of themes connected to the fair trade movement in Canada.

Imran Kaderdina - La Siembra Cooverative

Imran Kaderdina is a worker-owner and Finance Manager at La Siembra Cooperative, the makers of the Fairtrade and Organic Camino chocolates and baking products. Imran was first involved with the fair trade movement in 2005 at York University, where he unsuccessfully tried to lobby the university to be the first university in Canada to become a Fair Trade campus. However, he was able to help lobby the administration to adopt a No Sweatshop policy, ban the sale of bottled water, and set up a Sustainability Council that has continued to do great work. And shortly before coming to work at La Siembra Cooperative, he was involved with supporting the Aramark food service workers at York University in getting a $15 minimum wage through the Real Food, Real Jobs campaign while working at the OPIRG at York.

About the fund:

On World Fair Trade Day, Fairtrade International announced the launch of a “Fairtrade Producer Relief Fund” and establishment of a “Fairtrade Producer Resilience Fund” in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The two funding mechanisms, with initial investments of €3.1 million, are intended to meet the immediate needs of farmers, workers and their communities, while also establishing a foundation for longer-term economic recovery efforts.

Fairtrade Canada will contribute a total of $25,000 of its reserves to the Producer Relief Fund, but we want to go further. That is why we are launching this GoFundMe, so Canadians who want to support the Producer Relief Fund can: from campaigners, Fair Trade Programs members, businesses, retailers, and other partners, we know Canadians want to help.

“This gets to the very heart of the work we do at Fairtrade Canada, and reflects our deep commitment to stand in solidarity with farmers and workers,” says Julie Francoeur, Executive Director at Fairtrade Canada. “And while many communities and businesses across Canada have been impacted by the pandemic, Canadians are also asking us ‘how can I help those in dire need’? We hope that our contribution will help to provide some much-needed relief to our producer partners.”

100% of the funds raised for the Fairtrade Producer Relief Fund will be allocated proportionally to the three regional Fairtrade Producer Networks: The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC), Fairtrade Africa (who represents farmers and workers in Africa and parts of the Middle East), and Fairtrade Network of Asia & Pacific Producers (NAPP). The Producer Networks will, in turn, administer and manage the distribution, monitoring, and impact of the funds to Fairtrade certified producer organizations on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.

Please consider contributing anything you can to support farmers and workers during these unprecedented times.

Remember, we are all connected.