Case Study
Guillermo Vargas Leiton
His tour of the UK
Guillermo Vargas Leiton is a coffee farmer who visited the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight 2002. He is also the manager of his local farmers co-operative, which sells 100% of its crops to the Fairtrade market. Guillermo was looking forward to his visit.
I want to reduce the distance between the producer and the consumer. If we can look one another in the eyes, we can understand each other's needs.
His passion
Guillermo's passion is for his two daughters, aged 8 and 2. The older likes to read every day. She is currently working her way through the Harry Potter books. His younger daughter enjoys playing with the cat. Guillermo has happy memories of picking coffee as a child on his father's farm. He wants to preserve this way of life for his children.
We want our children to continue growing coffee, to retain the love and passion for working the land and being part of nature. We don't want them to leave the land and be dependent on other people for their food.
His daily life
On a typical day, Guillermo wakes up at 5.30 am. He helps his wife prepare breakfast, and then takes his older daughter to school. In his new job as general manager of the co-operative he has to work long hours, from about 8:30 am to 7 at night. He'll start the day checking how things are going at the coffee-roasting plant. He then spends the rest of the day in the office. If Guillermo gets home early, he'll spend time with the family, and watch the news. If not, he goes straight to bed. Sundays, he might go and visit his coffee farm or travel round the neighborhood visiting friends. He likes running long distances, and goes out running when he can. Last year I did a marathon for the first time - I almost died
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A better deal
As the manager and long-term member of Co-op Santa Elena, Guillermo is in a good position to see the benefit that Fairtrade has had for the coffee farmers.
If we didn't have Fairtrade sales, most of the farmers would be cutting down their trees. 100% of our crop is sold to the Fairtrade market. The current price of coffee in the conventional market doesn't cover the cost of producing the coffee.
When I think of Fairtrade, I think: 'Fair for the producer and fair for the consumer'. To my mind, the two main players involved in trade are the producer and the consumer. The people in-between - the middle-men - should be the bridge, facilitating the trade. They shouldn't secure all the benefits for themselves.
Buy Fairtrade coffee
Look for the Fairtrade Mark on coffee. Visit the Fairtrade Foundation website to find out where you can buy Fairtrade coffee.
Credits
This article is sourced from the Fairtrade Foundation.
