Part of the role of the Liaison Officer is to link certified organizations to the marketplace in which they are operating. During the last quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007, FLO Centroamerica took advantage of a number of opportunities to act as a bridge for organizations to become more acquainted with the needs of the buyers and simultaneously facilitate more direct relationships between buyers and organizations.

In January 2007, 4 honey producing organizations in Nicaragua were visited by Maya Fair Trade srlfs, a Belgian based importer which buys exclusively under fairtrade conditions. The visit focused on updating the organizations on the tendencies and exporting requirements of the honey market. At the same time Maya Fair Trade had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the challenges faced by the Nicaraguan producers to ensure their continuity in the marketplace. The encounter also demonstrated to the producer organizations the commitment of the buyer, a commitment which is not limited to merely receiving product in the quantity and quality expected but also encompasses a concern to ensure that the producing organizations continue as long term business partners.

Reflecting afterwards on the meeting, the representative of Maya Fair Trade, Thomas Gruber, spoke of the importance of developing close working relationships between the Liaison Officer and the buyer to ensure follow up to developing organizational, business and above all communication capabilities of the producers. In his own words: “If we can improve the communication we will be able to meet in a positive way the challenge posed by intermediaries and the difficulties in meeting contractual commitments.”

Later in February 2007, twelve organizations certified in Honduras participated in a practical exchange of knowledge with personnel of Sustainable Harvest in the facilities of Transcafé (a registered exporter based in Guatemala city). The focal point of the exchange visit was a cupping session in which the samples of the Honduran organizations were put under the Sustainable Harvest microscope! In the course of the visit, the Honduran organizations were brought up to speed on the quality requirements and demands of Sustainable Harvest, not just in terms of the product but also in terms of customer service. Let’s hope that harvest 2007-2008 will see the addition of new Honduran based organizations to the approved supplier list of Sustainable Harvest!

German television also paid a visit to Costa Rica where they were filming a documentary on Fairtrade Coffee and Bananas for the educational sector in Germany. Coocafe and Coopetrabasur had a chance to talk about their efforts and achievements in product quality, business and social development, as well as the challenges they face in the marketplace.

We in FLO Centroamerica will continue working to ensure that next year this kind of activity will increase so that the link to the marketplace for certified organizations in the region will be even stronger!

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.