Today we speak with Rodney North, aka the “Answer Man” of Equal Exchange, a mission-based Fair Trade cooperative dedicated to social justice and an improved bottom line for the impoverished farmers of the world.

Rodney gives us the low down on Fair, “greenwashing”, the Fair Trade supply chain, and the debate around moving beyond Fair Trade. This is an excellent and provocative interview for both novices and experts alike, so please have a listen.

After a bit of an absence, we are back with some more great content. Today we begin a new series of shows about Fair Trade, with a focus on the coffee industry.

For our first interview, we speak with Patrick Stewart, Director of Marketing for Greenwell Farms/Kona Coffee. Pat gets us up to speed on why Kona is special, how the coffee supply chain functions, and how Fair Trade coffee relates to the coffee market in general. We also talk about the future direction of the industry.

Thanks for joining us, and we plan to have several more great shows about coffee and Fair Trade in coming weeks.