Let me introduce myself and let you know why mondomundi exists.
I am just an ordinary guy - my mum was a teacher in a school for the handicapped and my dad was a gardener in the NHS. I qualified as an accountant and worked for many years (too many!) in the financial services industry, more recently in a senior position with a fair amount of responsibility. I have to admit the motivation for change was provided by a new boss, keen to change everything, not keen to listen and learn and within a short space of time I knew my future lay along a different path - but which one?
The answer was provided by the G8 summit of 2005. Government efforts to address inequality in trade with the developing world seemed ineffective and so the idea of a Fairtrade business took shape. Having worked for an international bank, generally making lots of money for the parent company, and helping rich people get richer, I reckoned along the way I had acquired the skills to run a Fairtrade business along totally professional lines and to provide high quality goods with excellent service in a professional environment.
For me, it was essential that people see the difference between fair trade and charity quite clearly, and that by participating in commerce that is fair and equitable all the way back to the producer, they can make a real difference in peoples lives, without creating a dependendency on handouts. My motto to all who will listen is “Don’t buy it just because it’s Fair Trade - buy it because you love it! Then feel good about yourself afterwards because you’ve done some good as well”