Come On The Black Stars!

 

We couldn't let Ghana's success in the World Cup go uncelebrated. (Particularly in light of England's shocker against Germany last Sunday...) 

Big hopes rest on the shoulders of the team that has been described in the British press as "dangerous outsiders". They are the first African side to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa from the qualifiers. 

At 7.30pm on Friday evening, the Black Stars will face South American hopefuls, Uraguay. If winning is down to overwhelmingly cacophonous vuvuzela support from the continent of Africa, then Ghana will breeze into the semi-finals.

Joseph Bbirikadde is our Cadbury Cocoa Partnership man working in Ghana at the moment, and this is what he had to say about support for the team there. 

"You definitely should root for Ghana. We are going for gold. The whole country is in a football mood and very expectant. 

"Sadly there are so many injuries in the team and send offs, we hope they will be able to use this time of rest to recover. It is also sad that England could not make it this far, it was a sad match... Most of my housemates are Germans and they did not like the fact that I did not support them. 

"The cup is staying in Africa. Despite not being Ghanaian, I think I am rooting for the team more thn most Ghanaians!"

So from everyone here at Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk, good luck Ghana! We're behind you all the way. 

British Dairy Farmer Meets Ghanaian Cocoa Farmer

Andrew Freeston (pictured above) is a British dairy farmer. The milk he produces helps make Cadbury Dairy Milk. Last month, he travelled to Ghana to meet some of the cocoa producers working with the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership there. Here is his story, in his own words... 

"I am a dairy farmer from Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. I have farmed there for 30 years. As well as milking cows, I produce turkeys for the Christmas market and I am a vendor of hay and straw, which helps supplement my dairy income. 

"I produce 1.5 million litres of milk per year for The Selkley Vale Group. The Group then supplies approximately 80 million litres of milk for the production of the Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate. 

"Recently I visited Ghana with two colleagues, to help refurbish a school and housing for local families. I also combined my visit with meeting the local cocoa producers. 

"The local representative for the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in Ghana, a man named Yaa Peprah, took us around three villages in the east of Accra. We were met by the local chiefs and shown around the cocoa farms. Here we saw how the cocoa pods were grown and how the bans were picked and dried in the sun, before being transported to the post and over to the Cadbury Dairy Milk factory in the town of Chirk, Wales. 

"The local people were very welcoming and hospitable. They took a great interest in my role as a dairy farmer supplying milk for Cadbury Dairy Milk. I sampled local palm gin and we had a look at the Cadbury-funded water wells. 

"The company buys their cocoa in Ghana for Cadbury Dairy Milk under the Fairtrade terms. As a British dairy farmer, we are keen to see how the Fairtrade system could be adapted for use in the British milk market." 

A fascinating trip for Andrew and brilliant of him to share it with us. If you have any questions or comments you would like to pass on to him, then please leave a message below. 

Well Done Fair Trade Wales

Did you know that Wales is the world's first Fair Trade nation? And this month they are celebrating their second anniversary after achieving this prestigious status in June 2008. Well done to everyone there.

Throughout Wales, the FAIRTRADE Mark is widely recognised, with over 50 per cent of shoppers regularly buying fairly traded products. 

Now it looks like Scotland might be joining them soon, as they are in the final stages of their national Fair Trade campaign. 

For regular snippets on the Welsh Fair Trade movement, follow our friends @FairTradeWales on Twitter. 

Community Growth in Krobom, by Joseph Bbirikadde

Please welcome to the blog Mr Joseph Bbirikadde. We're very lucky to have him as a guest contributor.

Joseph works for the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP) in Ghana. This first report comes from his recent visit to Krobom, a place being transformed by fair trade...

Krobom is one of the communities that the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership is working with. It's looked after by the Voluntary Service Unit (VSO), an international development charity and one of the CCP's implementing partners. 

The growth of Krobom was evident in a recent monitoring visit by the Director of the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) in Ghana. The PCU was welcomed by Nana, the local Chief. After stating our reason for visiting, as the custom states, Nana told us about the impact that working with the CCP has had on the community. 

 

Above: the Chief (right) and the elders informing the PCU, VSO and District Representatives about the impact the CCP has had in their community

"The Community Action Plans have been an ignition for growth to us," he stated. "They have embedded in us two things: focus and unity. 

"As an effect of the Community Action Plans, we were able to put up a toilet, which has helped solve hygiene problems." added Nana. 

The people of Krobom have also asked the District Assembly for electricity and upgrades to their road, which is in a very bad state. Despite delays, they have been assured that the road will be worked on and electricity extended to the village. 

The Chief believes that a good road and electricity will further the development of Krobom and will help keep young people in the community. Many have moved to the cities in search of opportunity, but now young girls from the village are able to go to a nearby town to learn tye-dye and fashion design. 

Samual Narh is one of the young men in Krobom who decided to stay and take on cocoa farming. He was inspired by the initial sensitisation meetings that CCP and VSO carried out. He said that he is determined to make it, despite staying in the village. He has now fully embarked on cocoa farming after the Chief offered him eight acres of land to grow on. He is also planning to engage in extra trading to earn extra income to supplement what he gets from growing cocoa.

Above: Samuel Narh (right), the young man who decided to stay in the village and take on cocoa farming

Krobom is indeed a success story. It has given the old cliche, 'Failing to plan is planning to fail' total validity. 

When the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership first began, the first step was to draft the Community Action Plans. They were drafted with the community members, enabling them to participate in their development by finding solutions to the problems that affected them. 

When CCP communities are able to think together about ways to improve their situations, the pace of implementation may vary from place to place, but they are united in moving forward.

The new toilet, electricity extension, road upgrading, acquisition of skills, diversification of income, creation of opportunities for the young, and many more goals, were all laid down in the Community Action Plan. And gradually Krobom is ticking off its achievements.

Father's Day Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

Make your Dad's taste buds sing this weekend with our Father's Day Baked Chocolate Cheesecake. Here's what you'll need to cook up this little beauty: 

23cm spring form cake tin

Greaseproof paper

5 x Cadbury Dairy Milk bars (the 49g size) 

900 grams of cream cheese 

190 grams of caster sugar 

4 x eggs 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

And for the base: 

200 grams of digestive biscuits 

150 grams of unsalted butter 

2 tablespoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate 

Start by preheating your oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. 

Break up your digestives in a bowl. I used a big wooden masher, but a rolling pin or a wooden spoon would do just as well. 

Top tip: 14 biscuits is about as close to 200 grams as you need to get. 

Get some elbow grease in there so you have a lovely, smooth base. 

Top tip: Keep shaking the bowl from side to side to make the larger lumps rise to the top. 

Once you've done that, mix in two large tablespoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate... 

Melt your butter in the microwave (give it about 30-40 seconds on a high heat but keep a close eye on it) and pour it into your biscuit mixture slowly, stirring all the time. 

Give it all a good mix up and it should look something like this: 

Grease and line your cake tin, tip your digestive biscuit mix into it and flatten it with a plastic spatula. Make sure it's even (ish!). 

Put your base to one side and mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until you get a pleasingly light mixture. 

Top tip: I used a lower fat cream cheese, which works just as well as the full fat option. Some might say this is rather like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, but if your Dad's watching his waistline, then every little helps! 

Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly...

And when that's done get your Cadbury Dairy Milk bars into a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and watch them melt down into a lovely gooey mess. (Try not to stick your finger in. I dare you.) 

Take care when you're adding the hot chocolate to your cheesecake mixture. Add it slowly and stir vigorously to make sure they're mixed together well. Then pour it all onto your biscuit base...

Put your cheesecake tin in a large baking tray and fill it with two thirds full with water. (Like a makeshift bain marie.)

Then it's into the oven for 40-50 minutes. Keep an eye on it from 40 minutes onwards; you want it to be a little wobbly still when you take it out. 

When you're happy your cheesecake it cooked to perfection, take it out of the oven and leave to cool for a couple of hours. Then pop it in the fridge overnight... 

The next morning, you'll have something that looks a little like this... 

Please excuse the creases where I took off the greaseproof paper. I can assure you that it doesn't compromise the taste one bit. 

From start to finish this will take you a couple of hours to make. It's definitely worth it if you want to satisfy a paternal sweet tooth! 

 

Fair Trade Pioneer Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Gordon Roddick has been honoured with the Observer Ethical Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Never as prominent in the public eye as his fiery and inspiring late wife Anita, nevertheless as co-founder of The Body Shop in 1976, Roddick led the fair trade charge on the UK high street. 

A long-held belief that business could be a force for good led to the Roddicks establishing Community Trade. This directly developed relationships between The Body Shop Foundation and communities around the world providing the stores with cosmetic ingredients and other products. 

Set up 20 years ago, long before fair trade was fashionable or well known, Community Trade now operates in over 20 countries, including our beloved Ghana! 

Never has the message of fairly traded goods been so important, and so we say congratulations to Gordon for the recognition he so richly deserves. 

Harriet Lamb of the Fairtrade Foundation on Radio 4

A slice of catch-up radio for you today. Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, featured on Radio 4's Saturday Live programme with Fi Glover last weekend. 

There's some compelling insights into Lamb's childhood spent in India where she witnessed extreme poverty, how trade can tackle that poverty, and how her experiences made working with the Fairtrade movement such a natural fit.

As Lamb points out, Fairtrade really is all about the people. It's a message that resonates so much in this blog, as we continue to tell the many stories and celebrate the fantastic people, behind the work being carried out by the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in Ghana.

Listen here from around two minutes, until about nine minutes in. 

Enjoy. 

Toast Fairtrade With World Cup 2010

 

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup looming this Friday, we've been looking at how to combine a love of Fairtrade with football. 

Thanks to the Fairtrade Foundation's imaginative Sip for South Africa campaign, the tipple for the tournament in the host country will be fairly traded wine. 

One of the vineyards taking part is Stellar Organics, which we featured here on the blog not so long ago. Based at Trewal in the Western Cape, they have invested part of their Fairtrade premium in local football team, Stellar United, to help tackle crime by bringing young people in the area together. 

Investment in kit and a new pitch has inspired others in the area to do the same and now a mini league of eight teams are playing regularly. Berty Jones, Cellar Master at the Stellar Winery, explained how the programme has helped young people in Trewal: 

"The team gave them motivation as well as providing them with other life skills such as leadership. In fact, some of them are now working for Stellar and training in the wine business." 

The beautiful game just got tastier...  

Is Your Town Fairtrade?

From Ghana to Gateshead, Fairtrade is making an impact around the world. 

Did you know that in the UK alone there are 478 Fairtrade towns? And it's not just a case of a couple of shops selling a few bars of Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk either. With a list of five criteria that the whole community must invest time and effort in meeting, it's no mean feat and once Fairtrade status is achieved, it's really something to be proud of. 

From reading our @GoneFairTrade Twitter stream today, we learned that the town of Glossop has just been awarded their Fairtrade status. Congratulations to them. So what did the committee there have to do? 

1) The town council must pass a motion in favour of supporting Fairtrade. They will agree to serve Fairtrade products, so that means they'll swap their ordinary tea and coffee for the fairly traded sort in their offices and canteens.

2) There must be a range of Fairtrade products stocked in a variety of places. From the pub to the petrol station, via the corner shop and the supermarket, everyone has to be on board. 

3) The local community has to work together to raise awareness and promote understanding of Fairtrade. This includes media coverage, so that could be the local paper reporting on a Fairtrade wine tasting evening. 

4) Schools, companies, colleges, universities and places of worship are also required to participate by supporting Fairtrade and using the products whenever they can. Here's a great story of how kids at a school in Scotland overturned a rule against selling sweets in school, and got their Fairtrade chocolate reinstated. 

5) To help guide proceedings, a committee is formed to make sure everything is happening when it should. 

So do you live in a Fairtrade town? Were you involved in helping achieve this status? If you've been part of the application process, we'd love to hear all about it in the comments. 

Perhaps this has inspired you to encourage your local community to go Fairtrade. If so then the Fairtrade Foundation has all the information you need to get started. For extra inspiration visit Fairtrade Towns, which lists Fairtrade communities in the UK and around the world too. 

Chocolatey-Cakey-Fudgey-Feast

Last night I whipped up a chocolate fudge cake. Actually 'cake' is probably the wrong word for it. The fudge melts into a delightfully sticky, oozy mess, so for wont of a better word, let's call this a Chocolatey-Cakey-Fudgey-Feast. 

Here's what you need to soften the hardest of hearts...

  

4 x bars of Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk (49g size)

175 grams of unsalted butter, plus a little more for greasing your cake tin

120 grams of soft brown sugar (I used light brown muscovado) 

100 grams of ground almonds 

3 x tablespoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate

4 x large eggs

150 grams of self-raising flour

100 grams of fudge

A pinch of salt

Deep cake tin, around 25cm x 25cm

You can use a food processor for this, but in my opinion it's better when you get stuck in with your digits.

Begin by preheating your oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2 and grating your Cadbury Dairy Milk bars into a large mixing bowl. 

Top tip: keep the chocolate in the fridge, so it doesn't melt messily as you grate.

To the grated chocolate add the ground almonds, sugar, pinch of salt, two tablespoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate and the butter. 

Top tip: take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before you want to use it, so it's easy to mix with the other ingredients.

Give it a good mix up with a wooden spoon, then roll up your sleeves and start kneading. It should end up looking like this: 

Crack four eggs...

Top tip: try not decorate your floor with your ingredients.

Beat the eggs into the mixture, add the flour and fold in until the mixture is smooth and silky. 

Next up, grease your cake tin generously. Take a tablespoon of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate and dust the inside of your cake tin with it. 

The cake mixture is very thick and unctuous, so use a plastic spatula to transfer it from bowl to tin. That way you can scrape out every last morsel. Smooth over the mixture to make sure it's evenly distributed. 

Break up the fudge into small pieces and coat the top of your cake with it.

Push bits down into the mixture. (Then try and resist licking your fingers.)

Slide your edible masterpiece into the oven...

Set your timer for 18-20 minutes, make yourself a cuppa and wait for delicious aromas to pervade your house. After the allotted time, take your cake out and stick a fork into the centre. You're after a gorgeously gooey centre, so a little of the mixture should stick to it. But if the cake is still looking a bit wobbly, pop it back in for another 3-5 minutes. 

Once it's all done, it should look something like this: 

Let it cool (I managed this for less than a minute before caving) and serve up a slab with some cream, or a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Like so: 

As you can see, I made short work on mine...

It's a remarkably uncomplicated and quick recipe to make, taking just an hour from shopping bag to tummy. And as if further proof were needed that this Chocolatey-Cakey-Fudgey-Feast is a slither of edible heaven, my colleagues have been tucking into this for breakfast. 

Nuff said, really. Enjoy!