Selling Peace

Reginaldo is the president of Head Waters International, a business organized by the Department of Fair Trade at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policies (IATP), at Minneapolis, Minnesota. The objective of the Institute is to educate and help individuals and groups that work towards having a world that is just and sustainable.

HWI is trying to implement the concept of fair trade, in order to secure a just income for the small producers in underdeveloped countries. The company takes inspiration in four principles, as follows:

Work with small producers, individually or organized as cooperatives.
Respect minimum prices.
Buy directly from producers, process , and sell directly to the consumers.
Be open, both to producers as to the consumers.

The principal project to this date is Guatemalan Peace Coffee. This was designed in order to: a) collaborate with the effort of the Menchu Foundation in the indigenous villages of Guatemala; b) lend support to the Indian coffee cooperatives: and c) present an example of economic justice as a critical part of the carrying out of the peace agreements in countries such as Guatemala.

The coffee is bought directly from small producers in Guatemala, and is then processed in Minnesota. Marketing, to this date, has been limited to presentations by Rigoberta Menchú in different cities throughout the United States, and to contacts with religious organizations whose members are convinced that buying the products is a way of putting to practice their Christian beliefs. Another target in their sales strategy is a segment of the population that they call progressive, that is, persons that look for the positive side of things and for actions to improve situations. According to their estimates, 60% of the population of Minnesota would fall within this description.

Other stages of the project are to introduce Guatemalan Peace Coffee into Canada and Norway. Thereafter, also introduce it to Guatemala itself, but not only as a product, but as part of a complete program called Guatemala-Minnesota Peace Initiative. The purpose of this program would be to have investors from that state be attracted to invest in Guatemala. Even before implementing this initiative, HWI already works in convincing Northamerican businesses to move to Guatemala. Reginaldo Marroquín assures us that his interest is in developing a whole new conscience, so that people understand where exactly lie the bases for peace: in economic justice. He says: "It is not about taking from some in order to give to others, but rather that all work together to improve what can only be done through friendly and just cooperation." Under these ideals, the enthusiastic Guatemalan businessman is keen on conquering the international coffee market.

What is fair trade?

Fair trade is a movement that pretends to obtain greater benefits for the small producers in under developed countries, through a more just and fair trade on the part of the buyers, and a reduction of the number of middlemen between the producer and the final consumer. It all began with the so called "Trade, not help" that less developed countries put forward to industrialized countries during the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), carried out in Geneva in 1964.

The first "global store" opened its doors in 1969, in a Dutch village called Breukelen. In 1971 there were 120 similar stores in the country. Soon they were also popular in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Sweden, England and Belgium. Simultaneously, a non-profit Dutch organization called S:O:S. Wereldhandel, founded by a group of young Catholics in 1959, started to import handicrafts.

The first fair trade coffee called "Indio ]Solidarity Coffee" coming from Guatemalan cooperatives, was introduced in 1973. During the 70's the global stores became centers for campaigning, due to a period of ideological discussions. Nevertheless, during the 80's there was a change of emphasis. Nowadays, there are many fair trade organizations established in 10 countries in Europe, as also in Canada, United States and Japan.