A review of the year by Chief Executive Paul Chandler and the response from Reg Bailey, Chair of the Traidcraft Foundation, led into a lively question-and-answer session.
The afternoon session was launched in inspirational style by Joan Karanja, from Co-operation for Fair Trade in Africa (COFTA). Joan, who works alongside Traidcraft and Shared Interest staff in Nairobi, provided a fascinating insight into the many challenges facing African producers – and the ingenuity and hard work employed in overcoming them.
Mid-afternoon tea was all that was required to give our audience the energy they needed for a small-group session focusing on our fashion, gifts and homes ranges of products. The outcome – detailed feedback on the pros and cons of the ranges – will prove extremely useful as we develop new ranges with our producer suppliers.
The event closed with Sourcing Director Joe Osman taking the audience through the exciting story of our new freeze-dried instant coffee, which is grown and processed in India, and the impact that added-value is making on the lives of the farmers and their communities.
Paul Chandler, Chief Executive, said, "As always it was great to see so many of our supporters present at the AGM. Their enthusiasm and depth of knowledge never cease to amaze and inspire me, and made it a wonderful positive day!"
