Interviews Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Trade for Development Centre

Fako: the Beninese fruit juice company coached by the TDC

August 3rd 2020

Colette Yehouénou lives in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. She was only thirteen when her father died, forcing her to stop her studies to look after her three brothers: “At the time, I already loved cooking, but I turned to haute couture. I trained and set up my own business. I combined sewing and haberdashery. I had customers who bought their supplies from me and one day one of them explained to me that he was taking a course in food processing. I was very interested, and I signed up for the second promotion”.

Luxembourg, Fair Trade Province

July 9th 2020

Did you know that the Province of Luxembourg is Wallonia’s first ‘Fair Trade Province’? Find out what they did to achieve this status…

Fair trade coffee: Muungano’s successful development

June 12th 2020

Muungano was coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of collaboration, Daniel Habamungu, manager of the coffee cooperative, and Belgium’s Raf Van den Bruel take stock of their very valuable experience.

Miel Maya Honing: for a sustainable and fair ‘happy culture’

June 12th 2020

For the Fair Trade Week, the NGO Miel Maya Honing (Maya Honey) launched a gift box celebrating global honey culture. It offers a unique opportunity to sample authentic products and to learn more about their origin and history. Our history…

A produce farmer and a cocoa grower share views on the difficulties they face

June 11th 2020

What brings together farmers from the North and from the South of the globe? Doubtlessly they share more than one would believe at first sight. Beside their love for the land and fight for a fair income, Nathalie and Djakaridja tell us that our food system depreciates the role of farmers, women and men alike.

L’envol du colibri in Namur: the fashion boutique doing its part

May 25th 2020

After two and half years of selling clothes via private sales and at fair trade shows, at the end of 2019 Sophie Depas and Esther Sougné opened the L’envol du colibri boutique in Namur. They support the idea of ethical and sustainable fashion, through brands for both women and men. An interview with the two ladies.

Biogarantie Belgium label: combining organic farming, local production and fair trade

May 25th 2020

The Biogarantie label is in the process of evolving towards a Biogarantie Belgium label. Objective ? To be ever more responsible and demanding on the notion of “organic”, to highlight Belgian production and processing, to guarantee a fair price for the workers in the agricultural chain, in short, a whole set of specifications defined by the farmers themselves in agreement with the other operators in the sector. This also represents a challenge of pooling points of view.

Mr. Manchette converts fair fashion novices with sustainable shirts

May 22nd 2020

“Our shirts should catch the eye of the buyer first and foremost because they are stylish and high quality. In doing so they prove this goes hand in hand with fairness and sustainability.” These are the words of An Boone, founder of the Belgian fair fashion brand Mr. Manchette. With her sustainable men’s shirts she fills a gap in both conventional clothing and fair fashion shops.

Kari’T Care: Responsibly produced cosmetics

May 13th 2020

Between Parakou (Benin) where they get their shea butter and Sombreffe (Belgium) where their cosmetics and soaps are made, Nathalie and her husband Wassi have decided to do without as many middlemen as possible. This allows them to better manage the sector and to pay the women producers in the village of Parakou. And it also contributes to making their natural cosmetics a range of very high quality.

IDEP, a vegetable oil producer in Burundi and Uganda

May 11th 2020

Denise Nzeyimana and Adélard Nkeshimana run IDEP, a company producing sunflower oil in Burundi. Since 2017, the company has received coaching from the Trade Development Centre. A look back at an entrepreneurial experience and the impressive progress the company has made.