FTL in the Hospitality News Middle East magazine!

"Horeca visitors will have the chance to meet Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL), a Lebanese NGO that commercializes a range of natural and ethical products sourced from local food-processing cooperatives. Its brand “Terroirs du Liban” is currently exported and distributed in France, Germany and Canada; FTL has the possibility to sell under private brands for potential importers. The range has 50 Lebanese and Mediterranean specialties (olive oil, condiments, molasses, syrups etc), all produced under high quality standards".
(end of quote)



See you at our Horeca stand number E 38 ! At Biel, from March 20th until the 23rd, 4 PM - 9 PM.

Our partnership with FairTrade International !

Samir Abdelmalak, president of FTL and Chiraz Skhiri FLO's Regional Coordinator for Middle East & North Africa

Press release by Fairtrade International (FLO)

28 February 2012

We are proud to announce a new partnership with Fair Trade Lebanon, which will work towards advancing Lebanese farming communities and spreading Fairtrade to new consumers and producers. It makes Lebanon the 64th producer country on the Fairtrade map.

Lebanon’s soil is rich in nutrients and is highly cultivatable. But poor farming practices have led to soil erosion and water pollution. The Lebanese Civil War and the conflict with Israel have taken their toll and poverty is rife.

A group of Lebanese set up Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL) in 2006 to translate the country’s agricultural potential into real income for small farmers and to tackle the consequences of the conflict. Thanks to Fair Trade Lebanon’s work, many cooperatives have already started selling their products abroad in fair trade outlets. From 2006 to 2010, FTL supported women co-ops in exporting goods worth US $600,000.

Through the new partnership, Lebanese small producer groups are becoming Fairtrade certified, meaning they can sell their products with the FAIRTRADE Mark and access more international markets. The partnership will also provide the farmers with more coordinated support and training.

“Les Coteaux d’Heliopolis” became Fairtrade certified last December. The cooperative of grape-growers has 250 members from 11 villages and provides seasonal employment opportunities to over 400 families in the North Bekaa region. During the civil war many farmers in the region started growing cannabis and drug-trafficking was rife. Even when the government banned these crops farmers had no viable alternative, leading to a mass exodus. By founding the cooperative, farmers have switched to wine grapes and have started returning to the land and earning a living again.

Over the past two years Fairtrade International’s Regional Coordinator of Middle East and North Africa, Chiraz Skhiri, has visited Lebanon several times and worked closely with FTL to help producers understand Fairtrade and get certified.

“I am thrilled about this partnership,” said Chiraz. “We’ve been working towards this moment for years and it is going to open a lot of doors in the region. Fair Trade Lebanon is doing such good work; it is great that we can work together to improve the lives of farmers in Lebanon, and to promote Fairtrade to local consumers.”

FTL and Fairtrade International are working to help other groups get Fairtrade certified including farmers of herbs & spices, apricots, cherries, pomegranates, almonds and olive oil. We are also planning activities to raise consumer awareness of Fairtrade in Lebanon, such as the Fairtrade Breakfast for World Fair Trade Day on 12 May in Beirut.

The full press release is online on FLO's website here.

Job Offer: Account Executive at FTL

Job description:

Account Executive, group FTL-FTTL

Organization: Fair Trade and Tourism Lebanon s.a.l.

Contract type: Employee (Lebanese law)

Period: Indeterminate

Start: Immediate / 3 months of trial

Timing: 9:00AM until 5:00PM, from Monday till Friday included. Possibility to have missions on weekends, trips, and presence at stands in exhibitions.

Location: Beirut (Hazmieh) – many local trips –client visits

Profile needed: Bachelor + 5 years minimum experience in the field of trade or sales, MBA preferably

Languages required: Arabic, French and English

Salary: Fixed 1.000 $US monthly net at start up (possible promotion according to qualifications and experience) + social security and transport + commissions on sales

Description:

Fair Trade Lebanon is the first and main actor of Fair Trade in Lebanon (www.fairtradelebanon.org). FTL supports a network of fifteen small-scale agricultural food-processing cooperatives in the aim of setting up for them sales channels while meeting the international standards of Fair Trade and Organic certification. FTL also promotes Fair Trade in the media and various groups in Lebanon (schools, universities, consumers). To date, FTL has developed around 50 references sold in Lebanon, France, Germany and Canada. The organization seeks to expand its Lebanese sales network.

Referent:

Marketing coordinator

Tasks:

• Identification of companies for corporate gift packages: Fair Trade gift proposal for large companies (banks, insurance, law firms, ministries…)

• Sales to hospitality industry: taking daily appointments, sample proposals, price negotiation for wholesale quantities to restaurants, hotels, catering…

• Personalized customer follow-up: Sales report for each customer, frequency of orders, consumers’ reviews, and monitoring of product positioning…

• Development of the current network of customers: retail points of sales of FTL

• Inserting the range in major distribution channels: Bou Khalil, Monoprix, Carrefour (City Center)…

• Development of the private sales: networks of personalized sales, sales at premises, database for clients and home deliveries…

Specific requirements:

The candidate must have excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills; he or she has preferably had the same position for a period of 3 years. This job requires high availability for local travel; the candidate must be holder of the Lebanese driving license and use his own vehicle. All his / her transport expenses will be reimbursed based on mileage allowances to be determined depending on the vehicle driven.

Contact : r.elchemali@fairtradelebanon.org



Have a blessed new year 2012!

Season's Greetings from WFTO!

A great thank you from Fair Trade Lebanon to all the WFTO management, members, friends and patners worldwide! May you have the warmest greetings!

Are you ready for Christmas?

Join us at the AFKART Christmas exhibition held in BIEL (Hall 3) from December 16th until the 22nd for some real festive spirit, gift packages and plenty of tastings!

A bientot, see you there!

Au marche de Noël !

Christmas Market at l'Institut Francais du Liban!

Fair Trade Lebanon will be present at the Marché de Noel organized by the French Institute of Lebanon (by the French Embassy).

From December 7th until the 10th, Lebanese artisans and local NGOs will be there to sell paintings, accessories, pottery, candles, chocolate and local produce!

All gift ideas to suit your taste!

Practical Info:

Entrance: Free

Hall: Espace des Lettres

Damascus road, Beirut

Tel: 01 420 200

www.institutfrancais-liban.com

Opening Time:

Wed 7th, Thu 8th and Friday 9th: 1:00 PM until 7:30 PM

Saturday 10th: 10 AM until 3 PM

See you there!

...Are you looking for Christmas gifts?

....Stay tuned!

Fair Trade Lebanon will be in two Christmas exhibitions in less than 15 days!

FTL at the school of Saint-Coeur Kfarhbab!

Fair Trade Lebanon gave two conferences to students (aging from 9 till 13 years old) at the school of Saint-Coeur Kfarhbab! Our conferences revolved around the theme of Lebanese food-processing cooperatives and Fair Trade as a means for rural development.

We've discussed in detail how cooperatives work: the  nature of their activity, the products they prepare, their location as well as their strengths and everyday challenges.

We've also introduced the principles of Fair Trade and the role that FTL plays as a link between small rural producers and consumers!

The audience was delighted! they are now eager to go visit and meet directly with the producers!



We will renew this experience real soon!

Our video: World Rural Woman's Day 2011

Fair Trade Lebanon has celebrated on Octobre 15th the World Rural Woman's Day at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Zahle and the Bekaa. Our producers came together to discuss their experiences and promote their activities around the principles of Fair Trade.

This video reveals some precious testimonies!

A word of thank you goes to all of our partner producers who were present with us and showed a great deal of solidarity!

Thank You All!

Le Liban en France: very positive feedback

What an amazing feeling...to be there in Paris and feel the enthusiasm and nostalgia of people looking for their hometown specialties. We've sold our complete stock of products...we could've even sold the pictures that were decorating the stand! No I'm just kidding...I believe that what I want to say is that we would have definitely stayed longer if we could, and we would've loved to continue to tell our story and promote the work of our small fair trade producers. Their products were such a success that we came back home with an amazing dynamism.

We will keep going forward and bring you even better and more innovative products. Paris, we love you. And we will be back....

To all our supporters, all the new people we met and all the volunteers who gave us a hand and helped us through those 3 full days of exhibition: Thank you so much!