WHAT MAYA FAIR TRADE LOOKS FOR, REQUIREMENTS AND HOW THE COMPANY MEETS AND PROMOTES MARKET DEMAND
Benoit Olivier, Maya Fair Trade, Belgium

SUMMARY

• 'Maya group': MFT and MMH.
• The producers of the Maya honey: now and tomorrow.
• What do we look for?
• What are our requirements?
• Can we find what we look for?
• Finally, how do we meet and promote market demand?

'Maya group': MFT and MMH

• Maya Fair Trade scrlfs is a cooperative; its job is to import and sell honey from FLO agreed producers.  
• Miel Maya Honing asbl is an NGO: it will be presented  tomorrow.
• Maya honey started in 1975 (Liège, Belgium).

Maya Fair Trade scrlfs

• Maya Fair Trade is a 100% fair-trade importer.
• Yearly imports  of honey:
  
  
  • 2000: 100 tons
  • 2004: 200 tons
  • 2007: 300 tons

Maya products

• 50% turnover = honey
• 50% turnover = products made with honey and other FLO products
• (sweets, speculoos, 'pains d'épice', 'nougat')

The producers of the Maya honey: now

• Since 1975, Maya honey comes only from Mexico and Guatemala.

The producers of the Maya honey: tomorrow

• Nicaragua and Argentina in 2007 ?
• Until now, we never bought honey from Africa.
• First trip to Africa: July 2006 (Burkina-Faso)
• MFT is ready to widen its geographical reach.

What do we look for?

• Polyfloral honey (FLO certified)
• Specific honey (FLO certified)
• Organic honey (FLO certified)

Specific honey

• Azahar (orange honey)
• Acahual honey
• Cuchumatanes honey

Why not add an African honey to this game, as a specific honey?

What are our requirements? Honey of good quality!

Basically:

• No residues of antibiotics
• Moisture: 18% maximum
• HMF: 10 mg/kg maximum
• Filtered, without wings or legs of bees!
• No smoke taste, no iron taste.
• New drum

Analyses

• Sampling of each drum; 25 g./drum to be sent to Belgium;
• Analysis take 2 or 3 weeks;
• Shipment only after analysis.

Quality control

Issues:

• Use of fire (during harvesting);
• Storage: time and place (if temperature is high, HMF will increase quickly);
• Traceability (administrative rigour).

What are our requirements? Contractual relationship!

• One-shot contract or multi-year contract (3 years);
• Comply with the full content of the contract:
• Quality
• Quantity 
• Delay 
• Documentation
• Price
• Payments: advance is only 60%!

What an importer CANNOT accept?

• Non-compliance with the contract: two examples.
  
  
  • Not giving us notice of an existing problem:
  • Any problem has its solution, but if you do not communicate your problem, we cannot find its solution!

Can we find what we look for?

• I mean: between the Fairtrade producers?
• How can we achieve a professional relationship working in the Fairtrade movement?
• How to reconcile the market’s requirements in Europe and the situation where the producers are living?

Being a translator between two different worlds

• We hope we can manage what is unforeseen.
• And you? How can YOU anticipate what is unforeseen? How can YOU manage it?
• What is unforeseen is mainly:
• The capacity of the producers to provide the quantity of honey they have committed themselves.
• It may NOT depend on climatic conditions !

Having sufficient alternative to be able to face anything…

• It is very difficult to be ready to face the unforeseen, when you do not know how to solve short term problems you see and live.
• Perhaps this will be the major unfairness/injustice between North and South countries.

Finally, how do we meet and promote market demand?

• Increasing quantities to buy: we are looking for honey.
• Promoting: now we are trying to meet the demand…
• Advertisement: during the National Fairtrade week in Belgium
• Relationship with MMH: educational work (see my second presentation).

  Download Benoit Olivier's PowerPoint presentation here (8.18mb .pps file)