Saturday 30 June 2012

A Week in Uganda Visiting Ndali Vanilla


It was so good to see happy children who's parents get a fair & decent price for their vanilla crop!


I have to be honest I was nervous about going to Uganda.  The night before I left I was quiet.  My husband held my hands and quietly asked if I was ok?  "No..  I'm not" I said.  I was feeling the full wobble of travelling alone " I'm just a British middle-class housewife who writes and talks about food,"  I said "What was I thinking?  An adventure for me is going to London for a day ..  and the closest I've ever been to Africa is buying a pineapple in Waitrose!" It amused my husband to see me out of my comfort zone. 

I needn't have been nervous, I was made so welcome and Uganda is just beautiful.  Seeing the vanilla process from the vine all the way through the processing to being packages was just a revelation of love, care and pure artisanal food craftsmanship from start to finish.  The Ndali Vanilla is exquisite.   

I have brought home a stack of Vanilla to share, but I have also come home a different person.  I feel changed in my very core. I've been back home three days and I’m struggling with the inevitable comparisons I am drawing between the world I left just a couple of days ago and life here.  

You see whilst I was in Uganda I found out just how a decent rate of pay from Fairtrade vanilla grower and producer Ndali Vanilla really affects the families and communities whilst recording interviews with the Vanilla producers and farmers for a forthcoming BBC Radio 4 Food Program.  

Now I am home I have certainly found it hard to be sympathetic listening to grumbling from people about how hard they have it. How terrible the local schools are, or how bad the service is from the NHS and about only being able to afford one holiday this year or not being able to buy the latest gadget.  These things are not poverty. Actually, it took all my will power not to point out the reality of the world to a woman on the market who was complaining about her lot yesterday.  Of course getting frustrated with people is not positive  .. but don’t get me started …  because we all (I include myself in this) expect that we get a fair days pay for a fair days work. Keeping people in poverty for the sake of a relatively small amount of money seems utterly selfish to me and I believed that we all have the opportunity to make a difference when we see Fairtrade products on the shelves.  I've decided that this feeling… this absolute seismic shift in the way I understand what fair trade price means on real terms has to be put to use.

I know that on all too many occasions we are guilty of looking at the fair trade logo and just seeing a marketing logo.  I’ve had people cynically informing me with conviction in the weeks leading up to my trip that it’s all a sales gimmick!  

Lulu Sturdy, MD of Ndali Vanilla buying at Fair trade prices 
Yes this logo that means the product costs a wee bit more and I am somewhat ashamed and embarrassed to say that there have been occasions that I have saves a few pence and bought a non-fairtrade product.  So I am taking a deep breath and saying now .. never again.  This is not a hippy happy clappy feel good logo.  This is literally a life for the farmers and their families behind the product. To see first hand the impact that a decent wage has on real families and real people is sobering.  It’s a far cry from cupcakes I can tell you. Where life is hard, not to pay a fair price is wicked. You see, a decent price literally means the world to the people I met last week.

The work Lulu and the Ndali team are doing is just incredible, and to listen first hand the stories of the farmers and vanilla producers whose lives have improved was extraordinary.  Lulu is one of the most inspiring women I have ever met. She will blush when I tell you that she is beautiful, and brave and that she lives in harmony with the land she has inherited and the people who live their whilst growing the headiest deep sweet intense sleek black vanilla imaginable.

Ndali organic vanilla being packed at the processing plant 

I can’t write too much more about my trip right now as I am waiting on news about an article I may.. or may not be commissioned to write  -  perhaps I will have the opportunity to tell Lulu's story to many and put these feelings and experiences to use.

For now what I will say is that my trip has been a life changing experience, and if you will bear with me I will share much more in a week or so.

In the mean time I have a stash of vanilla to share with my blogging community..  so if you have a  food blog and  would like some samples of the utterly delicious Ndali Vanilla please comment below and tweet this article and I will pick randomly 15 bloggers by the 13th July 2012 to send out packs of my stash to!

PS  I will be organising a Vanilla baking swap in London in September ... if you'd like more details then please add your blog below and I'll get in touch about this gift swap event.






41 comments:

  1. What an interesting article and one that really allows me to understand the impact of FairTade and how it so dramatically affects the lives of families involved with it. I think it highlights the importance of FairTrade and hope that it convinces some of the people out there who see it simply as a marketing gimmick, that it is a worthwhile and excellent project.
    Of course, I would love to try out some of this vanilla and also would really like to be involves with your vanilla bake swap.
    http://www.howtocookgoodfood.co.uk/
    So I'm off now to tweet this brilliant article, Thank you :)) xxx

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  2. I think myself & a lot of other people need to read this post. While I know fair trade is a good thing, I don't actively shop with it in mind. You have brought it home to me that I need to shop with more thought. A difference can be made.

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  3. I can imagine what a fascinating trip it was, Vanessa, but also how daunted you must have felt before you left. Would love to hear more about the process.

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  4. What a superb post. I always buy fairtrade, on the principle that I, like you middle-class, can afford the few extra pence as I'm aware that it is more difficult for those on lower incomes, and the more if us who buy our coffee, tea, sugar, fruit, flowers and vanilla this way, the more widely available it will become.
    It must have been very thought provoking to visit Uganda, and wonderful to see that fairtrade works.
    I would love to some vanilla to use in my autumnal baking and to join in the September bake swap.
    Well done again Vanessa, you are an inspiration.
    I'll retweet your post. Jude x

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  5. Twitter@StephensJanice30 June 2012 at 08:45

    Hi, I always try to buy Fair Trade items whenever I see them, nobody who reads/ listens to the world news can be ignorant about benefits of "Fair Trade"

    We are the lucky ones but sometimes this is lost in the doom and gloom of a money making commercial society.

    So buy Fair Trade and help people in their fight for a decent living, take a pat on the back if you do this.

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  6. Thank you Jude. It was very emotional to see and meet the families and children and communities who grow the vanilla. Seeing first hand the impact of a fair price was indescribable.

    I want so much to write more ... but until I know what articles I will be writing then I must hold off for a week or two.

    x

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  7. Twitter@StephensJanice30 June 2012 at 08:48

    Hi, I always try to buy Fair Trade items whenever I see them, nobody who reads/ listens to the world news can be ignorant about benefits of "Fair Trade"

    We are the lucky ones but sometimes this is lost in the doom and gloom of a money making commercial society.

    So buy Fair Trade and help people in their fight for a decent living, take a pat on the back if you do this.

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  8. Twitter@StephensJanice30 June 2012 at 08:48

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    Replies
    1. oops .. same comment three times. x

      Vanessa

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  9. Twitter@StephensJanice30 June 2012 at 08:50

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. Such an honest and beautifully written post. It is so tempting to buy cheaper alternatives to fair trade - vanilla being a excellent example as it is not the cheapest of baking ingredients. Thank you for sharing your experiences on how fair trade makes a difference - it is so easy to become desensitised when wandering the aisles of Sainsburys.
    Cant wait to hear more about your trip and would love to be involved in the vanilla bake swap.
    Hannah x
    www.cornercottagebakery.blogspot.com

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  11. Great inspiring article. We need to be made aware of our buying choices all the time. There is a lot of negative press that says that fairtrade doesn't reach the growers etc. and its all a ploy to get us to buy the product....so its great to read your first hand commentary on this, looking forward to reading more....I love vanilla and the people who grow it should be recompensed fairly..

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  12. So glad you are back in our midst and giving us all another 'heads up' in the important points of life. I look forward to reading more about your trip and fairtrade vanilla. In the meantime, my blog is www.patacake4tea.blogspot.com. Gillian x

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  13. Lovely article. Thanks to the Guys at Ndali Vanilla for the good work they are doing.

    We at Guide2Uganda appreciate the good work you are doing to promote Ugandan Vanilla out there.

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  14. Thank you once again for an inspiring blog post....every journey must begin with a small step, your step took you all the way to Uganda for us, ours will be to support Fair Trade.
    Keep up the great work

    Kindest regards
    Kat Weatherill
    www.teaontheterrace.com

    ps I would be delighted to share this post on my blog if that would be ok with you? I wait for your reply x

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  15. What a lovely post Vanessa! I look forward to hearing more about your trip, and seeing more lovely pictures! Surprisingly when I stop to think I actually know very little about how vanilla is grown.
    Definitely get in touch with me about the vanilla bake swap!

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  16. Great post Vanessa. Like yourself I sometimes didn't buy Fairtrade because of a few pence saved. I will be buying Fairtrade in future. What's is a few pence if it improves the life of others.

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  17. A beautiful simple post about a very important topic. I'm In all the way. Add me into a September meet, and put me into the vanilla dip too , of course I will RT, well done girl xx

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  18. A great article Vanessa, which makes a good point.

    I think that although Fairtrade is one great scheme, there are others, and there are companies paying a fair price, but also not for varing good reasons going through the (expensive) process of being Fairtrade certified. Consumer knowledge is key.

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  19. The vanilla trade is so fascinating...and I am so inspired by your trip. I'm a student, and have to be honest in that like most people in our western culture, we don't feel we have enough money to "splurge" on fair trade products. But - unlike other labels that seem just as much marketing as they are informing - the fair trade stamp can't be just a marker of status. And, of course, blog posts like this one firmly noted in my head remind me to take a few extra seconds, to think about where those few extra pennies will be going, and recognize that it means something tangible and needed to these producers. I can't promise to buy strictly fair trade products every single shop in the future - but much more thought will go into the products I buy. And that's a start, right? I'm happy to say that it is a lot - a LOT - easier to find fair trade products here in the UK than it ever was in my hometown in the US (due to both availability & price, which are obviously interconnected in small, remote places).
    I can't wait to read more, specifically about the lives of the producers you met, how they work, and how fair trade business has impacted them. Thank you, Vanessa :)

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  20. Short comment but just to say enjoyed article and admire your frankness here.

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  21. I was hooked from start to finish reading this post. Like so many others have said, when you have not seen it first hand, it's hard to know how buying fair trade really helps. But it sounds like the fair trade scheme is literally a lifeline. I feel inspired to make much more effort when shopping and choosing fair trade over other alternatives. A beautifully written article. Thank you for sharing. Count me in for the vanilla bake swap in Sep too. That sounds like a lot of fun. Www.homemadebyfleur.co.uk

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  22. Hi Vanessa,
    Thanks for such a clear write-up.
    I find the issue of Fairtrade massively complicated (as with many certification labels) Like Helen I think that there are lots of issues surrounding the label and there are other ways but having said that, Fairtrade is our easy-way-out to know that certain standards have been held to. I know that if I should invest the time in researching the impact of Fairtrade and it's alternatives but I'm ashamed to say that I'm always "too busy". This article shows how there's nothing like a personal experience to really kick us into action, so thanks for sharing it.
    If you think it's ok given my comments, I would love to sample the product and to be involved in the Sept event.

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  23. I have loved reading this first insight into your Uganda/ Ndali Vanilla trip. I look forward to reading more soon. I do buy a lot of Fairtrade products but I have also chosen to buy non Fairtrade products in the past to save some money. I think it's great to get the message out that the money does actually go the people who really need it and what a difference it means to them.

    I have shared this post hoping a few more people will read this and make the choice to by Fairtrade.

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  24. What an amazing adventure. I'm so glad the trip was a success and that you were safe and well looked after. I too am looking forward to hearing more about the harvesting process and about the people and workers behind it. I'm still working my way through a packet of Ndali that you gave me when I came to visit you and can say that it is an exquisite product. We hold Fairtrade sales at church to try and help raise awareness. Your trip was amazing and very inspirational.

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  25. I would be interested in trying some!

    I think Fairtrade is overall a Good Thing, but not necessarily the be-all and end-all either. It costs quite a lot to sign up to the scheme so some smaller producers cannot afford to join. Generally the fair trade market works as a commodity market so there is no price premium for quality. Therefore, if a producer is making a very good quality product it may fetch a higher (fairer?) price on the open market.

    Of course, there is no guarantee when you or I pick up an item in the shop that the producer has been paid a fair price for it. That's where the Fairtrade mark comes in - it is a marketing label and a consumer guarantee. Where I can, though, I try to buy premium products from suppliers I trust to pay their producers well - Rare Tea Company, for example.

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  26. Vanessa, I just love the way you run with these things. I think it's great to see your passion and the way you carry people along with you. I think it was brave of you to head off to Uganda on your own - the sort of thing I did when I was much younger but have become quite chicken livered about these days. I know Uganda is meant to be a beautiful country which grows masses of produce, so it must have been really interesting.

    Looking forward to hearing you on the Food Programme.

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  27. It sounds as though you had an amazing trip and I am looking forward to hearing more about it. Every story I have read about Fairtrade emphasises just what a difference the scheme makes to people's lives and really does make you think in the supermarket. Wouldn't it be great if the supermarkets got even more involved in sourcing their own brand products from Fairtrade suppliers? That really would make an incredible difference.

    Those vanilla pods look really fat and plump and I would love to try cooking with them. A vanilla baking swap sounds really interesting to join in with, my blog is www.http://talesfromthegiantswood.blogspot.co.uk/

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  28. Wow I've been waiting for this article since you got back and can't wait to hear more in the newspaper that you (hopefully) get commissioned for. I would obviously love some of this fantastic sounds vanilla but am more interested in the Gift Swap event and hearing more. This trip embodies by two passions in life, travelling to places that people in the UK would often see as 'unusual' and out of bounds and food. I can't wait to hear more and how fantastic that it has been such a life changing trip xx

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  29. Thank you for going to Uganda despite your initial worries! A truly inspiring post. I'm a bit hit and miss buying Fairtrade but after reading this I'm going to be much more proactive. I'd love to take part in a bake swap.

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  30. What a great experience - you are a true ambassador for all of us.
    I would love some Ndali vanilla to try and to blog about and please put me on your Sept swap list. Heidi xx

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  31. Lovely to read this and great pictures. I felt much the same after I visited Africa; frustrated by the moans and groans of our glutenous world. It is so easy to get caught up in the little stuff but we can all do our bit to support others.

    I managed to pick up some of the Ndali essence in Waitrose so I'm sure i will be baking with it this week. Not been able to find the pods but looking forward to making some ice cream with it.

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  32. A really informative article. We are provide different-different recipe books for cooking .For more Detail check this best recipe books

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  33. I hardly ever buy Fairtrade ( maybe some chocolate or coffee beans) but once again you have brought something important to the fore. It is so good to hear that these things actually do work and not just a logo. I will be on the look out for these vanilla beans and maybe shop with a different view to these products in the future. You are a brave girl, don't know that I would have had the nerve to toddle off to Africa on my own.

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  34. The closest you might get to a Fairtrade product here in Dubai is in Starbucks!

    I'm sure your visit to Uganda has changed many things inside you. We tend to forget all things in our life that we take for granted.

    Every year in Ramadan, we give out meals to people daily and when you see how long the queue is, you thank god for all the blessings you have in life!

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  35. Such lovely positive comments !

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  36. What an amazing journey. I can totally understand how trivial moans must seem irrelevant now. Thanks for sharing. Lovely to have you back x

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  37. This has been a real eye-opener. I love being frugal but being frugal does not translate to being a scrooge. I will never buy a non-fairtrade product ever again. I will be more meticulous at looking products over to ascertain it is certified.

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  38. what a unique experience and wonderful that you bring attention to an important issue. Glad you had such a wonderful journey and enjoyed erading your tweets and this post

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  39. What an amazing trip, so brave to go on your own. I did think Fair Tradewas more than a logo but I didn't really understand the difference it could make. It will be Fairtrade all the way now. GG

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If you are reading my blog I must warn you that I am not impartial. I want to influence you. I want to make you stop for just a moment and consider the effect of a lifetime of seemingly insignificant decisions and how making small delicious choices can change the world.

I believe that we can change the world one bite at a time.

It's a delicious revolution.