New Treehugger Dan’s Fair Trade Shop

The environmental activist now has one main shop and two branches in Budapest in three years. The newest expansion is in partnership with Ben Frieday’s already-existing Yellow Zebra Bikes. Yellow Zebra has been around for 10 years on the tourism market in Budapest, offering bike tours and rentals, internet and free info services for tourists. This new joint-venture is called Treehugger Dan’s Fair Trade and University and Foreign Language Book Center.

What makes this location different? Nowhere else in Hungary will you find such a large selection of used books in German, Spanish, French, Italian, and other Western European languages. Besides used books, the store offers many other new services. One is if you got some old textbooks you seem to be stuck with? You can also sell them through the new University Textbook Consignment Service. In keeping with the founders’ strong environmental and social justice ideals, this location also offers Fair Trade organic products plus local organic specialties, including a wide selection of new Fair trade coffees (whole bean, ground, decaf), teas, cocoa, chocolates, spices, handicrafts, bags, and cosmetics.

Local products are also promoted, such as hand-woven rugs from Aunt Jolanka - a lovely woman from Borsod County with a great eye for colour who weaves on a loom dating from 1909 (which she traded 3 chickens for). To these already rich offerings, the partnership with Yellow Zebra Bikes contributes a number of tourist services in the heart of the city such as bike tours of the city, bike rentals, City Segway Tours and Absolute Walking Tours. Also available are Internet, photocopying, free maps and basic tourist information services.

Daniel Swartz opened Treehugger Dan's Bookstore Cafe's first location at Csengery u. 48 in March 2006, now known as the Treehugger Base. Since then, the bookstore-café has become Hungary's leading retail promoter of Fair Trade products, as well as secondhand English language books and culture. Regular literary, cultural, musical, environmental and social justice events are held at the second location (Lazar u. 16, VI dist.) where Treehugger also joined the existing Discover Budapest Tour Center in November 2007.

Frieday says, “It was a perfect opportunity to expand the Treehugger idea and join our environmentally-friendly products and services with Swartz’s, as well as make together a Fair Trade center for products from around the world and locally.” Swartz adds, “Just because it is Fair Trade and/or organic, absolutely does not mean that it has to be more expensive than other less environmentally-friendly products. If the products are perceived as luxury, and priced accordingly, they are not accessible and therefore, help no one.

We believe in Fair Trade and a Fair Deal.” For those unfamiliar with the term, Fair Trade guarantees a fair wage for small farmers and artisans mostly from the Third World. It also guarantees more environmentally-friendly production, and that no child or prison labour have been utilised. Few people realize, for example, that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as "sweatshops in the fields." Or that many of the world’s rugs and footballs are made with child labour.

Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Intensive coffee farming can also lead to pesticide pollution and deforestation. Fair Trade is a viable solution to this crisis, assuring consumers that the coffee we drink was purchased under fair conditions.

To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming. In comparison, the world price usually hovers around $1 per pound, but most farmers earn less than 50 cents per pound since they are forced to sell to exploitative middlemen. With the profits generated from receiving fair wages, coffee growers can invest in health, education, and environmental protection.

Fair Trade for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, and environmental stewardship. Organic coffee is just like any other organic product. There are no artificial pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers used in production, nor are genetically modified organisms. Organic production guarantees a much healthier (reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases associated with the consumption and use of agro-chemicals) and environmentally-friendly product. Organic production also protects climate, soil and water quality, biodiversity and the health of agricultural workers.

Next time a gifting opportunity arises, like Valentines Day, you might want to consider giving a gift that also benefits others besides the intended recipient, like some yummy Fair Trade organic chocolate. Also special Valentine packages will be ready from the start of Feb for your loved one(s)!

The shop is centrally located but not yet well sign-posted, just off Deak Square in the courtyard of the building with the McD's and Tourist office. Look for the Yellow Zebra bikes ;-)

Address 1052 BP, Sütő utca 2. (in courtyard)
Open Hours:
- Nov to March Mon to Sat 10-18:00 (closed on Sun)
- April to Oct Open everyday 9AM to 8 PM
Tel: 266-8777"

Source: treehugger.hu