EVERYTHING STARTED HERE ...

... in SMETKA, Alternative shop and book caffe, when my friend Julia for the first time invited me on a fair tade coffee Buna! I began to ask myself a bunch of questions! I started wondering what is a fair trade coffee? What is the meaning of Alternative shop? And what did Julia mean by saying that she is selling socially responsible products in the store?

Photo: Kat Diaz Photography, MUA: Patricija Lucija

People from Maribor, the Styria region are awesome! And one of these awesome persons is also Julija Beršnjak, who is the manager of Alternative shop Smetka on Gosposka street in the center of Maribor. Always smiling and positive, ready to share stories about Fair Trade and similar things.

I accepted a coffee invitation and I must admit that it was great! So I started regulary comming to Smetka shop and more often to drink fair trade coffee. And with every new visit in the shop, I was more enthusiastic about what Julia was telling me about the products. They were very special and the values behind them had good intentions. With every new purchase I made, I began to be more and more aware of the power that we have as customers!

Smetka is a young, social responsible company, which developed from the so-called project in the framework of the social enterprise and association Aktiviraj se. The founders of the association met themselves as volunteers at the first Fair Trade shop in Maribor, which opened the door in 2009. Later, when the shop was closed, there was a desire between them that a fair trade would return to Maribor. With the opening of the Alternative shop Smetka the dream became true.

They are offering products that have social impact. These are products of the local social enterprises, organic farms, and products from various local designers. They promote Fair Trade movement and responsible shopping. One of their partners is the 3MUHE Fair Trade shop from Ljubljana. They are offering products that are ecological and environmentally friendly. In the special offer, there is also fair trade and ecological coffee Buna, roasted in Slovenia. Buna is providing knowledge of origin, freshness, transparency and environmental responsibility.

Fair trade, recycled or second hand, are their main qualities when they are choosing products. They cooperate with Ropotarnica, which provides a wide selection of wonderful reusable objects as the center of re-use. However, as the amount of discarded objects was still very high in collection, Recycling Lab started to produce recycled products from waste materials. In the development center of association Aktiviraj se, they are creating unique products from worn clothing and textile goods, which people bring to Smetka and Ropotarnica. This unique products are created under the brand name 100%R and are also available to buy in the store.

Later, this love and even bigger interest in fair trade and similar topics grew up, so that Julia offered me the opportunity to volunteer in the Aktiviraj se, a society for developing social projects and promoting active life. The association strives to improve the situation on the labor market, motivate and activate unemployed people, teaches them new skills and is giving them new experiences. They are also implementing non-formal education programs and intergenerational socializing in education.

I actively started to help with various events, recycling workshops and to participate in small projects. As a volunteer in Smetka, I realized the true concept of Fair Trade. I met local social enterprises and learned how important it is to be thoughtful about consuming goods. I became acquainted with the products in the shop and more aware of responsible shopping. Have you ever really wondered what we are buying every day? Where do the purchased products come from? Under what conditions were they made? Were workers in production fairly paid?

So what does fair trade realy mean?

The Fair Trade concept advocates a trading system that puts people at the forefront and promotes social, economic and environmental justice. It focuses on local producers and small farmers, promotes sustainable development and is investing in long-term partnerships with environmentally friendly production. It encourages manual products, organic farming and the use of recycled materials. With purchasing and choosing the fair trade, we have a positive effect on humans and their social and natural environment.

In the last week of February and the first week of March, the whole world connects together and actively supports and spreads the word about fair trade. They formed Fairtrade Fortnight to support a movement and awareness of fair trade practices. THINK RESONSIBLY AND CHOOSE FAIR TRADE! is the main driver of the campaign. #FairtradeFortnight #Pravičnatedna

For supporting Fair trade movement, we organized Fair Tea Party in Smetka. I invited my friends, with whom I shared the fair coffee and the idea of fair trade. All participants on the photographs were dressed in ethically - ecologically produced T-shirts offered by the Alternative shop.

Here my interest in a more sustainable way of life started. I began to realize that with thoughtless purchases, we can harm the environment and people. And so I went on a journey to explore topics such as Fair Trade, Zero-waste, Sustainable Fashion, Recycling, etc.

Urška CotičMarch 15, 2019Smetka, Alternativna veleblagovnicaComment