The Shadhilly Cooperative is a Fair Trade cooperative that has chosen to specialize in the import and marketing of coffee, one of the symbolic products of the exploitation and injustice of the global economic system.

The name of the cooperative is inspired by a legend that tells of such a Ali Bin Omar Al Shadhilly, still the "patron saint"of coffee growers and consumers, who was exiled and forced to live on the mountain because he was accused of offending the honor of the king's daughter and found himself having to feed himself with what nature had to offer him.

He also tried to make a decoction of coffee berries and discovered that not only did it taste great but that it was an effective cure for an itching epidemic spreading to nearby villages. As a reward for helping the community he was readmitted to his homeland where he continued to test the various medicinal and healing uses of the drink.

The idea of investing in a project that sees the import and marketing of coffee as its particular activity, arises from a series of reasons that can be summarized as follows:

• put another small piece in the puzzle, made of a lot of commitment and great ideals,which wants to redesign a world more just for everyone;
• to give an answer to those producers who continue to demand that they be able to enter the fair trade circuit,even though coffee is one of the symbolic products of fair trade, there are still many producers looking for a fair trade relationship;
• not to disperse, indeed enhance, the experience gained in the sector by several Shadhilly members
• combining ethicsin relationships with product quality

Shadhilly is currently importing coffee from 3 countries: Guatemala, Uganda and Haiti,from 5 different cooperatives.

Here is our article on Shadhilly