Fr John Joseph is a farmer, ordained Catholic priest and qualified lawyer with over 20 years of experience working with marginalised and rural communities in India.

Fr John founded WOFFA (WSSS Organic Farmers Fairtrade Information), a Fairtrade producer of coffee and spices, in 2008 with 400 small scale farmers in the rural Wayanad region of Kerala, India.

Under his leadership, WOFFA has grown to almost 8,000 registered members – all certified Fairtrade and organic farmers – who are organised under 450 village groups. It is now the biggest organic and Fairtrade producer organisation in India. WOFFA Coffee is the main source of income for the farmers, whose farms are 1.5 acre on average. Spices (including pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and cloves) and vegetables are also farmed, some of which are also sold as Fairtrade!

Fr John will be providing a talk to tell the story of his co-operative and the positive impacts that Fairtrade has made!