Father Francisco VanderHoff  Boersma, Max Havalaar interviews at Zermatt Summit 2011
Channel: Zermatt Summit Foundation
Date: 2011-06-30

Exclusive interview after his talk on Fair Trade: humanizing the marketplace, towards a new economic paradigm change at the Zermatt Summit 2011.
Francisco Van der Hoff-Boersma is renowned for launching the Max Havelaar fair trade label in 1988 in collaboration with Nico Roozen and the ecumenical development agency, Solidaridad. The idea partly emerged from his experiences as a worker-priest in Mexico where he witnessed the harsh economic conditions of local coffee growers first hand. He currently serves as President of Certimex, the Mexican certification group for organic products. The list of honours awarded to Mr VanderHoff-Boersma include the 2006 North-South Prize, Commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium (2006), the Groeneveldprize from the Dutch foundation of the same name and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, the latter grace of French President Jacques Chirac in 2005. Mr. Van der Hoff- Boersma has written extensively on the subject of fair trade and publications include "Fair Trade Adventure: An Alternative to Globalization By the Founders of Max Havelaar", translated into six languages. Academic achievements include doctorates in political economy and theology and rural sociology.