After successfully working with claro fair trade in Uganda on an assignment documenting coffee production, the client reached out to us in Spring 2023 and requested a new collaboration with Fairpicture. This time their aim was to tell authentic life stories of the people behind Altertrade, who produce the organic fair trade “Mascobado sugar” of claro.
The client emphasised in their brief that for portrait photographs authenticity is very important to them. They wanted to capturefacial expressions that showed “real emotions”.
Together with Alecs Ongcal we selected a visual creator for this assignment, who has proved on other Fairpicture projects that she is very capable to build a personal connection with the people depicted and is just the right choice for what is needed to ensure delivery of this client brief.
Client
claro fair trade AG
Visual Creator
Alecs Ongcal
Theme
Fair Trade
Locations
Negros Province, Philippines
Date
May 2023
PIBFA Farmers, Altertrade's partner sugarcane SPO, weeding and plowing the sugarcane field at Don Salvador Benedicto, Bacolod.
Photo: Alecs Ongcal / claro fair trade AG / Fairpicture
With the aim of promoting sustainable development, Altertrade has been working since the mid-1980s to promote cost-covering trade and to help sugar workers who live from small-scale farming to gain land ownership and sources of income.
In cooperation with claro fair trade, the organisation succeeded in a very short time in organising groups of small farmers, building their capacity through training and the provision of advice, as well as acquiring a sugar mill and creating additional jobs through the production and packaging of Mascobado whole cane sugar. Altertrade now has over 800 members.
Nina Meyer
Online Marketing Manager | claro fair trade AG
Portrait of Ms. Norma Mugar, president of Altertrade Philippines Inc.
Photo: Alecs Ongcal / claro fair trade AG / Fairpicture
Alecs Ongcal
Visual Creator, Philippines
Mr. Ryan Gerardino operations manager at the ATPI Moscobado Mill.
Photo: Alecs Ongcal / claro fair trade AG / Fairpicture
Just a few weeks after the initial request Alecs came back from Negros Province with outstanding video interviews and b-roll-footage and high quality photos.
Claro will now use her visual material to produce a video about the sugar production at Altertrade, a campaign on climate justice as well as developing materials for their christmas campaign, social media channels, newsletter and producer profile on their website.
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