Peace on earth maybe still a long way off judging by Nick and Marc Francis' eye-opening documentary Black Gold (on general release 15th June) but they've certainly done their bit. The documentary follows Tadesse Meskele and his one-man mission to garner a fair price for his Ethiopian coffee-producing co-op, numbering almost 70,000 farmers. The emphasis for getting a fair price for their coffee (a farmer will only see a few cent per kg of coffee), Tadesse tells us, is not only day-to-day survival but basic schooling for their children. Black Gold sets itself apart from other documentaries as the Francis brothers take a generous back seat approach: gone are the hammer-them-overthe-head tactics and the predictable righteous voiceover in favour of gentle persuasion and letting the pictures tell their own story.

Suzie Hamilton, Campaigns And Advocacy Officer for Oxfam Ireland, played a massive part in getting the film released here: "We have been working with the directors and promoters of the film in their efforts to get the film to general release in the UK and Ireland. Oxfam Ireland has over 25,000 Irish campaigners who we know would love to see the film, so we started a campaign to get as many people as possible to pledge to see the film if their local cinema agreed to screen it."

"What really struck me in Ethiopia was the level of quality control, " says Fiachra Nagle, CEO of O'Brien's Sandwich Bars, who has taken a personal interest, even visiting the Ethiopian coffee fields to talk to Tadesse. "Great attention to detail is paid, and Tadesse and his team work extremely hard to protect the reputation of Ethiopian coffee. I really felt that this side of the global coffee industry should be brought to a wider audience, particularly in light of the fact that it is every customer's right to know the origin of the food and drink they purchase."

Peter Gaynor, Executive Director Of Fairtrade Mark Ireland, hopes that everyone can get involved: "We are responsible. The consumer is responsible. The bigger the company, the greater responsibility they have. And obviously G8.

Your wealthy nations have to find ways of supporting countries and follow the same developing paths that Ireland has been lucky enough to follow." Fairtrade Mark Ireland was established in 1992 with the first two tonnes of Fairtrade Mark coffee imported into Ireland in 1996. In 2005 that number had risen to 155 tonnes and is enjoying something of a boom, with Tesco stocking more than forty Fairtrade Mark products, Ben & Jerry launching Fairtrade vanilla ice-cream, and Marks & Spencer converting 100% of their coffee to Fairtrade. There is a list of restaurant and coffee shops who sell Fairtrade coffee on the Fairtrade Ireland website www. fairtrade. ie. O'Brien's have set their stall out: "We have altered our purchasing practice to cut out the shippers, or middle-men, and now buy an increasing percentage of the beans directly from the growers at Tadesse's Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, " Gaynor says.

In Ireland, the largest three roasters . . . Robt.

Roberts, Bewley's and Johnson Bros. . . . each have a brand of Fairtrade Mark coffee but it's unlikely that Irish shelves will be stocking only Fairtrade products for some time. However, Gaynor is happy that there has been a start. "I don't know if we'll ever get to 100% but the fact that Fairtrade exists presents a challenge for companies because there is an ethical alternative and people are beginning to be aware of it."