A local non-profit organization in the Comox Valley looks to celebrate its 20-year anniversary with an event this Sunday.
Tales of Tea is an event run by Fertile Ground, an organization that supports Assamese farmers, tea growers, and families who care for soil, produce healthy crops, and protect local seeds.
It was founded in 2003 after residents Peggy Carswell and Kel Kelly took a trip to Assam in 1998, located in northeastern India.
According to Peggy, they were asked to find a source of organic fair-trade tea by a local organization after their trip.
“When we went back, little if almost no information was available, and after travelling around, going back, collecting info, I started a non-profit,” said Carswell.
Carswell says they have been able to work with a rotary club in Digboi and set up a training center and farmers hostel, where people could get trained, while being shown how organic farming can be done with composting.
Kelly says some of the highlights of their work include developing international relationships between the rural communities of both the Valley and northeastern India.
“We’ve had people go over to India, we’ve had people come from Assam to the Comox Valley on a number of occasions, so the global exchange of information is exciting,” said Kelly.
“Another major accomplishment is the reduction of the amount of harmful chemicals and pesticides being applied to food in that area of the world.”
Peggy adds for this year they will be working on a new training center, and will put together a program where the skills that Peggy and others have can be shared to those at the grassroots level.
Tales of Tea will have Indian sweets, and presentations about tea, which will take place on Creekside Commons in Courtenay.
It’ll run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
