A Tribute to the Extraordinary Phil Berry

Phil Berry, a former Equal Exchange worker-owner and long-time Interfaith and Customer Service Representative, passed away in April. Phil was a favorite of Equal Exchange customers who called and specifically asked for him. He provided great service, gave thoughtful suggestions, and in general, just cheered people up. Through these weekly calls, he formed friendships with dozens of EE customers. Phil exuded a warmth that communicated how much he cared about others; he was a big kidder, and often ended a conversation with the words "behave yourself."

And Phil totally embraced fair trade principles. He enthusiastically advocated for EE every chance he got. He loved to talk about the low 5:1 salary ratio between EE staff members, the special fair trade and organic premiums paid to producers, sustainable agriculture on the farms, the co-op structure, and many other aspects of Equal Exchange. He was a constant champion of fair trade.

Previous to coming to EE, Phil ran two retreat centers with his wife Donna, shown in the photos above: the Cedar Hill Conference Center for five years and Blairhaven Interfaith Retreat Center, where for 15 years they maintained the property and welcomed many people from around the world for spiritual retreats, family reunions, weddings, and business retreats. Equal Exchange held a gathering there before getting to know Phil many years later.

Phil had a passion for cooking, eating, and sharing food with other people. Over the years, he'd send interoffice emails to West Bridgewater worker owners announcing that there was soup or chili available downstairs in the kitchen for everyone's enjoyment. Then there were the breakfasts of pancakes, muffins, fruit, yogurt, etc., for the EE community that he threw together for special occasions. He would arrive in a whirlwind to set up his equipment of griddles, food warmers, and stainless steel containers, always a professional operation. 

We will miss Phil and what he brought to the Equal Exchange community. He had a big heart. He was always ready for a conversation or lively banter at lunchtime or when you passed him in the hallway. Mostly Phil Berry was an unusually kind and positive spirit who loved his family, his community, and embodied a beautiful humanitarian ethos that was inspirational.