BAY VIEW, Wis. — October marks Fairtrade Month and a local Wisconsin grocery store is one of three locations nationwide honoring a female farmer through Fairtrade America.
A new mural is going up outside the Outpost Co-Op in Bay View, Wis.
The mural shows a female organic farmer from India named Ranjana Maurya.
“I really love painting. I love everything about it,” Nova Czarnecki, the artist on the project, said.
Maurya, who’s portrait is now permanently marked on the outside of the building, took over her family’s farm after her husband died. She has five kids and maintains their organic ways of making tea products.
“I really admire her and all her strength and how hard she must be working,” Czarnecki, who's been an artist for decades, said.
Some of those are actually found on the shelves of the grocery store in Wisconsin.
“You see that mural and you come into the store, and you see the actual product that that farmer grows,” Margaret Mittelstadt said. “It does come full circle… you [realize] that what you [purchase] when you shop makes a big difference.” Mittelstadt is the director of community relations at Outpost.
For Czarnecki, being a part of a project like this is extremely special. She’s able to share a woman’s story while representing fair trade.
“I share the same values. I really do have a lot of respect for anyone who works hard. Being a farmer is really hard work. It’s crucial, it’s our life and when someone puts in the extra effort to do it organically, that says it all,” Czarnecki said.
The mural has taken nearly two weeks to complete with Czarnecki working 10 - 11 hour days.