'Show off your label' for Fairtrade Fortnight

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

People across the London Borough of Sutton are being urged to "show off your label" and give a helping hand to millions of people in the developing world during the upcoming Fairtrade Fortnight.

The national event, running from 28 February to 13 March, aims to raise awareness of the difference that buying Fairtrade products can make to small scale farmers. Sutton is one of 21 Fairtrade London Boroughs, which means that it is even easier to find ethically traded products.

The focus of this year's event is on Fairtrade cotton and as well as running events like bake sales, fashion shows and school displays, groups are being urged to get creative and decorate a piece cotton bunting. After displaying their handiwork, participants will send the flags off to be stitched together into what organizers hope will become the world's longest piece of bunting.

Councilor Simon Wales, Executive Member for Communities, Transport and the Voluntary Sector, said: “100 million households worldwide rely on cotton as their main source of income, but many cotton farmers in the developing world have to survive on less than $2 a day.

“Buying Fairtrade is an easy step that we can take to help make sure that these small farmers get a fairer deal. All sorts of Fairtrade products are stocked in shops across Sutton, so why not look out for the Fairtrade mark next time you're out shopping, or organize your school, work or community group to raise awareness through a Fairtrade Fortnight event?”

To get involved in year round Fairtrade events in Sutton, the Sutton Fairtrade steering group meets once every six weeks to plan events and campaigns and welcomes new members. The next meeting will take place 13 April at the Tariro Cafe in the Salvation Army building in Benhill Avenue, Sutton.

The group will be running a stall stocking Fairtrade products in the St Nicholas Center on 12 March, where shoppers will be given the chance to try Fairtrade produce, as well as to find out more about ethical trading.

It is such a shame that so many other London borough and also and especially neighboring boroughs of the counties of Surrey, Kent, etc. are missing in this scheme.

For more information visit www.fairtrade.insutton.org, or www.fairtrade.org.uk

© 2011

The first gourmet coffee to come from DRCongo for over 40 years hits the UK

London, February 2011: Sainsbury's is helping to rejuvenate the coffee industry in two African countries by releasing a new limited edition Fairtrade coffee for Red Nose Day that will see the first high quality coffee from the war torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) available in the mainstream market since the 1960s.

The coffee is a blend of beans from the Sopacdi cooperative in DRC and the Mzuzu cooperative in Malawi, creating a unique Fairtrade coffee blend that is being launched at Sainsbury's this week. This product will reach stores in time for Fairtrade Fortnight (28 February to 13 March) and Red Nose Day (Friday 18 March) with at least 30p per pack donated to Comic Relief.

In DRC, the project marks the start of a revival of the coffee industry in the Lake Kivu region, where most of the more than 4,000 tonnes of Arabica coffee produced annually is currently smuggled out of the country due to lack of formal market opportunities. It is estimated that around 1,000 people die every year as they attempt to transport their coffee illegally across Lake Kivu into Rwanda in search of higher prices.

The Mzuzu cooperative faced different challenges. The established agricultural system was vulnerable to changing climatic conditions and overly dependent on expensive inorganic fertilizers. To secure the quality and increase the yields of this coffee in the long term, Mzuzu farmers are developing more sustainable production systems.

The smallholder farmers in both regions are able to grow coffee at altitudes and on soils ideally suited to the production of speciality coffees, however they struggle to access markets for a variety of reasons, including achieving consistent high quality, lack of certifications or lack of consumer association of the DRC or Malawi with high quality coffees.

Liz Jarman, Sainsbury's head of Fairtrade, said: "This is a unique coffee with a fantastic back story. By buying it, customers will not only get a great coffee, they can also feel satisfied that they doing their bit to help lift two of the world's poorest countries out of poverty.

"The coffee will make a very real difference to farmers in these countries, and should help prevent many farmers dying in an effort to find more lucrative markets for their coffee."

The Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell said: "Trading with a large UK retailer will make a big difference to the livelihoods of farmers in Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a step towards the two countries being widely recognized as coffee growing nations.

"Trade drives growth, which in turn creates jobs and wealth in communities. Through trade we can help people to pull themselves out of poverty. Ensuring farmers and other producers get a fair price for their produce and effort is central to this. Trade will soon become a central theme across our aid programme, particularly in Africa, helping developing countries including those emerging from conflict tackle the obstacles that prevent them from making the most of trading opportunities."

The project is a joint partnership between Sainsbury's, Comic Relief, Twin Trading, Finlays and the two African smallholder cooperatives. The organisations have worked together to develop the coffee, which has been part funded by DfID's Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH), which aims to find innovative ways to bring more food from Africa to UK consumers.

Liz added: "By bringing two new coffees from the DRC and Malawi to our customers, we will really shine a light on Africa's potential. Although this is a limited edition blend we are launching for Red Nose Day 2011, our ultimate goal is to work with both cooperatives over the coming months to make quality Congolese and Malawian single origin coffees a permanent fixture."

Sainsbury's has worked with Finlays, its supply partner, to roast and package the coffee. Twin Trading, a project partner with expertise in developing smallholder commodity supply chains, has worked with both cooperatives to develop the supply chain and build local capability in agronomy, management and coffee exporting.

"With Sopacdi we have started from a very low base - pulling in farmers with a hectare or half a hectare each; financing agronomists to help them rehabilitate the coffee farms, putting processing infrastructure in place and working with farmers to meet quality control standards," says Richard Hide, a senior coffee manager at Twin who is overseeing the project. "There's a huge appetite and commitment to get production off the ground again."

Ian Barney, Twin's Managing Director, said: "We are delighted about the launch of this coffee and the profile it gives smallholder producers in both regions. We have been working closely with producers in both countries and know how much pride they take in their coffee. This is an important milestone for the farmers and communities of Sopacdi and Mzuzu and will put quality coffee from both regions on the map".

Sainsbury's is the world's largest retailer of Fairtrade products, having converted all of its bananas to Fairtrade in 2007. Since then, it has converted a number of additional ranges to Fairtrade, including its roast and ground coffee, in an effort to ensure that growers in the developing world are paid a fair price for their goods.

Source: Sainsbury's

This press release is presented without editing for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

Furnishing your home just got fairer

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

B&Q, Britain's largest home improvement retailer, has announced on 28 July 2010 that it will be selling its first Fairtrade products in store this year.

From August 2010, B&Q will sell a range of Fairtrade cotton bedding in 100 stores. 2010 is an important milestone as it marks the fifth year anniversary of the introduction of Fairtrade cotton into the UK market.

In our press packs at the recent B&Q press event on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, we received a set of this cotton bedlinen and the quality appear to be good and – considering it is Fairtrade cotton – the pricing is rather very good, I should think.

With £6.98 for a pair of Housewife Pillowcases and £ 16.98 for a double fitted sheet they are not pricey considering, as said, that the goods are Fairtrade.

There are now over 100 Fairtrade cotton licensees in the UK – a mixture of brands, retailers and companies. This enables them to use the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark on cotton products, meaning that cotton farmers in the developing world are getting a better deal: receiving a fair and stable Fairtrade Minimum Price for their cotton in addition to the Fairtrade Premium.

Fairtrade cotton began with ten small pioneer companies selling clothing using cotton grown by farmers from nine countries in the developing world. As many as 100 million rural households around the world are involved in cotton production. Most are small-scale cotton farmers especially vulnerable to exploitation and injustice from international trade rules.

Fairtrade offers a positive alternative to thousands of cotton farmers in India and in countries as widespread as Senegal, Burkina Faso, Egypt and Mali in West Africa, Peru and Egypt. Fairtrade certification brings cotton farmers the assurance of a fair and stable minimum price. They also receive the Fairtrade Premium – additional funds to invest in social or economic development projects. The Premium is most often invested in education and healthcare, farm improvements to increase yield and quality, or processing facilities to increase income. These projects can bring long-lasting positive change to the whole community.

The benefits from sales of Fairtrade certified cotton have allowed farmers in India to develop basic health insurance schemes for themselves and health awareness programs for their children. In Mali, farmers have been able to fund the building of storage units for cotton and grain, enabling them to store food all year round and better control the sales of their cotton over the seasons, bringing them a more consistent income.

B&Q is also one of the stakeholder partners working with Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in their pilot program to explore how FLO’s recently announced Fairtrade Timber standard can extend the benefits of Fairtrade to Small-Scale Producers in the forestry sector through FLO/FSC joint-labeling of timber products. The partnership will enable the organizations involved to meet shared strategic objectives and enable forest communities to earn improved returns for their timber which is sourced in a responsible way.

Rob Cameron, Chief Executive of Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) says: “We congratulate B & Q on taking this decision in what is a historic year for Fairtrade cotton in the UK. Every additional Fairtrade product sold brings us closer to our vision of giving all farmers and workers the prospect of a sustainable livelihood and a better future for themselves and their communities. With that in mind, we are very much looking forward to deepening our relationship with B & Q and other like-minded organizations in the future, and working together towards this goal.”

Euan Sutherland, CEO of B&Q and Kingfisher UK says; “We hope today’s announcement marks the first of many Fairtrade products that we are able to introduce in to our customers homes. With Fairtrade cotton we are following the fashion industry’s lead and will certainly look to introduce more lines in to our home furnishing ranges. The opportunity to be involved in FLO/FSC certified timber as a participant in the pilot project is an exciting development. It enables B&Q to be at the forefront in bringing joint Fairtrade/FSC labeled timber products to market which will be a key innovation for the sector. It provides the opportunity to literally transform the lives of forest communities at the same time as promoting responsible forest management.”

Earlier this year B&Q announced its intention to be the first UK retailer to source all of its timber from only proven, well managed forests or recycled material. This commitment and this announcement about Fairtrade builds on the company’s long heritage in this area. B&Q was a founding partner of FSC back in the 1990s; gained chain-of-custody certification for both FSC and PEFC (recording the path wood products take from the forest to the final consumer) back in 2008; and last year became the first ever retailer of its size to secure FSC certification for its entire supply of tropical plywood.

When it comes to FSC and plywood the jury is out still in some cases. There have been documented incidents when wood was FSC certified even when it did not come from sustainable sources and as to plywood and green and eco there is the issue with the bonding glues and other treatments.

However, B&Q must be applauded for having been in the forefront of wanting to do right for a considerable number of years by now with all the others trailing.

© 2010

Perfect Cuppa proves resilient during the Perfect Storm

London, UK: Cafédirect plc, the UK’s largest 100% Fairtrade hot drinks company, announced record results for the 2008 financial year. Cafédirect’s turnover, profits, and investment in the businesses and communities of its producer partners all reached their highest levels in the company’s 17 year history despite the major downturn in the global economy.

“I am happy with these results because they enable us to change lives and build communities even further,” said Anne MacCaig, Cafédirect’s CEO. “Our results show that consumers are not prepared to compromise on quality when it comes to their cuppa. It also demonstrates that doing business in a socially and environmentally responsible manner continues to matter.”

“Quality, in our products and our relationships, continues to be the key driver for our success,” said Jon Marlow, Cafédirect’s Head of Sales. “We work with our grower partners to get the best possible ingredients, and we work with our business partners to encourage consumers to support our more equitable way of trading” .

Turnover for the year totalled £22.34 million, slightly up on 2007, and profits were £901,000. Supply chain and environmental initiatives were key developments during the year, with raw materials and finished products transported more directly and efficiently. Quality was also recognised as eight different Cafédirect products won at least one Gold Star each in the Great Taste Awards, the highest total of any hot drinks company.

Cafédirect invested £658,000 in the businesses and communities of its grower partners through its unique policy of reinvestment, which supports all 39 grower organisations across 13 developing countries. Combined with the £707,000 raised by Cafédirect’s development partners Twin Trading and Imani, Cafédirect’s grower partners benefited by a total of £1.37 million, which was in addition to £886,000 paid above market prices.
Over the last five years, Cafédirect has invested more than £3 million in its grower partners, representing more than half of the company’s profits, and has paid more than £7.5 million above market prices for its raw materials.

“While many of us are feeling the crunch of the economy in the UK, it has been much worse for the majority of our grower partners,” said Wolfgang Weinmann, Cafédirect’s producer partner manager. “It has been tremendously satisfying to have increased our support during the tough times, which is exactly the point of our business model.”

“This has been a pioneering company in so many ways, for so long, for two reasons,” MacCaig added. “Firstly, because of our direct, long-term relationships with our grower partners, we get the best ingredients for our products. This is reflected in the quality of our drinks. Secondly, we have a passionate and growing support base of customers who are dedicated to our mission.”

Source: FML Public Relations
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Delicious homemade Christmas gifts - at a fair price to you!

Celebrity drinks expert, Olly Smith, has teamed up with Fairtrade trailblazer Cafédirect to help you create a mouth-watering, handmade ethical treat this Christmas. His quick and easy choccie biscuit recipe, which uses Cafédirect’s 100 per cent Fairtrade ‘Cocodirect’ drinking chocolate, makes a delicious, inexpensive and fairly traded homemade gift for friends, relatives and loved ones.

Olly Smith’s Cocodirect Biscuits
2oz. Fairtrade sugar
8oz. butter
8oz. self raising flour
3oz Cafédirect’s “Cocodirect” drinking chocolate powder

Method
Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the flour and Cocodirect powder. Form the mixture into little balls the size of walnuts. Place on baking tray and flatten with a wet fork leaving ridges. Cook at 165 degrees for 20-25 minutes (keeping an eye on them so that they don’t overbrown). These quantities will make approx 50-60 biscuits, so if you want to make less just half the recipe or simply form the mixture into larger sized balls.

The secret behind Cafédirect’s great-tasting hot drinks is the direct, long term relationships it fosters with the people that produce them. As well as always paying above market prices for its crops, over the last three years Cafédirect has reinvested, on average, 60% per cent of its profits back into growers’ businesses and communities. This support helps strengthen growers’ organisations, develop their knowledge and expertise and enables them to build a brighter, more sustainable future. As a result, Cafédirect always get the pick of the growers’ crop, so that you enjoy high quality, great tasting hot drinks. You can’t say fairer than that!
Cocodirect is available from most major supermarkets; RRP £2.29 for a 250g tub.

For further information about Cafédirect’s award-winning products visit www.cafedirect.co.uk. The site also contains information about Cafédirect’s grower partners, its pioneering Fairtrade work, and groundbreaking Climate Change project.

Source: FML Public Relations
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Cafédirect triumphs in Great Taste Awards – 8 awards in 08!

Cafédirect, the UK’s pioneering Fairtrade hot drinks company, is celebrating winning eight prestigious Gold Great Taste Awards - leading the hot beverages category this year.

This, undoubtedly, shows that Fairtrade coffee and tea and other drinks do not have to be low class and mediocre.

Since the early days of Fairtrade when there was often lowish quality a result of the way things were done thins is no longer the case. Today, as can be seen here, Fairtrade brands lead the field in taste.

Regarded as the food and drink industry’s Oscars, The Guild of Fine Food’s annual Great Taste Awards are the UK’s largest independent evaluation of gourmet and fine food and drink.

Leading the bumper crop of awards was Cafédirect’s Organic Mount Elgon gourmet coffee beans, which scooped the coveted three star Gold award. A three star gold award is a great achievement, and shows that the expert judges considered the single origin Ugandan beans from the Gumutindo co-operative on the slopes of Mount Elgon to be faultless. Just 72 out of the 4753 entries this year were awarded three stars.

“This prestigious award is a culmination of years of collaboration between Gumutindo and Cafédirect in farmer education, along with Fairtrade incentives.” Nimrod Wambette, Chairman of Gumutindo Cooperative, Mt Elgon, Uganda.

Cafédirect’s Cloud Forest gourmet coffee beans received an impressive two gold stars, single origin 100% Arabica beans grown in the mountains of the stunning cloud forests of Nicaragua.

Matthew Drennan, Editor of delicious. magazine says “Eight Great Taste Awards is a fantastic achievement, a true reflection of Cafédirect’s brand ethos and the superb quality of its fresh ground coffee and coffee beans. Re-investing a high proportion of its profits to educate the growers in how to improve their beans means there’s every chance the quality of next year’s harvest will be even better. I’m enjoying the fruits of their labours this year, but I’m already looking forward to next year’s!”

The following coffees and teas won one gold star award – noted for their general excellence in taste, texture and flavour. Teadirect Gold tea (bags), launched this year. An exquisite blend of leaves from Cafédirect’s grower partners in Kenya, Rwanda and Assam in India, expertly blended for depth of flavour and aroma. Three coffees from Cafédirect’s gourmet fresh ground coffee range won one gold star each: Organic Palenque made from 100% Arabica beans sourced purely from Mexico, Kilimanjaro fresh ground Arabica coffee grown on the steep slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Organic Machu Picchu sourced solely from Peruvian coffee beans grown on the lush mountains surrounding Machu Picchu. Organic Medium Roast fresh ground coffee also won one gold star, as did Cafédirect’s Organic decaffeinated premium freeze dried instant coffee.

Zachary Dominitz, Head of Corporate Affairs for Cafédirect says, “We are delighted, but not surprised, that our products have excelled on taste. Growers are the heart of Cafédirect, and our direct relationships with them – and their pride in their work – guarantee we get the best possible produce, and that’s reflected in the quality of our hot drinks. “In the last three years alone we have reinvested 60% of our profits directly into growers' organisations and communities, enabling them to build sustainable businesses and continually improve the quality of their crops. And it shows!"

For further information about Cafédirect’s award-winning products and the rest of the range, visit www.cafedirect.co.uk. The site is also full of information about Cafédirect’s grower partners, its pioneering work in Fairtrade and it’s Climate Change project.

“Through their Producer Partnership Programme, Cafédirect has gone out of the box to show there is a lot more that can be done than just Fairtrade. The extra effort made in building farmer and management capacity in a bid to sustain supplies of tea has been received by us farmers and factory staff with appreciation. It has placed Cafédirect in a class of its own which is worthy of my respect.”Julius Ethang'atha, Tea Grower, Michimikuru, Kenya.

“When our cooperative first began working with Cafédirectover five years ago I didn’t believe there would be anychange in our lives. Now I am sitting here today feeling veryhappy. The growers are paid better prices and receivetraining. Cafédirect is not like the others. I did not believeanything would change but now it is changing.” Emiliana Aligaesha, Coffee Grower, KDCU, Tanzania.

Awards

Teadirect, Cafédirect’s tea brand, was a finalist in the Hot Beverage category in the 2008 Branded Excellence Awards.

In a survey of 2,000 global brands Cafédirect ranks No. 1 as the most recommended brand (Source: Millward Brown, March 2007).

Combining taste, price, ethics, and availability, Teadirect tops the Fairtrade Tea category: New Consumer Magazine, February 2008.

About Cafédirect

Growers play a key role in every aspect of Cafédirect, from governance to product design. They own shares in the company and have 2 directors on the Board.

Together with their grower partners, Cafédirect shares a passion for producing the best quality teas, coffees and drinking chocolate. The company's latest is the premium Teadirect Gold, is now available at Waitrose.

Cafédirect was founded in 1991, predating Fairtrade in the UK by three years and was the first coffee brand to carry the mark. With a turnover of £22.3 million (2006/07), Cafédirect are the UK’s largest 100% Fairtrade hot drinks company, the 5th largest coffee brand and 7th largest tea brand.

Cafédirect’s work has directly improved the lives of 1.4 million people in developing countries by partnering with nearly 300,000 smallholder growers through 39 grower organisations across 13 developing countries.

Over the last 3 years the company has invested on average 60% of profits in the businesses and communities of its grower partners.

Supporting sustainable development, Cafédirect pioneered a minimum price for tea growers, and reward growers for quality and organic produce.

Cafédirect's range of delicious 100% Fairtrade coffees, teas, and hot chocolate is available in major supermarkets, independent retailers, Oxfam shops, Traidcraft mail order, and the Cafédirect online store, as well as thousands of food service venues, such as hospitals, universities, schools and hotels. They are also available in Ireland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

To learn more about Cafédirect visit www.cafedirect.co.uk.

Michael Smith (Veshengro), August 2008
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