Ethical business
From flowers to footballs
In 2007, bananas took over from coffee as the bestselling Fairtrade product. But the range of Fairtrade goods is growing all the time, as these ten great ethical businesses show.
1. Beer
Kent-based Westerham Brewery usually sources its ingredients locally, but made an exception for in its William Wilberforce Freedom Ale, launched in 2007 to celebrate 200 years of the abolition of slavery. Along with the Kentish hops was Fairtrade sugar from a farmers' cooperative in Malawi.
www.westerhambrewery.co.uk
2. Flapjacks
Michael and Clare Marriage have been growing organic cereals on their Wiltshire farm for over 30 years. They make all sorts of organic flours, as well as cakes and cookies. Their flapjacks and several cereal bars are made with Fairtrade sugar, fruits, nuts and chocolate.
www.dovesfarm.co.uk
3. Flowers
There's not much romance in the global flower trade. Fairtrade alternatives have recently begun to spring up in the supermarkets, but to date the only wholesalers with a Fairtrade offering are J&E Page. Their carnations come from Colibri Flowers, environmentally-friendly and Fairtrade-certified growers in Columbia.
www.jepage.com
4. Footballs
Based in Brighton, FairDeal Trading is a leading player in Fairtrade sports balls. They also produce Fairtrade sportswear and trainers with FSC-certified rubber souls. Co-founder Martin Kunz was the first executive secretary of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. They also donate footballs to disadvantaged children around the world, from street kids in Paraguay to former child soldiers in Sri Lanka.
www.fairdealtrading.com
5. Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry, Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury's all have their own Fairtrade ice creams, but Cream O' Galloway is the coolest of all. They've been making ice cream, frozen yoghurt and smoothies on their organic farm since 1994, and have switched to Fairtrade ingredients across the board. Their new Made Fair range includes Fairtrade vanilla, cappuccino, chocolate and strawberry pavlova.
www.creamogalloway.co.uk
6. Juice
Fruit Passion, a partnership between Traidcraft and Gerber Foods, was set up in 2004 to provide an outlet for farmers in Cuba. They sell Fairtrade orange and tropical fruit juice from workers' cooperatives in Cuba and Fairtrade apple juice from South Africa, and are currently developing relationships with other Latin American producers.
www.fruit-passion.com
7. Peanut Butter
Equal Exchange have just launched the first organic Fairtrade peanut butter. Produced by farmers in northern Mozambique, it comes in smooth or crunchy, with or without salt, all free from palm oil and other nasty additives.
www.equalexchange.co.uk
8. Rice
More than 600 million tonnes of rice are grown each year, but the Fairtrade market is currently minuscule. One exception is Crazy Jack. Their range of organic produce includes Fairtrade brown and white basmati, fragrant Thai and Thai Jasmine.
www.crazyjack.co.uk
9. Spice
Steenbergs became the UK's first Fairtrade importer of spices in 2005. Their range includes peppers, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and turmeric. They also stock a selection of Fairtrade and organic flavoured sugars and teas.
www.steenbergs.co.uk
10. Wine
Fairtrade wines are now finding their way onto supermarkets shelves. Like much of the wine trade, they are mainly sourced by large wine importers. Friarwood is a well-established family firm that work with smaller producers. Its Fairtrade Ormer Bay wines come from South Africa's Western Cape, and include a chenin blanc, a rosé and a merlot.
www.friarwood.com
