Bulletin
TRAIDCRAFT W E E K PA C K
TRACING THE COFFEE BEAN
SPOTLIGHT ON NAMASTE
T R A I D C R A F T S H O P. C O . U K
JUNE 2019
Welcome
Dear Friends,
‘
This month we will be
holding Traidcraft Week 17th – 23rd June. Packs are now available via the shop for £2 (normal p&p terms apply). If you do want a printed pack, a printer-friendly version, without stickers, is available to download for free online. The link will also take you to a Powerpoint that highlights the journey of Traidcraft for the last forty years. Download assets here: www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/traidcraft-week
Time to introduce you to our newest members of the team. Sarah Aldridge joined us in May and will be looking after us administratively here in the office. Jo Forster joined us at the end of May and will be with us for the next eleven months as maternity cover of our Digital Marketing Manager, Jo Lambert. I am sure you will join me and the rest of the team in welcoming the newcomers and in wishing Jo and her husband every blessing on their new arrival.
Happy fair trading, Matt
Welcomes and Goodbyes!
Introducing Sarah Aldridge
Introducing Jo Forster
Good luck, Jo!
Sarah will be providing administrative
Jo will be covering Jo Lambert’s
Our Digital Marketing Manager, Jo
support in areas including personnel,
maternity leave, dealing with all
Lambert, is heading off on maternity
governance, meetings and
things digital marketing at Traidcraft.
leave! We wish her and her family all
management information. 2
the best during this special time.
Traidcraft: Behind the Scenes
Some of the Traidcraft team, pictured above, during a strategy day with author Sam Conniff Allende and his assistant, Alex Barker. From left to right: Alex Barker, Matt Oliver, Sarah Main, Sam Conniff Allende, Jude Allen, Kirsty Young, Jo Lambert, Lizy White, Rio Beadie, Jim Sobotowski, Robin Roth.
AW19 News
IF UNDELIVERED, OR IF YOU WISH TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM FUTURE MAILINGS, PLEASE RETURN TO: CUSTOMER TRAIDCRAFT PLC, SERVICES, KINGSWAY, GATESHEAD, TYNE AND WEAR NE11 0NE
IF UNDELIVERED, OR IF YOU WISH TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM FUTURE MAILINGS, PLEASE RETURN TO: CUSTOMER SERVICES, TRAIDCRAFT PLC, KINGSWAY, GATESHEAD, TYNE AND WEAR NE11 0NE
You’ll be pleased to hear that our product selection for autumn / winter 2019 is well and truly underway, and our Marketing Team are working on the catalogue as we speak… watch this space! New
20%
20% OFF
OFF
(offer ends 22 nd May)
20%
Single bars: WAS £2.39 OFFER £1.91
OFF
Display boxes: WAS £32.25 OFFER £25.80
Divine Milk Chocolate with Orange
60588 (90g) 59728 (15 x 90g)
New
Divine Dark Chocoalte Divine Dark Chocolate with Lemon & Juniper with Raspberries 53964 (90g) 53394 (15 x 90g) 49630 (90g) 43768 (15 x 90g)
20% OFF
20% OFF
(offer ends 22 nd May)
20%
Single bars: WAS £2.39 OFFER £1.91
OFF
Display boxes: WAS £32.25 OFFER £25.80
Divine Dark Chocolate with Ginger & Orange 32900 (90g) 30018 (15 x 90g)
Divine Dark Chocoalte Divine Dark Chocolate Divine Milk Chocolate with Lemon & Juniper with Raspberries with Orange Divine Milk Chocolate 60588 (90g) 59728 (15 x 90g) 53964 (90g) 53394 (15 x 90g) 49630 (90g) 43768 (15 x 90g) Divine Dark Chocolate with Toffee & Sea with Salt Divine Dark Chocolate Pink Himalayan 35962 (90g) 34274 Salt (15 x 90g) 43724 (90g) 41128 with Mint (15 x 90g) 38574 (90g) 38350 (15 x 90g)
TRAIDCRAFT
S H O P. C O . U K
Divine Dark Chocolate with Ginger & Orange 32900 (90g) 30018 (15 x 90g)
Divine Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt 35962 (90g) 34274 (15 x 90g)
Divine Dark Chocolate with Pink Himalayan Salt 43724 (90g) 41128 (15 x 90g)
Spring/ Summer ‘1 9 DISCOVER M ORE ONLINE TRAIDCRAFT
Divine Dark Chocolate with Mint 38574 (90g) 38350 (15 x 90g)
T R A I D C R A F T S H O P. C O . U K
S H O P. C O . U K
Spring/Summer ‘1 9 D I S C O V E R M O R E O N L I N E T R A I D C R A F T S H O P. C O . U K
We know that there’s nothing you love more than receiving your handpicked and packed Traidcraft deliveries, but how much do you know about what really goes on behind the scenes at Traidcraft HQ? If you’re interested in getting an insight into the dayto-day activities that go on here at Traidcraft, from forklift frenzies to inspirational interviews, take a look at our ‘one second a day’ round up of the month.
WATCH THE VIDEO >
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Traidcraft Week Pack Traidcraft Week kicks off on 17th June, meaning now is the time to get yourselves prepared by ordering your celebratory Traidcraft Week Pack. This year sees us celebrate our 40th birthday, so we’ve prepared some extra special treats for your schools, Sunday schools and small groups.
Your Traidcraft Week Pack will include: •
A covenant service outline for use in your church
•
A two sided poster, one side to highlight your team and the opening hours of your stall, and the other to promote Traidcraft Week
•
Two pages of celebratory anniversary stickers
•
A recipe card with four delicious fair trade inspired dishes
•
An activity map for use in schools, Sunday schools and small groups
•
A word search
•
A crossword
Order your pack today You’ll be able to download print-friendly versions of the Traidcraft Week Pack here, but make sure you order yours online for full colour and to receive your celebratory stickers! We have also created a ‘Traidcraft, the First 40 Years’ PowerPoint and script - this short talk highlights the journey we have been on in trying to bring about trade justice. This is downloadable from our Traidcraft Week page here.
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Spotlight on: Namaste Suppliers of Fair Trade Craft Goods
With everything from tasteful, handmade cushion covers, mango wood drawers and jute rugs, to candle holders made from recycled materials and even wrapping paper crafted from the fibrous inner bark of the Daphne bush, Namaste’s huge range of fair trade products is impressive to say the least. If you’d like to delve a little deeper into the wonderful world of Namaste, discovering more about their values, beliefs, partner companies and effect on their wider communities – join us as we shine the spotlight on this inspirational company. Namaste are passionate about harnessing traditional artisanal skills and sourcing beautiful, fairly traded products from all over the world. Namaste seeks to support marginalised, small producers and help workers transition to economic self-sufficiency. The manufacture of goods for Namaste generates income for the local community, which in turn enriches the quality of life of the local community.
1995 But first, let us take you right back to the start. It was back in 1995 when Namaste’s founder, Sam Brummitt, flew to Kathmandu, Nepal with a round the world ticket. He jetted off purely in search of adventure, but little did he know the scale of the adventure which awaited him.
After an inspirational trek to Mount Everest base camp, followed by a six month long road trip circumnavigating the Indian Subcontinent on re-conditioned ex-Indian Army motorbikes and sleeping beneath the stars at the side of the road most nights, the idea for the business slowly developed. Sam was amazed by the incredible kindness and hospitality of the local people and quickly developed a fascination with and a passion for this amazing country. But, at this point, Sam’s idea for a business was nothing more than just that, an idea.
By Chance It was a chance conversation with Ganpat, an owner of a small textile business, in Rajasthan, which sparked the idea that Sam should come back home and set up the business for real. Thus, Namaste was born. Apart from being a lifelong 5
friend, Ganpat is now a key supplier for Namaste, closing the circle perfectly. Namaste, named after a popular greeting, translates as ‘I greet the spirit within you’ and was founded in 1997. For Sam, starting a business meant earning a living while putting something back into such a beautiful and wonderful part of the world and that’s exactly what happened. Over two decades on, Namaste’s mission to bring hope to the lives of artisans around the world remains the same, as well as still being fully committed to ensuring that products, where possible, are made from environmentallyfriendly, sustainable and recycled materials.
What does Namaste believe in? Namaste believe in honesty, equality and transparency. Although a small company, they have ambitious ethical policies based upon the belief that the best way to reduce poverty in the developing world is through trade. Namaste work with disadvantaged and marginalised producers and help them to develop their businesses, so that ultimately they can become financially stronger and more independent. They provide job security and many other benefits for the artisans they work with, which has a positive effect on their lives, as well as their families and wider communities. When it comes to payment, Namaste pays an advance to allow the producer to buy raw materials and start making the order without getting into financial difficulty. They never ask for or take credit terms from any suppliers, which other non-fair trade companies can be guilty of, leaving the producers in a financial plight. When the goods are shipped, they have been paid for in full – without exception. Namaste also ensure that no one under the age of 16 is involved in factory-based production of products, contributing towards changing the status quo in developing countries regarding child labour. Many items are actually crafted within artisans’ 6
Namaste, named after a popular greeting, translates as ‘I greet the spirit within you.’ own homes, where they can earn an income whilst allowing them to look after their families at the same time. Many of the producers which Namaste work with are members of the National Fair Trade Organisation, where others are members of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), of which Traidcraft are a co-founder. Being a member of WFTO means that they should adhere to WTFO’s strict fair trade regulations and must regularly review their principles to ensure that they are in line with WFTO’s 10 principles which fair trade organisations must follow. The majority of producers which Namaste work with are from India & Nepal, with several in each of Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. Some are small-scale artisan producers who often don’t have the ability to become registered fair trade producers, but are still treated and paid fairly by Namaste.
Certification: Namaste & GoodWeave GoodWeave is on a mission to end child labour and trafficking in global supply chains, by establishing clear and rigorous standards which employers must adhere to, as well as regularly auditing and inspecting production sites, reaching layers of the supply chain which were previously invisible. These independent and unannounced inspections provide a very strong reason for suppliers to make sure that all of their supply chain adheres to the rule of no child labour and decent working conditions. GoodWeave partners with 350 companies worldwide; their work has led to the freedom and education of over 24,000 children and improved working conditions for almost 60,000 adult workers. Namaste have been selling fairly traded rugs from
India for many years. More recently, they have taken the extra step of GoodWeave certification for all of their Indian rugs, providing the added reassurance of this totally independent monitoring body. Namaste are proud to support this pioneering charity that seeks to end child labour in rug weaving and which also has a large program to educate and develop rug weaving communities. Namaste is currently involved in a pilot project with GoodWeave to extend their excellent work into home textiles.
Namaste & Child Rescue Nepal Child Rescue Nepal works to free children from slavery, which is acutely in line with Namaste’s values and is why they have been supporting them for almost 20 years. There are over 22 million people trapped in slavery globally, and it is estimated that around a quarter of these are children. In Nepal alone, it is estimated that there are almost 100,000 vulnerable child slaves working in hazardous situations, where they are commonly exposed to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They work with local police to raid factories, restaurants and hotels where children are being held captive, prosecute perpetrators of the abuse, raise awareness of trafficking in schools and work to provide counselling and medical care in their safe houses. Child Rescue Nepal have improved education for 40,000 children, raised £150,000 for earthquake relief, pursued the prosecution of 24 traffickers in Nepal and India and rescued and brought to safety nearly 700 children. They promise that they won’t stop until every child is free, which is why Namaste contribute a percentage of all purchases from Nepal to the charity. These include beautifully crafted items like the double zip purse, leaf notebooks and the floral design giftwrap. If you’ve been inspired by reading this piece and would like to find out more, explore all of our Namaste products here. 7
Traidcraft - Then & Now Over the past few months, we’ve reached out to you and asked you to share your memories of Traidcraft over the past 40 years with us. We’ve received a phenomenal amount of responses which have taken us way back down memory lane! Here are some of our favourite snippets from your Traidcraft history.
Stories from John Martin Greetings Traidcraft people, Like many people I was distressed to hear last year that Traidcraft was closing. I was recently searching the web for updates and discovered to my delight the Traidcraft Bulletin online. Traidcraft is moving onwards. I am a retired Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. For three years from January 1985 until December 1987, I was Minister of the six rural churches of the North Shropshire Group of the United Reformed Church. One day a Traidcraft catalogue fell out of the regular mailing from the URC office in London. We were not strangers to fair trade as in Australia we had sold World Development Tea in our churches. Noelene, my wife, picked up the Catalogue and discovered the Traidcraft appeal for volunteer reps. She said “I would like to do that.” From then on our lives changed. Some spare space in the Manse became a storage room and our three primary school aged children were always excited to see what new things were arriving in the boxes from Gateshead. Noelene spoke about fair trade and had stalls all around the North Shropshire area, squeezing 8
boxes of Traidcraft goods into our little Metro. Sometimes, if the whole family went, boxes, light ones of course, were piled on top of the children in the back seat. Noelene worked closely with Charles Worth who was the Christian Aid rep in the area and our families became firm friends.
‘Noelene picked up the Traidcraft Catalogue and discovered the appeal for volunteer reps. She said “I would like to do that.” From then on our lives changed.’ The time came for us to return to Australia. What was to happen to the Traidcraft network that Noelene had built up? At the time there was only one other rep in Shropshire - in the south of the County. A committee was set up which included among others the wife of the Bishop of Shrewsbury and Jean Ross, the wife of the vicar of the Abbey Church in Shrewsbury. I am still in touch with Jean and Ian Ross each Christmas. The Committee established a Traidcraft Shop in Shrewsbury which operated until about 2013. The link fairtradefaithconference.com.au will take you to a Conference I am helping to organise in Australia. Scroll down to the Noelene Martin
Noelene Martin was a passionate Fair Trade advocate. When her family moved to England in 1985 she became a volunteer rep with Traidcraft, travelling around North Shropshire and beyond speaking about Fair Trade and selling products.
This is a long story which I am writing in response to the appeal for memories as Traidcraft celebrates 40 years. I wish you all well at this momentous anniversary and trust that Traidcraft will continue in its role of providing fair trade products and challenging the churches with what is a relative easy way of responding to the justice component of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Fair Trade Memorial Lecture and you will see her photo. This was taken by my son, Geoff, in the Shrewsbury shop in 2010. Traidcraft products can be clearly seen in the background.
Thank you. All the best. Grace and peace,
On returning to Australia Noelene became depressed because there was nothing like Traidcraft. She set up a fair trade business sourcing goods and crafts from various places. In recent years fair trade has expanded in Australia although there is still nothing quite like Traidcraft. In 2012 we were living in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and Noelene started a Fair Trade Fair at the Springwood Uniting Church. This bought together a great range of fair trade products marketed by over 20 local fair traders. This continues annually.
Stories from Sue Wilkinson
John Martin
Hi Traidcraft, I was a Fairtrader for many years, but had to give it up about 8 years ago, although I do still support and promote it when I can. I held lots of events over that time, but here are just a couple of things I got up to, which may be of interest. 1979 was also the year we married, so are celebrating 40 years too. Best of luck with the future. Sue Wilkinson
In 2014 Noelene and I were on an overseas trip when she died very suddenly at the age of 63. At her funeral my other son, Robert, suggested that we establish a lecture in her honour. This we have done, combining it with a Conference with John Bell of the Iona Community as the lecturer this year. In 2015 I retired and moved to Queensland to be near my daughter. In retirement I have become a ’Fair Trade Advocate’ seeking every opportunity to speak about fair trade at churches and other groups. In 2016 I attended the Traidcraft AGM in London and met Sue Scott who had supported Noelene thirty years earlier. I expect she would have been one of the casualties of the changes. 9
Stories from Mary Robertson Looking back in the mists of time, about 35 years ago I read an article in the Guardian about the dire conditions for workers in Sri Lankan tea estates. This was my first glimpse into the inequities of standard trade practices. I discovered that the One World Shop in Euston sold tea and other products with a different, ethical approach and that’s how I was introduced to Traidcraft. My then boyfriend, Allan - now fab husband of 30 years - became enthused and volunteered to work at the shop on Saturdays. Despite being in central London with a major railway station, Euston then wasn’t a busy area and, as key supporters moved away, Allan became the key person at the shop, placing orders and keeping tabs on the finance. After a while we decided that fair trade really deserved a more prominent base. We were both working then as civil servants at the Department for Education, then based in Waterloo. This area had a lively street market as well as lots of shops so we decided - despite having no previous retail experience apart from Saturday jobs - to take the plunge and find shop premises there. I took 4 months unpaid leave to work at the shop and Allan would rush over in his lunch breaks to help out. We were in commercial premises - with a lease written in legalese and without punctuation! - so we were paying a hefty rent but we felt it was important that fair trade should be seen as part of the mainstream and not a charitable exercise.
We felt it was important that fair trade should be seen as part of the mainstream and not a charitable exercise. Luckily for us the premises we chose were very near to Christian Aid’s HQ, although somehow we hadn’t realised this initially! After 4 months 10
I returned to my office job in the mornings and worked in the shop in the afternoons. Some lovely customers also became volunteers and covered the morning shifts. As far as I know, the One World Shop was the first in London to sell Cafédirect - take that Sainsbury et al! It was always a struggle to pay the rent, sometimes we were a bit tardy at paying Traidcraft (oh dear) and there was nothing left to pay anyone who worked at the shop, including ourselves, but it was a brilliant experience. After some time, 2 years perhaps, Christian Aid offered us some space for a shop at a nominal rent and, given that by that time had a good customer base - including some wonderful Traidcraft reps - we gratefully moved in. Our annual turnover reached about £50,000 which would, of course, be more in today’s money. After about 4 years a difficult pregnancy meant that Allan and I had to bow out, but that wasn’t the end of the story as volunteers shifted the business to premises in St John’s Church, opposite Waterloo station, for many years. Mary Robertson
Stories from Rosemary Philip Here are some photos that I have taken over the years, as you have asked for. I am no longer a Fair Trader (as of Jan 2018) but my heart is still very much with Traidcraft.
The mini hampers were made up to sell for Christmas 2015. Some photos were taken on visits to Gateshead, as you can see. Sadly, in the photo of my two stall helpers, both (Lana - left and Sheila - right) have died in the last 18 months. Both were a great help on the stall. The Big Brew photo was taken in 2017 in my house when we had invited our MP, Deidre Brock to join us. She is Australian but also SNP and very lively! The three collages of Traidcraft producers were used each year with some others too to display my final sales total for the year and the familiar photos came to feel like old friends.
Patricia Norrington has been a Traidcraft customer since 1979 and a rep since March 1985. She sent us on a trip down memory lane with these wonderful photos of our boxed tea!
Rosemary Philip Wardie Church, Edinburgh
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Update from Robin Tracing the Coffee Bean
Last month we followed the life of a coffee bean from farmer to co-operative and we explained how much we paid for the coffee, and who received what. On the surface, it looks like we have been incredibly generous to our partners in Sumatra, paying $3.06 for a pound of coffee, compared to $1.90 if we simply paid the Fairtrade Minimum Price, or just $0.91 if we paid the normal market price. But $3.06 equates to just £1.05 per bag of coffee, so why is the coffee so expensive when you buy it? designed to accommodate the enormous ships that now criss-cross the world, picking up our coffee along with innumerable other containers en route. A medium sized ship will carry 1,000 containers, and the largest over 15,000. The UK has very few ports that can cope with the new mega ships that cross the world. Brexit or not, most of our food from outside of Europe will first disembark in Europe and only then shipped on by lorry. The coffee now costs £6.30 per kilo.
Step 2 Step 1 Roasting Getting the coffee to Europe £1.00 per kilo (or 20p per bag) Getting the coffee from the farmers to Newcastle involves quite a journey. First it sails to Hamburg, where it is stored, checked, cupped and only when we need to roast it do we put it on a lorry and bring it over to the UK. All of this costs us about £1.00 per kilo. Just in case you are wondering, most coffee consumed in the UK is generally shipped to Hamburg or Rotterdam first. The ports there are
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£2.88 per kilo (or 57p per bag)
Brexit or not, most of our food from outside of Europe will first disembark in Europe and only then shipped on by lorry. The beans transported to Europe are still “green”, soft and slightly spongy, and thoroughly undrinkable. To turn these into the coffee we know and love requires roasting. Roasting is both an art and a science and unlocks the flavour and the aroma from the bean. Knowing exactly how long a batch of beans needs to be roasted can take years of training and the difference between a superb coffee and a batch with average taste can sometimes be just a matter of seconds. Contrary to popular belief, darker coffees tend to have slightly less caffeine than lighter roast coffees. There is no standard system for roasting and what we might consider a dark roast here in the UK does not correspond to a similar definition in the US or Europe. Culture and history play a significant role in what a nation drinks and there are no rights and wrongs. To refer to different roasting styles such as “Italian Roast”, however, is essentially meaningless - unless the coffee has in fact been roasted in Italy.
18% of the coffee will be lost during the roasting. There are many ways to roast coffee, but whichever way you do it, the volume of coffee that comes out of the roaster will be less than what went in. In total, 18% of the coffee will be lost during the roasting which means that around 1.18kg of green beans is required to produce 1kg of roasted coffee. This roasting loss costs £1.13 per kilo. We also have to pay to have the coffee roasted and this costs us £1.75 per kilo. Total cost of the coffee now is £8.18 per kilo.
Step 3 Packaging £1.10 per kilo (or 22p per bag) Packaging is one of the biggest talking points in the food industry at the moment. Thanks to David Attenborough everyone understands the need to reduce and recycle plastic. Unfortunately, aluminium is also one of the world’s most polluting materials and is used frequently in the food industry. It is odourless, creates a perfect barrier between the food and the outside world, and happens to be the largest consumer of industrial electricity to produce, leaving vast pools of barely treatable and highly toxic sludge in its aftermath. You may have read about the recent ecological disaster in Brazil where one of the dams holding back just such a sludge lake collapsed killing dozens. We are looking to reduce the need for aluminium in this packaging, but it is proving hard to find companies willing to invest in the necessary research. The coffee now costs £9.28 per kilo. Depending on exchange rates (remember we buy in dollars and then in Euros) the real cost can be anywhere between £9.28 and £9.50 per kilo. This equates to around £1.90 per bag of coffee.
Step 4 Our Selling Price £2.80 Per bag (average) We do not have a single selling price to our customers, but we do have fixed costs that we need to cover. We aim to sell a bag, on average
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for around £3.10. Obviously, the price we sell our coffee for, depends on who is buying it. Customers who go online and buy directly from our shop will pay £4.95. If they buy a case, then it will cost £4.20. Fairtraders receive a further discount which means you pay around £3.90. Professional shops receive a larger discount and buy in larger quantities, but the majority of our sales go to other wholesalers who sell on to small independent shops. Because both wholesalers and retailers need to make some money, our average selling price here is around £2.50 per bag.
Step 5 We don’t sell to Supermarkets
Supermarkets, on average, want to earn at least 30% of the final price, and some will aim for up to 45% They also play an enormous role in deciding which products you get to buy, and ultimately at what price. If they decide to run a promotion on some item or other, they generally ask their supplier to foot the bill, and the rules of the game are that supermarkets will “request” that suppliers pay for shelf space, contribute to marketing campaigns and offer year end rebates depending on how much has been sold. Small co-operative producer groups on the other side of the world have little hope of getting their products on to shelves in the UK. For small scale producers like these, for those just getting on to the first rung of the ladder, sales to organisations like Traidcraft are critical. Without us, they would not be able to build their strength from the ground up, make their first experiences in administering a cooperative, exporting full containers and gaining access to foreign, lucrative markets.
Most of the cost of any product you buy goes not to the producer, or the importer, or the manufacturer, or the wholesaler, but to the retailer. And when it comes to food in the UK, a retailer is, 90% of the time, one of seven or eight supermarkets that dominate our country. Supermarkets, on average, want to earn at least 30% of the final price, and some will aim for up to 45% depending on the product. Supermarkets, of course, need to pay staff, be open all hours, rent expensive space downtown, advertise and always be in stock. 14
Fairtraders make this possible. Without you, we would not be able to market new products at all and small cooperatives in the developing world would simply not get their breakthrough.
Coffee Update from Lizy
Last year, before we were faced with the possibility of having to cease trading, our Coffee Team at Traidcraft were looking at different ways we could produce our coffee range. Part of this included tendering the process of roasting, grinding and packing; Ringtons won this tender. Ringtons are a trusted, local company with a rich heritage dating back to 1907, who we already work with on tea and our Eat Your Hat coffee. With Traidcraft downsizing, we had to ensure that the way we worked was achievable for a smaller team to manage at Traidcraft, including the management of the beans we buy for Eat Your Hat Coffee. We looked at buying the beans ourselves and also at the possibility of Ringtons buying the beans, so we didn’t have to be involved in the process of securing beans. We wanted to ensure that we worked with a trader who was ethically aligned with Traidcraft, as some traders will buy Fairtrade coffee, but also buy nonfair trade coffee. We believe that if it can be fair trade, it should be fair trade. There was an obvious choice for us in the Fairtrade community. In Europe there are similar, bigger fair trade companies like Traidcraft. We work with Oxfam Fairtrade CVBA in Belgium, (part of the family of Oxfam that you see in the UK) who
buy coffee beans directly from producers and complete projects with producers. At the end of 2018, we agreed a contract and schedule of beans for 2019. The beans we buy from Oxfam Belgium go into our new Traidcraft coffee and also the Organic coffee goes into Eat Your Hat Coffee.
The New Packaging You will notice the bags, labels and names have had a refresh. Previously, the names of our coffee were a mixture of regions, types of coffee and producers. For the single origin coffees, we have made all the names of the coffee to regions that the coffee comes from, and in the description you will find the producer group. The Malawi coffee still comes from Mzuzu, the Peru coffee still comes from Norandino and the Ethiopian is Organic and tastes very similar to the Ethiopian Sidama. We chose to call the Ethiopian coffee Oromiya after Alex met with the producers from the Oromia co-op. Ringtons mix and roast the blend of beans to create the medium and rich roast that come from Peru, Tanzania and Nicaragua, however the decaf coffee beans are a slightly different blend from Uganda, Peru and Honduras, they go through the decaf process before arriving at Ringtons to be roasted and ground. Head over to our blog for more info about the decaf process. 15
meet the people tours
South Africa - Guaranteed Tour 3 RD - 1 6 TH O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
At the same time as guaranteeing our next departure to South Africa, we are delighted to announce a new fair trade group to the Meet the People experience. Khoisan Salt are behind the delicious flakes of sea salt in Traidcraft’s Eat Your Hat Organic Milk Chocolate with South African Sea Salt and will be welcoming us for a behind the scenes insight into their salt harvesting in October.
West Coast National Park, home to around 250
With the welfare and development of employees at the core of their values, Khoisan employs people exclusively from the local community and we’ll learn how fair trade initiatives help them to support their team. The enthusiastic team will be introducing us to the techniques they use in hand-harvesting salt crystals, to produce natural, unrefined sea salt. We can appreciate the significance of working in harmony with the environment as we later visit the nearby
Western Cape. South Africa is a big and truly
“It was a wonderful experience to have travelled in such a beautiful and contrasting country. I enjoyed meeting with the local people and understanding what fair trade means to them and to me!” 16
species of birds and where we hope to spot zebra alongside the ostrich, flamingos and penguins. Following visits to farmers on the edge of the Kalahari and the unique ecosystems of the highveld, this is a great opportunity to understand the importance of fair trade in a coastal region before we head on to the lush vineyards of the beautiful country with a unique history. Visits to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope let us appreciate some of the incredible natural beauty whilst meeting fair trade producers, learning from development projects in Cape Town and taking a trip to Robben Island, help us to better understand life in this complex country.
Khoisan Salt are behind the delicious flakes of sea salt in Traidcraft’s Eat Your Hat Organic Milk Chocolate with South African Sea Salt Would you like to join us in South Africa? There are still six places available on this year’s tour and details of our tour in 2020 are available online. To receive a detailed day by day itinerary, or for up to date availability, contact Hannah or Lizzie. Email: info@skedaddle.com Call: 0191 2651110 For more information visit: www.meetthepeopletours.co.uk/SouthAfrica 17
Traidcraft Exchange
June is Free Wills Month Making a will or reviewing an existing will is free of charge this summer for Traidcraft customers and donors.
We all know how important it is to write a will, but it’s something that many of us haven’t yet got around to. This June, Traidcraft Exchange have teamed up with McClures, a national firm of solicitors, to offer you the chance to have your will written for free (usually these services cost £200-£250). The will writing service is completely confidential and free of charge. You can also arrange a free review of your existing will or a special
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price Lasting Power of Attorney service. Many people choose to make a voluntary donation to Traidcraft Exchange, but there is no obligation or pressure to do this.
The will writing service is completely confidential and free of charge.
Want to know more? Visit www.traidcraft.org.uk/gifts-in-your-will or get in touch with our Supporter Care Team on 0191 497 6445 or hello@traidcraft.org
There’s still time to change lives in Senegal There’s not much time left to support our Easter Appeal – but many more lives could still be changed. Life is tough for fruit farmers in Casamance, South Senegal – but your support can make the future look a lot brighter for hardworking women like Yacime. Join us in the last push and donate at www.traidcraft.org.uk/senegal or call us on 0191 497 6445
Yacime, a fruit farmer from Senegal
You picked my tea As Fairtraders, we know you care about the people behind your products, and in the past months many of you have stood up for tea workers in Assam by asking the big brands ‘Who picked my tea?’. Now, you have the chance to send the workers a personal message of support.
“They used to ask their father “can we have shoes?” and we had to say no... now I can say yes” - Yacime, fruit farmer, Senegal Will you show the tea workers you stand with them by sending a short message of support? It’s a small gesture yet a powerful one, bringing together tea drinkers and tea workers in a call for fairer conditions for the people behind our tea. Thank you!
Together, we’ve got the UK’s biggest tea brands to publish where they buy their tea from – vital information that will strengthen tea workers’ fight for better conditions and pay. But the workers take enormous risks standing up for their rights and they need to know they aren’t in this alone. 19
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Helen’s Welsh Tea Bread Apart from being Fairtrade pioneers, what you might not know is that we’re talented bunch of bakers here at Traidcraft. You might remember in April’s Bulletin, we shared Lizy’s fair trade white chocolate cheesecake with you, and as it was so popular, we’ve decided to share another of the team’s recipes. Traidcraft’s resident Nigella Lawson, Helen, has been known to cause quite a stir in the office due to her baking wizardry. Each Monday, Helen tests our will power by bringing in a selection of wonderful baked goods. This month, Helen has kindly shared her Welsh tea bread recipe with us. Moist, fruity and just the right amount of sweet, it’s the perfect accompaniment to your mid-morning cuppa.
Ingredients •
400g mixed fruit (I use Traidcraft raisins, sultanas, pineapple and apricots)
•
75g dried cranberries
•
Mug of hot, strong Traidcraft tea
•
100g butter or margarine
•
2 heaped tablespoons of Traidcraft marmalade
•
2 large eggs, beaten
•
450g self-raising flour (or a mix of white and wholemeal)
•
175g Traidcraft light brown, soft sugar
•
2 teaspoons of mixed spice
•
4 tablespoons of milk
•
1 tablespoon of Traidcraft Demerara Sugar (optional)
Method 1. Mix together the dried fruit and cranberries
in a large bowl, then pour the hot tea over. Cover with cling film and leave to soak overnight.
2. Pre heat oven to 160°C (fan) or 180°C/gas
mark 4. Butter and line the bottom of a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Melt butter and marmalade together in a pan. Leave to cool for five mins, then beat in the eggs. Drain any excess tea from the fruit. Mix the flour, sugar and spices together, then stir in the fruit, butter mix and milk until evenly combined. The batter should softly drop from the spoon – add more milk if needed.
3. Spoon into the tin and level the top. Sprinkle
with the Demerara sugar (if you like a crunchy top!) and bake for 1-1¼ hrs until dark golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if it starts to over-colour before the middle is cooked. Leave to cool completely in the tin and serve sliced. Drizzle with lemon water icing to decorate if liked.
Calling all bakers! If you’ve got a recipe you think we should know about, please send it our way! Ideally, we’d love your recipe (whether it be sweet or savoury), to contain at least one fair trade ingredient and to have a photo to accompany it. Please send your recipes to social@traidcraft.co.uk and watch this space… Our mouths are watering already! 23