It’s Fairtrade Fortnight
It’s Fairtrade Fortnight, which means that from 21st Sept to 4th Oct we are celebrating the Fairtrade movement and Fairtrade-certified products. Across the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation is encouraging you to take part in events such as coffee mornings and coffee webinars.
What does it mean to be Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is a trusted label created in 2002 by the Fairtrade Foundation to signify whether a product is produced fairly. But Fairtrade is more than just a label on your coffee; if a product holds the Fairtrade status, it means it meets a series of criteria ensuring that the farmers behind your food are being treated fairly and paid fairly.
The farmers of Fairtrade products have the right to work in safe conditions, meaning that no farmers are in danger in their environments or pushed beyond safe working limits. Fairtrade also means that products have a set minimum price, a baseline that protects the farmers from negative market fluctuations, allowing them to earn a more stable and predictable income.
In addition to the working conditions and pay, farmers of Fairtrade products receive extra money called the Fairtrade Premium. This money is theirs to invest, helping to build up local healthcare, improve schools or reinvest back into their farms. Fairtrade support doesn’t stop at welfare; Fairtrade provides support to farmers in adjusting their practices for climate change, improving crop yields, safeguarding them from changing environments and making more sustainable farming choices.
How do you identify Fairtrade products?
Every Fairtrade product comes with the Fairtrade mark, a symbol that is globally recognised for indicating a product's fair and sustainable status. When a product comes with the Fairtrade mark, all the eligible ingredients are traceable and meet Fairtrade standards.
There are small variations to the logo, sometimes found with an arrow on the side, meaning that there is more information about the ingredients on the back. Products with multiple ingredients often use this mark to direct you to learn more about where the ingredients are sourced from. Since not all ingredients are available under Fairtrade conditions, for a product to carry the Fairtrade mark all eligible ingredients must be Fairtrade-certified and make up at least 20% of the total product.
The Fairtrade mark with the arrow can also indicate that a product uses a system called Mass Balance. This means the Fairtrade-certified ingredient may have been mixed with non-Fairtrade-certified ingredients somewhere along the supply chain. This doesn't mean farmers don't get paid fairly; companies must still purchase the same amount of Fairtrade ingredients as they sell. It simlply means that the Fairtrade ingredient in the product you're consuming may not be physically traceable from the farm to the finished product, even though an equivalent amount of Fairtrade-certified ingredient has been purchased from Fairtrade farmers.
The Fairtrade mark is most commonly found on single-ingredient products such as coffee and tea.The 5 most common single-ingredient Fairtrade products sold across the world according to Statista in 2022 are (in metric tons):
- Flowers and plants, selling 952,236
- Bananas, selling 730,176
- Cocoa Beans, selling 232,847
- Coffee, selling 231,188
-
Sugar, selling 169,042
To learn more about the different variations in Fairtrade markings, visit the Fairtrade website.
How does Fairtrade coffee taste?
We want to say it tastes better purely for the peace of mind that what you consume isn’t a product of exploitation, but unfortunately that’s not the case. The coffee’s flavour is most likely not impacted by its Fairtrade status. When you’re drinking Fairtrade coffee, all that changes is the conditions that the farmers work in, the support they receive, and the pay that they get. So does Fairtrade taste better? With the extra support, farmers can take more sustainable and ethical care of their plants, which you could argue improves the quality of the produce, but that’s never a guarantee.
When you buy Fairtrade, you’re not paying extra for better quality of coffee; you’re paying extra for the farmers to have a better quality of life.
A Co-operative that’s fair for everyone
Revolver Co-operative is built on the belief that trade should be done fairly every step of the way! Fair for the farmers who dedicate their lives to their land, fair to the communities that rely on agriculture, fair to the planet that we live on. With Revolver being a co-operative, it means that we’re a company that’s owned and controlled by our members. Members can be anyone from the employees, suppliers or even the customers. A co-operative is owned by the people who care most, meaning that they aren’t just profit-driven but focus on the people around them. All of our members have a say in how the co-op is run and have a share in its profits. Our care for community doesn’t just stop on the business side; we wanted to make sure we put the right foot forward when establishing a business that champions fairness across the board, which is why we also boast a broad selection of Fairtrade products to ensure that our farmers and their families are also looked after.
We want our business to share the wealth and be a benefit to everyone involved, from the farmer all the way to you, the customer. When buying Revolver Fairtrade products, you’re not just getting your coffee fix; you’re supporting farmers in building stronger infrastructure and the communities that surround them. You’re helping to build a farmer-led future.