WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT?

We want to change people’s buying habits. The aim is to raise awareness and encourage people to buy more Fairtrade products, and one of our strategies is to raise the visibility of Fairtrade products, not just in the fresh produce aisles, but across the board.

Fairtrade Fortnight sees the peak in sales, and has done for the last three or four years. People are interested in Fairtrade, but lack of visibility and availability are the key obstacles to purchase - when they are there and people can see them, they will buy.

The event is a springboard for all Fairtrade products. We are supporting marginalised producers so the more products sold, the more change we will bring about on the ground. To do so we have to get consumers to understand more about the supply chain, where the products are coming from and what a difference Fairtrade can make.

TELL US ABOUT THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S EVENT.

The theme we’re using this year is Change Today: Choose Fairtrade - change because we want to encourage consumers to change their shopping habits and to bring about change in countries where producers are disadvantaged. Every shopper can do this by choosing to buy Fairtrade.

There’ll be up to 10,000 events organised by our supporters in town halls, businesses, schools, universities and supermarkets.

WHAT WILL BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT?

Fairtrade producers, growers and workers will be visiting the UK to attend public events to talk about the difference Fairtrade has made in their communities. For example, an apricot producer from Pakistan and a banana farmer from St Lucia will be here to meet consumers and go to head offices to meet buyers. This will be one of the most interesting parts of the event and will help to generate connections between growers and consumers.

SEVERAL MAJOR RETAILERS HAVE ANNOUNCED COMMITMENTS TO FAIRTRADE PRODUCE RECENTLY. IS THIS TREND SET TO CONTINUE?

We have seen significant growth in the number of products that the multiples are stocking, and this is clearly a move we welcome. And I’m not just talking about bananas - Fairtrade avocados, mangoes, pears, grapes, pineapples, lemons, coconuts, other citrus and many more products are also now more widely available in stores.

A key dynamic is the extension of the availability of these products as more producers are certified as Fairtrade, which means that it’s easier for the multiples to have the products on the shelves for longer.

People buy bananas most weeks of the year and we welcome the recent commitments from Sainsbury’s to switch 100 per cent to Fairtrade, now also being followed by Waitrose, and from the Co-op to extend distribution. Together with Marks & Spencer’s decision on pineapples, these are real steps forward. There is a lot of work and investment in the supply chain to bring more Fairtrade products into the system, but this needs to be done in a sustainable way - it’s a balancing act, and we work with licensees and companies to source products that matches their category requirements.

I don’t know whether other retailers will follow, but interest from the multiples both in Fairtrade produce and other lines - coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts, the list goes on - has grown over the last two to three years. The multiples have both responded to and led that consumer demand as they decide what products go on the shelves and consumers follow that lead.

WHAT OTHER MOVES ARE BEING MADE TO INTRODUCE FAIRTRADE INTO EVERYDAY LIVING?

A lot of money is spent on food and drink outside the home so it’s a logical area for us to target. We launched a campaign for Fairtrade at Work in the autumn, and built a microsite - www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk aimed at helping workplaces through the process of switching to Fairtrade. A cheeky viral video clip has been created for viewers to pass onto their friends and colleagues. An Ipsos- MORI poll last year showed that 86 per cent of employees want their companies to be more socially responsible and introducing Fairtrade products in the workplace is one of the ways we can make this happen. Nationwide, BT, KPMG and the Salvation Army are just some of the organisations that offer Fairtrade products to employees. Hot beverages are popular, obviously, but so is fresh fruit.

WHO BUYS FAIRTRADE PRODUCE? AND HOW ARE YOU ENCOURAGING CONSUMERS TO BUT MORE?

It’s hard to place all consumers together and see them en masse. Often there’s an overlap between Fairtrade and premium or organic products, and consumers looking for one attribute might not necessarily be looking for the others. Our understanding is that people buy category first, so having Fairtrade bananas with conventional bananas and Fairtrade mangoes with mangoes, and so on, is the way forward. Our aim, for the moment, is to merchandise Fairtrade products within other lines.

HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANYONE WHO IS CYNICAL OF FAIRTRADE?

Anyone who has any questions or has doubts about Fairtrade has a rethink when they learn more about what it represents. Of course we do meet cynics, but we’ve managed to change quite a few people’s minds.

So far we have been successful in communicating our headline message - that Fairtrade means a fair price, a premium for marginalised growers and environmental sustainability - but we are working on educating consumers about the additional benefits of Fairtrade to these communities.

Fairtrade means the empowerment of farmers and workers. The farmers in the Windward Islands - the 3,000 working in associations or co-operatives - learn from each other, whether about technical capabilities, Fairtrade standards, or other ideas and initiatives. They are now respected within their communities as businessmen and businesswomen who have made a contribution to the community.

Banana farming groups are inspected on an annual basis and must pass certification audits. The Fairtrade mark gives consumers an independent guarantee that the product has been checked against our agreed standards, to give producers the better deal we promise on the label.

Consumers have been interested in Fairtrade and where their food has come from for a long time. The considerable growth that we have seen shows us that Fairtrade has quite a solid base - there is nothing to suggest that this interest is in any way just a fad.

HOW DID YOUO GET INTO FAIRTRADE?

I worked for Procter & Gamble for eight years as an account manager and in various sales roles, where I worked with the wholesale, foodservice and multiple retailers, before I joined the Fairtrade Foundation. I’ve been here for three years now.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE?

I manage a team of people and am directly responsible for food, beverage and floral products. I work with Fairtrade licensees (suppliers of Fairtrade products) and I’m responsible for our day-to-day relationship with retailers.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT?

I have been lucky enough to see the enthusiasm and the positivity of the farmers we work with in the Windward Islands and the Dominican Republic, who I’ve met individually, seen their position and the differences Fairtrade can make. We are seeing some major changes on the ground and this is a very exciting time to work for Fairtrade.

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