9 Kiwi-owned Fairtrade brands you need to get behind
Merly harvesting a cocoa pod. Image credits go to World Foodorama
"Before you've finished your breakfast this morning, you've depended on more than half the world” - Martin Luther King
Take a moment to think about the products you use every day. Your morning cup of coffee or tea, the cotton t-shirt in your wardrobe, literally anything with sugar in it. Each of these items was sourced from a different part of the globe.
Sadly, most of the people we depend on for our daily ‘must-haves’ are barely paid enough to afford basic needs for themselves and their families.
Enter Fairtrade, the most trusted and recognised certification scheme in the world.
Fairtrade is co-owned by more than 1.8 million farmers and workers who earn fairer prices, build stronger communities and have control over their futures. Easily recognised by the blue and green trademark, products with the Fairtrade Mark have met rigorous internationally agreed standards and have been independently certified.
We’re celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight (3rd -16th August 2022) with a list of incredible Fairtrade-certified brands that we’re proud to showcase on our directory. These Kiwi brands are saying ‘yes’ to a fairer future for people across the globe and the planet we all share!
PS: Scroll to the bottom to see how you can enter our Fairtrade Fortnight giveaway.
Common Good Coffee
Behind every coffee is a community of coffee growers striving to produce both the best quality coffees they can and a better future for their families. Common Good Coffee exists to support positive change in some of the poorest communities in the world.
They focus on supplying and roasting the best ethically traded coffee around. Their signature green beans are fairly traded and organically grown in countries around the world, including Ethiopia, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia.
Beyond that, they redistribute $5 from every kg of coffee sold (or used in cafes) to support community initiatives led by Joyya in Kolkata, India.
What do you love about working with Fairtrade?
Fairtrade provide great support and connection to real stories from the amazing communities that produce the products we love. They work hard to provide a rigorous and transparent certification system that we can rely on.
What does the Fairtrade certification mean to you?
The certification gives us and our customers confidence that the communities that grow the products we sell are paid fairly, get fair access to improved cash flow, and grower premiums to improve community initiatives and coffee quality. It's a simple small mark on a product that speaks volumes on the shelf.
Bennetto Natural Foods
In search of some deliciously dark and ethical chocolate? Bennetto has just what you need!
The majority of Bennetto’s cocoa is sourced from Acopagro, a Fairtrade cooperative at the base of the Amazon Jungle in Peru. This long-standing cooperative supports education, opportunities for women and reforestation in the Amazon – while perfect growing conditions produce a vibrant and naturally-fruity organic cocoa.
What do you love about working with Fairtrade?
I love the fact that Fairtrade works in three important ways that put people and their families at the front; guaranteeing better prices, decent working conditions and that farmers get to decide on their own future.
What does the Fairtrade certification mean to you?
It means being in partnership with an organisation that very much aligns with our own values as a business and personally.
Thunderpants
Good for your bum, good for the people who make your undies! Thunderpants produces cheeky and ethically made garments from Fairtrade, organic cotton.
They want their garments to improve the lives of everyone involved in the process from the cotton growers to the wearer. Every aspect of production, from how their fabric is made to the way their garments are sewn is traceable, tested and controlled for quality. In fact, you can view their entire supply chain on their website. How’s that for full transparency?
What do you love about working with Fairtrade?
At Thunderpants we love to celebrate individuality and minorities. Holding hands with Fairtrade was an obvious relationship for us. We share the same values of fairness, transparency, community, inclusivity, equality and giving back while keeping our environmental footprint as light as we can.
What does the Fairtrade certification mean to you?
Being certified by Fairtrade has allowed us to continue doing what we do best, making undies. Monitoring every aspect of cotton production is a tall ask for a small business based in rural NZ. so being Fairtrade certified helps us feel confident that we are doing the best we can to ensure all those people involved in our supply chain are treated fairly and equally while considering the environment for future generations.
Karma Drinks
Karma Drinks believes that what you drink should not only taste good but be good for the land, good for the people who grow the ingredients and as good for you as a fizzy drink can be. We couldn't agree more!
Karma Drinks sources their kola nuts directly from eight communities in the Tiwai region of Sierra Leone. They founded the Karma Cola Foundation to make sure the people who grow kola get something back from the people who drink it. Profits from all of Karma’s drinks, from juiced to kombucha, go to their non-profit in Sierra Leone which supports projects to develop infrastructure and education.
What do you love about working with Fairtrade?
Fairtrade gives us and our consumers the peace of mind that our whole supply chain is being treated fairly. In particular, the growers of our ingredients are receiving a price for their goods that allows them a sustainable living.
What does the Fairtrade certification mean to you?
Fairtrade's third-party certification gives our customers independent verification that confirms what we say we do is true.
Hamodava
This longstanding coffee company founded by the Salvation Army has practiced Fairtrade principles for 120 years without compromising on quality.
Today, Hamodava sources its coffee and cocoa from Fairtrade-certified co-operatives in Nicaragua, Columbia, and Ghana and is invested in the very same positive outcomes that fairtrade seeks for farming communities. All Hamodava products carry the fairtrade mark. This certification works to ensure that no form of modern slavery, child labour, or human trafficking exists within the supply chain.
All Good Bananas
All Good believes Fairtrade and organic shouldn’t be exceptions, they should be the rule.
All their bananas come with a Fairtrade banana certification. This ensures their farmers have a healthy working environment and a commitment to sustainability and horticultural practice that replenishes the land rather than depleting it.
By choosing All Good Bananas, money (a Fairtrade Premium) goes back into the grower community, supporting the construction of schools and a medical clinic, access to clean drinking water, fair and safe working conditions, and sustainable farming practices, no child labour and much, much more.
House of March
House of March is New Zealand’s first Fairtrade-certified luxury bedding brand.
Being Fairtrade means that they not only support but provide work opportunities for organic farmers and organic factory workers who devote their lives to crafting chemical-free cotton products.
They have full transparency in their supply chain and the companies and suppliers they work with are audited and certified by Fairtrade and carry their own certification. Sleep well knowing that you don’t need to compromise on quality, comfort and ethics!
Kōkako Coffee
Another favourite of ours is Kōkako, a Kiwi-owned and operated business that roasts exceptional Fairtrade, organic, and climate-neutral coffee.
The Fairtrade Minimum Price guarantees stability by protecting farmers from sudden price drops and unfair practices. It also enables farmers to negotiate better terms of trade and reach wider markets.
Before the pandemic, the Kōkako team took biennial visits to Papua New Guinea to meet with the farmers of their coffee and understand the needs and issues they are facing. They work with the Fairtrade system to help them discover, trial and implement new farming practices to compact the environmental changes they are dealing with.
What do you love about working with Fairtrade?
The Fairtrade team are genuinely passionate about the rights and well-being of coffee farmers and their families. After working with Fairtrade for over 13 years and travelling to multiple Fairtrade cooperatives with them across Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, we’ve been able to see this passion and knowledge first-hand. Far more than just a Minimum Price Guarantee, the work that the team do on the ground to educate farmers on quality, pest prevention, organics and coffee plant health reinforces a partnership that aligns with the values of Kōkako.
What does the Fairtrade certification mean to you?
It’s an important third-party validation that provides an independent assurance to our customers that Kōkako cares about fairness and equality. We can’t visit every cooperative and coffee farm that Kōkako purchases from so knowing that the certification is in place gives us an assurance that we are buying coffee that is part of an equitable supply chain.
Bonus: Wellington Chocolate Factory
We couldn’t end this list without a shout-out to the award-winning Wellington Chocolate Factory! WCF’s deliciously robust chocolate was the first 100% organic and fairtrade bar in New Zealand.
A number of their bean-to-bar chocolate bars carry the Fairtrade logo for cocoa, meaning that they are free of forced or child labour. Most other chocolate producers use vanilla, emulsifiers, extra cocoa butter, or other additives to change the taste and texture of their product but WCF achieves their robust flavours through bean choice and hands-on work alone.
Win some Fairtrade goodies!
To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, our incredible brand partners are giving away some Fairtrade goodies to one lucky winner!
This fair prize pack features:
- Mixed Carton 14 chocolate bars by @bennettonaturalfoods
- 1 box of Karma Cola @karmadrinksnz
- 1x bag of Better Blend @commongoodcoffeenz
- 1 apron in MCM floral @thunderpantsnz
