Peter Kent-Baguley

Lord Mayor celebrates Bhs' FAIRTRADE coffee

This afternoon, the Lord Mayor, Cllr Derek Capey, the Lady Mayoress and Ann Worthington, secretary of the City's Fairtrade group, enjoyed a mug of FAIRTRADE coffee as guests of the Bhs restaurant in Hanley. As partron of the Stoke-on-Trent Fairtrade group, the Lord Mayor was there to congratulate British Home Stores for their move to the exclusive use of FAIRTRADE coffee in its store restaurant. Faitrade tea and sugar are in the pipeline.

Like its neighbour, Marks & Spencer, that has used only FAIRTRADE tea, coffee and sugar in their store Cafes for several years now, Bhs has joined a growing band of national chain retailers, as well as local independent retailers, in their support of a better deal for producers in Third World countries.

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress are committed Fairtrade shoppers. They firmly believe that an ethical approach to our shopping, our consumption, is fundamentally important because we should not enjoy the basic things of life at the expense of other peoples' lives.

And in a nutshell, that is what FAIRTRADE guarantees: a better deal. Better medical care, better education, better housing. For millions of people, it is even, literally, the difference between life and death.

We can, each of us, in our shopping, make the difference, simply by buying goods with the FAIRTRADE logo.  

Many people still worry that only a small amount of the price we pay for FAIRTRADE goods reaches the producers. The price we pay has nothing at all to do with what the producers receive. The producers price is agreed at the beginning of the production process. It is always above the prevailing market price, and in the case of tea, coffee and sugar, for example, usually considerably above the depressed world commodity market prices. Producers therefore know at the outset what they will be paid. It is guaranteed and often in part paid in advance to help with cash flow. Furthermore, the deal lasts for several years, thus giving the producers much needed stability.

So, whether your cup of tea or coffee costs £1 or £10 (let's hope not though!) remember, that price reflects the amount of profit the retailer is making NOT the amount being paid to the producers.