Fair Trade Fortnight

What is Fairtrade Fortnight?

Each year, Fairtrade supporters come together for a common goal: to celebrate the growers and producers of all our favourite Fairtrade products and ensure everyone knows what Fairtrade is all about.

Fairtrade Fortnight typically takes place over two weeks in late February and early March each year. To mark this occasion, we're proud to offer a range of Fair Trade gift boxes, packed with a choice of fair-trade tea, coffee, cocoa and sweets — a great way to treat a loved one and spread the fair-trade message in one beautifully packaged box.

There are more than 1.6 million farmers and workers supported by Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Foundation aims to empower these producers by giving them a voice and a fair wage for their labour.

When you buy products with the fair-trade mark, you support them as they work to improve lives and communities across the world. The widely-recognised Fairtrade symbol means that the ingredients (or materials) in the product have been produced by small-scale farmer organisations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards.

The standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment, payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in business or community projects.

From ethical gold to the gift of roses, there are thousands of Fairtrade-certified products available today. Cocoa remains one of the most significant focus areas for the movement — 90% of the world’s cocoa is grown on small family farms, with prime producer regions across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Côte d’Ivoire alone produces around 40% of global supply.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation, a West African cocoa farmer needs to earn a living income wage each day — yet in reality, the majority of cocoa farmers in West Africa still live in poverty. Fairtrade’s campaigns have long highlighted the role of women cocoa farmers, who make up around 23% of Fairtrade farmers, in driving change within their communities.

How can you support Fairtrade Fortnight?

You can buy Fairtrade chocolate! We stock a range of Fairtrade chocolate, including vegan options. Browse our Fair Trade Gifts collection, or the wider Fair Trade gifts page, for a full range of certified products, complete with information on where they come from.

Another way to support the cause is to organise a Fairtrade Fortnight coffee morning — a great opportunity to fundraise and showcase a wide range of Fairtrade products. Create a spread using the kinds of tea, coffee and sweet treats we stock, and add some zest with bananas and fruit juice.

The Fairtrade logo is commonly seen across many workplace cafés and kitchen cupboards, but how aware are we really of the impact of choosing fair trade? Why not make Fairtrade Fortnight your opportunity to become a more informed, conscious shopper.