Browsing: Fair trade

11th May 2013 is World Fair Trade Day

Today is World Fair Trade Day – a day when we celebrate the contribution that fair trade producers, importers, retailers and consumers are making to changing the very rules of trade. Rules which are stacked against the poorest people around the world. Rules that often leave them in abject poverty despite working long hours, in sometimes terrible conditions. Fair Trade seeks to redress that imbalance. Fair Trade is a movement to empower those who have little power in the world’s supply chains.

The terrible tragedy that occurred just outside Dhaka in Bangladesh reminds us of what happens when we put cheap prices ahead of treating people with dignity and respect. With more than 1000 people now confirmed dead, it is difficult to comprehend that there is a direct link between our cheap cloths and this unprecedented tragedy. While many bigger businesses now need to give serious and urgent consideration to their supply chains, you can buy confidently from fair trade suppliers knowing that they already are putting people first.

So what are we going to do from today onwards to make the world a fairer place?

Read the rest of World Fair Trade Day – What are we doing to make the world a better place? »

Each year around this time we celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, a time where everyone can do what they can to spread the word about Fairtrade.

It has remained at the centre of what we do at Ethical Superstore since we started out in 2005. Whilst also offering a range of other ‘ethics’ by which we select and support the products we sell, Fairtrade has, by far, the strongest and most increasing presence not only in our own product range but also more and more on the high street.

Read the rest of Fairtrade?… Fair Point »

So Easter is coming and one of the great traditions of Easter is the Hot Cross Bun. I have never made them before so I decided I would have ago this year. The Hot Cross bun is a celebration food that celebrates the end of Lent and piles in all the things you may have given up for the last seven weeks. Made from a heavily spiced dough, the bun is laden with rich fruit. A delicious treat – and one we shouldn’t eat too often!

Hot Cross buns cooling in Andy's Kitchen

So with apologies to Nigella and Felicity Cloake of the Guardian who’s recipes I have butchered here is the official Ethical Superstore guide to making your own Ethical Hot Cross Bun.

Ingredients

200ml milk
¼ tsp powdered nutmeg
½ tsp powdered Suma Organic and Fairtrade cinnamon
¼ tsp powdered mixed spice
Pinch of saffron
7g of powdered “easy bake” yeast (or Doves Farm quick yeast)
50g golden Traidcraft Fairtrade caster sugar
450g Doves Farm organic strong white flour
100g butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
3 eggs
150g Suma Organic currants
50g mixed peel
3 tbsp Doves Farm organic plain flour 

Cooking time: In total this is going to take four hours and for the best flavour prepare the spicy milk the day before.

1. Heat 200ml milk gently in a pan along with the cinnamon,  nutmeg and mixed spice until just boiling. Set aside, preferably overnight.

2. Next day warm the milk to body temperature and then add yeast and 1 tsp sugar.

3. Mix the flour and  butter in a large bowl and rub together until well mixed.

4. Add the rest of the sugar, the salt and ginger.

5. Beat together two of the eggs and add with the yeast mixture to the flour\butter mixture. Stir in, adding enough milk to make a soft dough.

6. Place on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

7. Cover and leave in a warm place for  a couple of hours until it has doubled in size.

8. Place back on a floured surface and knead for a minute or so. Flatten it out and scatter over the fruit and peel. Knead again to spread the fruit around evenly.

9. Divide into 16 equal pieces and roll these into round, bun shapes. Put on If you care grease proof paper lined baking trays and mark a cross on the top of each one. Cover and put in a warm place until doubled in size (again!).

10. Set the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and beat together an egg with a little milk. Mix the plain flour,  a pinch of salt and enough cold water to make a stiff paste. Paint the top of each bun with egg wash, and then draw a thick cross where you scored the cross on each bun.

11. Put into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until golden.

12. Meanwhile, mix 1 tbsp caster sugar with 1 tbsp boiling water. When the buns come out of the oven, brush them with this before transferring to a rack to cool.

13. Eat with lots of butter, lots of friends and lots of chat of how to make the world a better place.

Have fun and have  a great Easter. Once consumed on Easter Sunday you will a strenuous Easter Egg hunt to burn off the calories. Make sure you have lots of Divine Easter eggs well hidden around your garden!

The Fairtrade Foundation’s annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign commences 27th February and runs until 11th March when UK consumers are being encouraged to “Take a Step” to expand their support of Fairtrade products.

Ashish Deo, commercial director at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “Throughout 2012 the Fairtrade Foundation wants to bring the nation a step closer to understanding that by taking a small step, like buying a Fairtrade product, they can help make a big change to the lives of farmers in the developing world.’”

Read the rest of Fairtrade Fortnight – Take a Giant Step »

It’s April 2009, and I’m saying goodbye to a cushy job as a creative marketing manager for a games firm; the recession having swung its deathly scythe at this industry, particularly anywhere more than a mile and a half outside London. So, having been given my marching orders, I hastily put together my portfolio and CV (or if you’re a recruiter reading this – painstakingly hand-crafted my portfolio and CV) and set sail on the seas of recruitment.

Read the rest of Fair Trade – is it a load of old rubbish? »

Take a tropical island paradise, a flourishing cocoa producer and a group of people determined to improve the lives of others and you get Cafédirect’s empowering story of its involvement with the people of Saõ Tomé & Principe.

Read the rest of Saõ Tomé’s Story »

It’s Fairtrade Fortnight!

Our friends at The Fairtrade Foundation are launching their annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign this week. We’re really looking forward to a couple of weeks of events and publicity to raise awareness of this brilliant campaign, and we hope you are too.

Read the rest of Hunting for Bunting Competition »

We hear so many brilliant stories of the wonderful people we work with we want to tell you about them all! From individual producers in remote locations to co-operatives that are helping to transform whole countries, there is a story to go with the product.

Read the rest of Ines’ Story »

Everyone loves a good story, and here at EthicalSuperstore we love telling you about some of the amazing producers, cooperatives and suppliers that we work with.

Read the rest of Sarale’s story »

Fair Trees

One of my favourite events in the lead up to Christmas has got to be decorating the Christmas tree.  Christmas shopping can prove stressful (although much easier online!), coordinating relatives can be tricky, and planning food can be a nightmare, but decking out the Christmas Tree with my favourite Christmas decorations has always been a real treat for me.

Read the rest of Fair Trade Christmas Trees delivered to your door! »