Browsing: fairtrade

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 »

One of the chief criticisms of the burgeoning eco-fashion scene has been the relative dearth of stylish options for all the fellas out there. The fact is, even the most eco conscious chap with only the vaguest interest in style can’t help but feel a little put out when a hunt for an eco-friendly t-shirt can only produce a motheaten number that looks like something from a primary school nativity.

Read the rest of In Search of Eco Fashion For Men »

Now on 5 Cafédirect products!

Maybe it’s the essential cog in your morning routine. Or it’s that impromptu heart to heart forged from that timeless ice-breaker – “Anyone for tea?”. Or perhaps you just enjoy grinding your own beans at home on a sunday afternoon. Whatever the reason, everyone appreciates the perfect time for a good cuppa.

Read the rest of Five Stars for Cafédirect! »

Here’s the next in our series of short videos from Cafédirect. Raul, one of the producers of Cafédirect’s delicious Machu Picchu coffee answers more questions on the Cocla Cooperative in Peru where he works. If you’re curious about the way that Fairtrade works, then take a peek at this short video…

Read the rest of Cafédirect Producer Tales – Cocla Cooperative in Peru »

Less than a year ago, Cadbury’s announced their first foray into the Fairtrade arena. Since then, Kit Kat have also acquired the Fairtrade mark, and despite many raised eyebrows that people have directed at them, in my opinion this can only be a good thing in the long term.

Read the rest of Going Fair Trade »

What better way to celebrate it being Friday than with a delicious bar of Fairtrade Divine Chocolate?

But the big question is – do you think about where your chocolate comes from every time you enjoy a bite..?

Read the rest of Friday Fun – Fairtrade Chocolate Tales »

When it comes to being fed, my children are fairly easily pleased. Well, obviously not all of them all of the time, but they are used to a ‘one meal fits all’ approach and have learnt to live with it. I am a functional cook, not terribly adventurous, but can be relied upon to get a hearty nutritious meal on the table most days. I shop on the basis that I will be feeding 7-8 people at each mealtime, so rarely even contemplate ready meals – heating individual meals for so many is inconvenient and the cost is prohibitive. Anyway, I’m a bit of a control freak and like to know exactly what goes into the meals I provide.

This may seem like a full-time job but to be honest, most meals on our table follow a set formula:- some kind of meat (chopped up small for the child who can’t chew meat) and whatever vegetables are to hand magically transformed into a recognisable dish by a jar of organic cooking sauce – and generally served with fair trade pasta, rice or organic noodles. Chilli, spaghetti Bolognese, stir fry, sausage pasta, sweet and sour, curry…the variations are numerous. Moreover, the advantages of such a system are endless:-

• You only use half as much meat as you would with individual portions (financially and environmentally sound)
• You can have a cupboard full of sauces and pasta, rice and noodles so that there will always be a meal to hand
• There is a great variety of organic sauces out there – check out Meridian or Seeds of Change for some ideas
• If all else fails for the vegetarian in the house (ie. If I don‘t get round to cooking him anything), he can open a tin of Free & Easy chilli or curry without going hungry
• You are in complete control of what goes in
• The jars are easily recyclable unlike the packaging of the equivalent in ready meals
• This type of meal can stretch if someone extra turns up unexpectedly or can be kept and reheated for anyone who arrives home late (and eaten up for breakfast the next day by my child who prefers leftovers for breakfast to cereal or toast)
• The fair trade and organic content of meals is considerably higher than with any other alternative
• A meal can be rustled up in ten minutes after having picked one child up from tennis and before another has to be at dancing
• There’s something very satisfying about setting two big pots of steaming food on the table and ladling it out (rather like Mummy Bear)

So there we go. Ten reasons for stocking up on cooking sauces. Call it cheating if you want. Sauces could be made from first principle, I know that. I’m no superwoman. I make compromises. Anyway, it works for us. We survive. Not much gets thrown away. My sanity is intact. No-one complains (to my face, anyway) that the food I cook is boring. At least I cook. Not that ideas for easy healthy meals with ethical ingredients for a large family would not be welcomed. Of course they would. I look forward to hearing from you and trying some new recipes out on my tribe.