Fairtrade fortnight

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DRINKS NEWS

BEER BRANDS IN FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

LIQUID ASSETS, DRINKS NEWS, MARCH 2007, COMMENTS

Customers were given the chance to raise a glass to Fairtrade Fortnight (February 26 – March 11) thanks to an increasing number of venues stocking approved Fairtrade products. Fairtrade cask beers have been launched for the first time by two companies – Fairplay Ale from the Freeminer brewery and William Wilberforce Freedom Ale from the Westerham brewery - and stockists will join a growing number of outlets that already offer Fairtrade tea, coffee and soft drinks to customers.

The Freeminer brewery, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, has brewed Fairplay Ale using hops from Europe, malt from the UK and finest Malawian Fairtrade Demerara sugar made from sugar cane grown by smallholders’ co-operatives in Malawi.

The Westerham Brewery’s William Wilberforce Freedom Ale (so named to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade) will be available to licensed premises in the South and is also brewed with Fairtrade Demerara sugar from Malawi.

The brands join a growing number of ethically sourced products available in UK on trade outlets.

The Orchid Group, the fifth largest managed pub retailer in the UK, is planning with Fairtrade coffee specialists Cafeology to roll-out Fairtrade coffee, hot chocolate and tea across its portfolio of 300 pubs, bars and restaurants in tandem with a multi-million pound investment strategy to “redefine the pub and leisure market”.

This switch has been successful for the Slug and Lettuce chain. Jason Danciger of the chain, which introduced Fairtrade coffee two years ago said: “We have had a significant amount of positive feedback from our consumers since we started to introduce Fairtrade coffee. This has given us invaluable brand loyalty and an opportunity to further share our passion about food and drink with our consumers. Coffee sales have increased and the quality has remained consistent. Introducing Fairtrade coffee was the right choice both morally and commercially.”

Other good Fairtrade news comes from the wine trade - via Waverley TBS, the UK’s largest drinks wholesaler. It will be listing two Fairtrade wines for the first time from May: Isabelo Semillon and Isabelo Merlot from South Africa.

The moves reflect retailers’ awareness of their customers’ growing willingness to spend money on ethically sourced products. A recent survey by Mintel said British shoppers would spend £2bn on Fairtrade, organic and locally sourced products during 2006, an increase of 62% since 2002. It also found Fairtrade to be the fastest growing of these sectors with a 265% growth since 2002 - good news for the five million farmers and their families guaranteed a fair price for their products through the scheme.

Said Jon Collins of CGA: “This is absolutely an idea of its time - it not only taps in to increased customer demand for ethical products, it also fits with the move towards goods with provenance - already commonplace for food and coffee - why not beer? There is no reason why Fairtrade beer brands (particularly bottled) should not benefit from the increased distribution seen in the world and speciality lager categories.”

From: March 2007 Issue

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