Fairtrade
What is Fairtrade?
The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent certification label awarded to products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers get a better deal.
What is the Fairtrade Foundation?
The Fairtrade Foundation is a charitable organization established in 1992 responsible for licensing the FAIRTRADE Mark and raising consumer awareness of Fairtrade.
The first Fairtrade label was launched in Holland in 1988 in response to the collapse of the world coffee price, which fell for some years to far less than the cost of production, and led to much suffering for coffee farmers and their families. There are now Fairtrade labels in 90 countries, co-ordinated by Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO).
The need for Fairtrade.
Millions of farmers depend on selling their crops to survive. This is, however, a risky business – when prices drop it can spell disaster. If they earn less than it costs to run the farm, they face real hardship – struggling to buy food or keep their children in school. Ultimately they may lose their land and their livelihood.
The main objective of Fairtrade is to increase producer incomes. This is achieved by a payment of guaranteed fair price and by reducing the number of intermediaries in the supply chain so that growers get a larger share of the export price.
The Fairtrade minimum price is calculated to cover the costs of sustainable production and a sustainable livelihood. All stakeholders, including producers and traders, are consulted in the price-setting process. There is an additional premium for investment in social, commercial or environmental projects.
The Ehrmanns Fairtrade Story
Ehrmanns became one of the first Fairtrade wine importers from the moment Fairtrade standards were introduced for wine grapes in early 2004. At this time Ehrmanns represented Vinos Los Robles Cooperative in Curico, Chile, the first winery in South America to be Fairtrade accredited and only the second winery to be accredited in the world – the first Fairtrade accredited winery was Thandi in Elgin, South Africa.
Following Los Robles accreditation Ehrmanns and Los Robles brought the Fairtrade message to the UK wine market and quickly gained good distribution for the Los Robles brand. A broad range of Fairtrade wines were also supplied by Ehrmanns and Los Robles to the Coop for their Own Label Fairtrade range.
Further to a highly successful first year in 2005, including a high profile PR campaign and producer tour during Fairtrade Fortnight (Feb/March 2005). Ehrmanns made the decision to increase its commitment to Fairtrade and bring more Fairtrade wines to the UK consumer.
In 2005, Ehrmanns signed up a further Fairtrade winery, Stellar Organics, based in the Olifant’s River region of South Africa and began the marketing and distribution of Stellar in the UK.
This was hugely successful, with listings immediately achieved in Carlsberg UK, Sainsbury’s and Asda.
Stellar joined Ehrmanns now established annual producer tour for Fairtrade Fortnight in 2006, the highlight of which was Maria Malan, Stellar Organics Farm Manager’s interview on ITV’s lunchtime London news.
In September 2007 another Fairtrade producer joined Ehrmanns, this time from Argentina,
The Soluna range of Premium Malbec 05 and Premium Organic Malbec 05 were the first ever premium Fairtrade wines (retailing at around £10) to be launched in the UK and have gone some way to elevating perceptions of Fairtrade wine category and raising awareness of the high standard of wines available.
In January 2009, following the collapse of Los Robles ( mainly due the exchange rate fluctuations in Chile ) Ehrmanns made an agreement with The Consorcio Vinicola de Chile ( CVC ), an association grouping 4 producers groups from the Valle Central. We gained listings almost straight away in both the Multiple Grocers and the On trade sectors.
Our latest addition to our Fairtrade portfolio is the Freeminer Organic and fair-trade certified ale. This was added to our Ehrmanns Independent Selection portfolio in 2010 and has received great response from our customers.
The Fairtrade Wine Committee
The UK Fairtrade Wine Committee was formed in 2006 with the aim of raising awareness within the UK wine trade and most importantly with the consumer. The committee is made up of licensees representing Fairtrade wines in the UK.
The Fairtrade Wine Tasting
This consumer and trade tasting was first launched in 2007 at Vinopolis.
Originally hosted by celebrity Fairtrade wine supporter, Oz Clarke this tasting has since become an annual event and is now a key part of an ongoing strategy to raise awareness of the quality and breadth of range of Fairtrade wines available, as well as the benefits of Fairtrade to the disadvantaged growers and their local communities.
Each year the range of wines showcased at the tasting increases substantially, illustrating the ever increasing demand for Fairtrade goods, and the buoyant market that exists in the UK today. The next Fairtrade Wine Tasting will take place on the 21st of October 2010 at the Fairtrade Foundation head office.
The Fairtrade Fortnight
Fairtrade Fortnight is the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign to raise awareness of Fairtrade and it takes place in the last week of February and the 1st week of March each year. To contribute, each year Ehrmanns arranges a producer trade and press tour in partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation to help raise awareness of Fairtrade Wine. This is a chance for the producers to draw attention to the plight of the poorer members of the wine producing communities and how Fairtrade significantly improves their lives. To date extensive press coverage has been achieved and the profile of Fairtrade wine continues to grow.
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