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Liberation has brought the first ever Fairtrade nuts to the UK -- the perfect accompaniment to a nice bottle of Fairtrade beer. The nuts are all sourced from Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Kerala, where all of the growers receive a cut of the company's profits.
Set up by Twin Trading and Equal Exchange, Liberation can draw on the rich history of its parent companies in ethical food production, with both having played an important part in the founding of Cafedirect.
"Individual smallholder farmers face huge challenges. They can be caught in a poverty trap, attempting to cope without enough money and without a way of making positive changes to their lives," says Liberation, which promises growers a fair price for their crop, as well as a say in company decisions.
"The result is that the growers seek out the very best quality nuts because they know they are being treated fairly and with respect."
Liberation's range consists of mixed bags of cashews and peanuts, coated with four flavours: natural, lemon and chilli, smoked and salted. You can pick up a bag at Oxfam shops or online at the Ethical Superstore, but they should also start appearing in major supermarkets and health food stores early this year, so keep your eyes peeled.
03 January 2008 01:53pm
Never really thought about nuts before, I suppose you need to think about everything. I'll look out for these, thanks.
03 January 2008 11:15pm
I think selling fair trade nuts is a great idea, but it does seem a little silly only supplying them to Oxfam and some online food store that i have never heard of. Maybe if they where sold to supermarkets or even newsagents people would buy them as snacks instead of just having them as almost a novelty food that makes you look good by having the fair trade logo on it.
04 January 2008 01:34pm
Hi Luke, great idea about corner shops but the reality is its hard work getting listings when you are the new kid on the block. Oxfam and Ethical Superstore are always the first to support Fairtrade brands but other retailers need to know its worth while. Let your local stores and supermarkets know that you will buy Liberation. If the store can see consumer demand they are likely to stock it! Power to the consumer!
12 February 2008 04:33pm
Just to let you know, these products are now available in Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
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