Blog

Easter is a time of hope, the coming of spring… and lots of chocolate. But have you ever wondered where that chocolate comes from?

Many cocoa farmers earn very little for their hard work. Behind the chocolate on many shelves are stories of poverty, exploitation, and child labour. Unfair wages and unsafe working conditions are still common in the cocoa industry, and harmful farming practices often lead to deforestation and environmental damage.

Choosing fair trade chocolate makes a real difference.

Chocolate is a treat, but behind many chocolate brands lies a bitter truth: the cocoa industry is built on poverty and exploitation.

Many cocoa farmers earn poverty wages and child labour is widespread. Some children are forced to work in dangerous conditions, cutting cocoa pods with machetes instead of going to school.

Tony’s Chocolonely is here to change that.

Have you ever heard of the Dalit community of India before? If not, you most likely would have heard of the “untouchables”.  Dalit is a Sanskrit word which translates as “oppressed” or “downtrodden” and is used to address the untouchables in India. These people hold the lowest status in the Indian caste system which means they are alienated from the rest of society and live in the poorest conditions. At present, there are around 250 million Dalit people facing these injustices.

To celebrate International Women’s Day we wanted to highlight the work of Mercy Imondi of the Mahalir Aran Trust in Southern India. Mahalir Aran meaning "Women's Fortress,” offers a safe home to over 100 vulnerable women and children, along with food, healthcare, education, plus training and employment opportunities.

Fairtrade Fortnight. Why fair trade matters more than ever.

Why it is so important that cocoa farmers are paid a fare and guaranteed price for their produce in order to to cover basic living costs. Also discusses how vulnerable the farmers are who grow these products are to the global climate changes, drought followed by flooding. The longer term choices the family may have to make to survive.

The positive effects and opportunities that the fair trade movement enables to such farmers.

We think it’s never too soon to start learning about fair trade! We're keen to develop our outreach work and would love to hear from any groups who are interested in hosting a Fairtrade workshop. We can tailor our sessions to suit different age ranges, including adults, and to particular areas of interest such as rights & responsibilities, choices & consequences, climate justice and sustainability. 

‘We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.’  Zero waste chef Anne-Marie Bonneau.

We were delighted to welcome so many people to our screenings of The True Cost documentary on Wednesday 13th October in Harrogate. We received a lo...

Walk all or part of the way to school on Friday 8th October for #walktoschoolday and be part of the change we need to protect our planet!

Join the Fashion Revolution! Harrogate Fair Trade Shop and Oxfam are hosting a FREE FILM EVENT on Wednesday 13th October. There will be two screeni...

Do you ever wonder about the origin of the names on some of our products? Some of you may be familiar with 'Namaste', the Indian greeting, but how...