Blog

Pachamama has been working alongside local artisans in Nepal for 30 years, creating colourful, characterful, ethical woollen clothing and accessori...

Peppery olive oil, caramelly Medjoul dates and sweet, crunchy almonds - tantalising tastes from Palestine that are fair trade, organic, high quality and utterly delicious, grown using traditional methods on land farmed for generations by the same families.

Farming the land has become harder and harder as the situation in the West Bank deteriorates. Access to water is heavily restricted by the Israeli government, olive trees are uprooted and crops burned. Increasingly strict restrictions on travel mean accessing fields to tend to crops or getting to the factory to pack produce for export is increasingly difficult. A regular army presence alongside armed illegal settlers threaten lives, homes and land. Harvest, normally a time of celebration, is marked by an increase in violence and sometimes the confiscation of crops. 

Plastic is a big problem, especially in our oceans. Ocean plastic acts as a sponge for chemical pollutants, entering first the food chain and then our bodies. It upsets delicate ecosystems and marine life. Every year Leatherback Turtles travel to British waters looking for their favourite food - jellyfish. Unfortunately, those flimsy plastic bags look a lot like jellyfish to a turtle….

Living with a disability in Kenya can be really difficult. There is no government funding for those with disabilities, so employment is essential to avoid relying on begging as the main source of income. But in Mombassa, Kenya’s second city, a social enterprise that has been running for over 50 years has made a real impact on the lives of the disabled people it was set up to help. 

The Bombolulu Workshop and Cultural Centre is a really vital and life affirming enterprise. It offers not only vocational training and secure employment, but also on-site housing so people don’t have to travel too far to work. There’s also healthcare provision, a nursery and a playing ground for children. 

It’s important for us as consumers to be mindful of where our food comes from and fair trade foods with a traceable provenance are a great way to make sure we know what we’re getting. ‘Mama Buci’ honey stocked in Harrogate Fair Trade Shop is the real deal! It’s pure honey made by wild African bees from the Zambian Miombo forests, collected in specially designed and hand-built top-bar hives which hang in the trees. Education is key for the enterprise, encouraging more sustainable ways of working with the land; and profits go back into helping more families acquire beehives as well as supporting local communities.

We just love recycled products at Harrogate Fair Trade! With some products it’s impossible to tell until you read the label, while others wear their recycled heart on their sleeve. Zuri Design cards, made in Uganda from locally sourced pineapple tops, elephant grass and banana fibre, are definitely one of those. 

Why the future of chocolate Is becoming uncertain

How easy it is to buy chocolate without giving much thought to where it comes from! For many people it’s just a little treat added to the weekly shop. Yet the choices we make today will impact the sustainability of cocoa farming in the years to come, including whether chocolate itself remains affordable. 

 A Fair Trade partnership that values people, materials and time. After harvesting the fruit, banana plants have to be cut back so that they regrow...

 This Christmas, Dalit candles bring light into your home and hope to the communities who made them. In December, many of us find comfort in small ...

Stars that bring people together.

In India, paper stars are hung for every kind of celebration: Diwali, Christmas, Eid. The same symbol shines across faiths and communities, a joyful reminder that light transcends religion, culture and geography. The same handmade stars that illuminate homes in Jaipur also hang in Scandinavian windows and glow from Christmas markets across Europe. Wherever they shine, they tell a story of connection.

Each star is handmade in Northern India through a long-standing fair trade partnership built on equality, trust and friendship. Paper Starlights is co-owned by British and Indian families who have worked side by side for almost thirty years. Their collaboration is rooted in mutual respect, shared responsibility and the belief that fair trade is about people first.

Across the world, more than 42 million people have been forced from their homes. Families leave behind not only their houses and possessions, but also their livelihoods and their sense of belonging. Many of those displaced are highly skilled makers — weavers, embroiderers, felters, woodcarvers — whose talents risk being lost to exile.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), working with the World Fair Trade Organisation, has created MADE51, a global initiative to bring refugee craftsmanship to an international market. It’s a powerful idea: rather than depending solely on aid, refugees can use their skills to earn an income, regain pride and dignity, and contribute to the communities where they now live. Working together in a supportive environment and using skills from their homeland helps them to heal from trauma. 

Burkina Faso in West Africa has more than its fair share of problems. Regional violence has spilled over from the north and brought refugees with it. It’s seen as a risky country to invest in, making it hard create the changes it needs. 

Swiss fairtrade company Gebana thinks differently. Their mission is to “change global trade in favour of family farmers, local economies and the environment” and this means facing risks head on. They’ve worked in Bobo-Dioulasso in the south west of the country for over 20 years, creating close links with farmers, buying directly from them and giving them a share of the profits. 

Gebana has also built a factory there, where mango is dried and cashews are processed - another way of investing in the people of the country by creating jobs, rather than just shipping the raw product straight out of the country.