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Fair Trade Facts (March, 2006)

Related pages: Millennium Development Goal 8: Aid, Trade, Growth | White paper speech on growth and poverty reduction (19 Jan, 2006) | Back to Fair Trade Fortnight 2006


Fair trade images - oranges, chocolate, bananas, coffeeBetween 2002-2007 DFID has given more than £1 million to the External link, opens in new windowFairtrade Foundation to help it promote and extend its Fairtrade mark, now on over 1500 products in the UK, including Divine chocolate bars.

The UK government itself is a strong supporter of fair trade products. They help farmers and other producers earn a decent living and get more of the final value of their product.

Many government departments, including DFID, use fair-trade tea and coffee. DFID supports fair-trade certification. Why don't we do more to support the Fair Trade Foundation?

Below are some key facts about Fair Trade, our support, and how the Fair Trade brand works.

  • If a product carries the Fairtrade mark it means a farmer or producer in the developing world will receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production and an extra premium that is invested in the local community. It allows individuals and communities to earn their way out of poverty
  • Sales of Fairtrade-certified products increased from £140 million in 2004 to £195 million in 2005 and are predicted to grow again this year
  • DFID has supported the development of the successful Divine range of Fairtrade chocolate bars, which are made from Ghanaian cocoa beans
  • DFID, Comic Relief, the Body Shop and others gave money and advice to Ghanaian cocoa producers co-operative Kuapa Kokoo to set up and expand their business including the launch of their own chocolate marketing company, The Day Chocolate Company, which promotes the chocolate to UK consumers.
  • DFID guaranteed the £400,000 loan that set up The Day Chocolate Company. The guarantee included an innovative provision that gave the farmers a 33 per cent share in Day Chocolate, so that they would have a say in how Divine was sold, and receive a share of the profits.
  • The farmers are paid a premium price for the cocoa they grow. The premium is invested in community-agreed projects to improve living and working conditions, like building schools, corn mills and supplying clean water.
  • The Day Chocolate Company earned over £7 million in 2005 - this represents a 35 per cent increase year on year.
  • 1 out of every 14 bars of premium dark chocolate bought in the UK is sold under the Divine brand.
  • In 2004 the amount of cocoa beans bought from Kuapa at the Fairtrade price more than doubled year on year to 750 tonnes, giving the cooperative $112,500 of social premium in 2005 to invest in their farms and communities.