Kiwi Consumers Step-up Support for Developing Country Farmers as Fairtrade Sales Exceed $45 million
 
Estimated retail sales of Fairtrade Certified products last year rose in New Zealand by an impressive 24% on the previous year to $45.4 million, according to newly released data.
 
·         Coffee remains the biggest selling Fairtrade product with sales of $25.3m (up from $18m in 2010)

·         Chocolate is the second biggest with sales of $17.1m

·         Fairtrade bananas take a bigger share of the market with sales of $2.4m
 
Tea accounts for sales of $400,000 and other products sold included sugar, cotton clothing and sports balls. The figures are released as the country gears up for Fair Trade Fortnight (5-20 May), the theme of which is Choose Fair.
 
“The stats show that Choosing Fair is something we’ve already been doing. Once again New Zealand consumers continue to show just how fair they are in their desire to help give a fair deal to the growers of the products we can’t produce here like coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas,” says Stephen Knapp, Fairtrade ANZ CEO.
 
As swell as buying more existing products like coffee and bananas, consumers have been enjoying new products such as flavoured teas and the world’s first Fairtrade Certified ice block range.
 
“Consistently and even in times of economic downturn we’re spending more on these products and helping those in developing countries who feel the pinch in recession even more than we do. Kiwis love to buy local but when they can’t they’re making an important ethical choice to choose Fairtrade, and the effect on communities in places like Africa, Latin America and the Pacific is significant,” says Knapp.
 
New Zealanders are set to receive a personal thank you for their support by a visiting coffee farmer. Michael Toliman from the Neknasi coffee co-operative in Papua New Guinea will tour the country as part of Fair Trade Fortnight.  Although Pacific region farmers are new to Fairtrade, already around 60,000 people benefit from the fair and stable price, and extra Fairtrade Premium paid to Fairtrade farmers in PNG and Fiji.  Michael who currently works for the Coffee Industry Corporation and also sits on the Board of Directors of Neknasi as advisor, will describe the impact of Fairtrade on his community in a nationwide speaking tour.
 
In order to get more Kiwis to take up the call to action this Fair Trade Fortnight and Choose Fair, a nationwide TV ad campaign will run during the event and beyond.  Chocolate tastings will take place around the country in supermarkets, and 80 leading Countdown stores will feature a range of Fairtrade products with prominent off-location displays and eye-catching shelf wobblers. These stores will also dedicate a full page in the Countdown mailer ensuring that thousands of households nationwide know what Fairtrade products are available.
 
To make it even easier for consumers to find what they’re looking for the ‘Find Fairtrade’ facility has been launched on www.fairtrade.org.nz . Consumers can help keep this database updated in order to share details on product availability.

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