Fairtrade Fortnight Wraps Up With A Bang

May 20, 2016

Fairtrade Fortnight Wraps Up With A Bang After 1.8 Millon Coffee Lovers Join the World’s Largest Coffee Break

As Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand’s Fairtrade Fortnight wraps up, the organisation reflects on what has made this year’s campaign a success.

Last weekend the World Fairtrade Challenge united more than 1.8 million people in over 50 countries, including New Zealand, to drink more than 5.6 million cups of Fairtrade coffee to support coffee growers in their fight against climate change.

"The fantastic response to the World Fairtrade Challenge shows that coffee lovers from all walks of life want to do what they can to help coffee farmers," said Martin Hill, CEO of Fairtrade International.

"We’ve had university and school students, work colleagues, retailers, cafes and coffee producers themselves taking part in the challenge. They’ve all sent a strong message to governments and community leaders: we recognise Fairtrade as a way to support coffee farmers facing the effects of climate change."

Drinking Fairtrade certified coffee helps support farmers in developing countries who are among the hardest hit by climate change, which is leading to extreme weather, droughts, floods and crop disease. Coffee is produced in more than 70 countries by 25 million farmers and is a key source of revenue for many developing nations, so it is vitally important we help support these farmers with a fair living wage.

Coffee drinkers from all over New Zealand got involved in the challenge. The Whangarei District Council used the Fairtrade Challenge to help progress towards their goal of being New Zealand’s first Fair Trade District, meanwhile Wellington businesses got on board by educating locals with a free sustainability talk and Fairtrade coffee break through the Wellington City Council.

It isn’t just coffee that has been uniting supporters this Fairtrade Fortnight The Salvation Army spread the word by dressing up in banana suits to promote Fairtrade in the community through their kids programs; holding giveaways and fun activities at their Glen Eden family store.

Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand CEO Molly Harriss Olson, says “We’re proud of how the global World Fairtrade Challenge resonated locally with coffee-loving Kiwis, as hundreds of coffee breaks united supporters to raise a cup in support of Fairtrade farmers.”

The inaugural World Fairtrade Challenge has shown that small-scale coffee farmers are not alone in their fight against climate change, but have more than 1.8 million people supporting their efforts around the globe.

‘Together we can make a difference.’

ENDS

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