IT'S THE WEEKEND: Food and Drink - The Gwent businesses supporting Fairtrade Fortnight

IT’S how most of us start our mornings – a cup of tea with sugar. But do we ever think about where these things come from, and the lives of the people who make them?

That's what Fairtrade Fortnight aims to make us think about with the initiative focussing on encouraging shoppers to buy products with the Fairtrade mark which guarantees a fair deal and better conditions for farmers and producers in developing countries. It also celebrates the shops, cafés and restaurants that support the Fairtrade movement.

And Gwent is not being left out of the awareness fortnight, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and runs until March 8, with a number of businesses proudly supporting Fairtrade.

While Wales has a proud history of supporting Fairtrade, being the first Fairtrade nation, a number of towns, cities and boroughs including Newport and Monmouthshire also have Fairtrade status.

One Gwent business owner who is proud to promote her Fairtrade products is Julie Nelson, who owns The Raspberry Tearoom at Llanyrafon Manor in Cwmbran. She has Fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate on the menu.

“We think it’s important in the same way we support local businesses here, it’s important to support local businesses everywhere and we think fair trade represents that,” explained Mrs Nelson, 52.

"We offer fair trade teas, coffee and hot chocolate. Basically we make everything else from scratch.

“We support local producers in Wales, and if we can’t source from Wales then it’s from Britain, and if it’s not from Britain then it's Fairtrade.

“It supports better lives for people and it’s not explosive. “We try to do that on a local level also, our business is very waste aware - we have a green policy as well.”

“It’s much easier to do Fairtrade now than it was in the past, even big brands do Fairtrade products now.

“There's no difference in the quality of the product - there’s no reason not to do it.”

Other Gwent Fairtrade business people are Elizabeth and Barry Chantler who set up their eponymous brand Chantler Teas in Abergavenny three and a half years ago under the Fairtrade banner.

They now offer around 60 different types of high-quality loose leaf and herbal teas from around the world.

All of their teas have been bought from small, privately owned plantations who are either Fairtrade and/or part of the Ethical Tea Partnership, ensuring the highest possible standards for estate owners and workers alike.

“All of our teas are ethically sourced from around the world, from small estates who are members of the Ethical Tea Partnership. They are among the top 20 per cent of the finest and best quality tea produced by that country,” explained Mrs Chantler.

“We said from the beginning that was very important to us – our tea must be ethical and of the finest quality.”

“When we set up Chantler Teas it was with the intention to support Fairtrade because we like the idea that workers will be fairly treated as well as being well paid.”

The couple also travelled to Sri Lanka last year to visit the plantation where they source their tea.

Mrs Chantler said: “It was nice to meet the workers and to see them happy working in the fields.”

“The whole ethos of it being Fairtrade means that the tea is high quality.”

“It is not mass-produced and all hand-picked.”

“All our Indian teas; including Darjeeling and Assam are Fairtrade.”

The couple also blend their own teas, each with a Welsh theme. These include Abergavenny Gold, Brecon Breakfast, Welsh Afternoon, Welsh Hedgerow and Sugarloaf Silver, as well as a new Welsh Dragon range.

TheWelsh Dragon range includes: Red Dragon, a strong tea blended from Indian and Ceylon teas; Green Dragon, a green tea with lemongrass and ginger; Black Dragon, a strong breakfast tea blend; Spicy Dragon, a special version of a spiced chai; Smoky Dragon, their version of a Russian Caravan using top quality China teas; and Gold Dragon, a premium blend of Indian and China tea with the added touch of Marigold petals.

The couple aim to educate people about the variety and quality of teas available.

“We do try and keep our prices down because we want to encourage people to buy good quality," added Mrs Chantler.

And Chantler Teas is not the only Monmouthshire business supporting Fairtrade as Monmouthshire council recently announced its application of renewal for Fairtrade status had been approved.

The county has enjoyed Fairtrade status since 2008 and to achieve this accolade the council had to demonstrate it is using and making Fairtrade products available, as well as helping the four very active Fairtrade Town groups in Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk to spread the word. The council must apply to renew its status every two years and much is involved in making Monmouthshire a Fairtrade county.

Fairtrade Fortnight events have also been taking place in the borough as part of this including in Chepstow where a tea party was held at the Methodist Church.

Members of the Chepstow Fairtrade Forum also regularly visit schools to talk about the value of the Fairtrade movement, emphasising how the movement seeks to promote fairer deals for producers around the world

And the forum’s chairwoman Tanya White said that the quality of Fairtrade products has improved recently.

Councillor Phil Hobson, Monmouthshire cabinet member responsible for sustainability, added: “We want to promote Fairtrade wherever we can, and we will be using events, including the Monmouthshire and District Eisteddfod in 2016, to help spread the Fairtrade message to an even wider audience.”

For more information on the businesses featured visit http://raspberrycatering.co.uk and www.chantlerteas.co.uk

l The Fairtrade brand has been working to support the workers and producers that bring us the some of our favourite products- from coffee to cocoa, raising awareness and working to improve the deal for farmers and producers in the developing world.

The fairtrade mark you see on packaging represents five core standards: fair prices, extra income to help producers improve their standard of life, respect for the environment, a stronger position for local producers in world markets, and a closer link between producers of a product and its consumers.

The brand has grown massively over the years, now found in local shops and major chains. But according to the Fairtrade Foundation website: “there is still a long way to go to make all trade fair – just 1.2 per cent of cocoa and less than 10 per cent of tea globally is traded on Fairtrade terms.”

For more information visit www.fairtrade.org.uk