MOST of us start our morning with a cup of coffee – but do we ever think of 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.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation in 2013-14, cocoa farmers earned more than £8.4 million in Fairtrade premiums and almost a quarter was invested in directly supporting farming families meet their daily needs.

Independent coffee shop Horton’s Coffee House, in Millennium Walk, Newport, is one of the businesses in Newport proudly supporting the movement.

Owner Gavin Horton buys his coffee from direct trade, which means that the coffee roasters work directly with the coffee growers. Based in Bristol, Clifton Coffee Roasters travel to coffee farms across the world – including El Salvador, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Tanzania – to deal directly with the coffee growers.

“They know exactly where the beans come from,” Mr Horton said. “The coffee is really important to us and that is why we source it very ethically.

“It is a very ethical way of doing it because the roasters themselves know where the coffee comes from.

“They don’t look at a website or buy in an open market.

“It cuts out any middle man and the supply chain is very short.”

Mr Horton said the result is a very good coffee, smooth and without leaving a very hard coffee taste.

Another Gwent trader backing Fairtrade is Mockingbird gifts, in 55A Frogmore Street, Abergavenny. They sell a mixture of fairtrade products, ranging from children’s toys to jewellery and from homeware to furniture.

Owner Ria O’Reilly said she will be putting a special window display celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight next week.

Ms O’Reilly added: “The products come from all over the place. For us, it is a win-win situation as they are very popular and they are Fairtrade, which is an added bonus.

“Lots of people have different opinions about Fairtrade but I think there are many communities and artisans that are trying their hardest in countries worse off than us, so I feel it is the least we can do.

“I feel like we are giving back.”

Ms O’Reilly said that Fairtrade is important for their store as they have become well-known for it, with her brand being that they offer something a bit different.

With Fairtrade Fortnight marking the end of the year long celebration of 10 years of being a Fairtrade Town, other events taking place in Abergavenny to mark Fairtrade Fortnight include a coffee morning on Thursday, March 1, from 10.30am at Christ Church, in North Street. They will have a Fairtrade theme and, for instance, Oxfam will be there with Fairtrade products.

A Fairtrade breakfast will be held at the Abergavenny Community Centre, in Park Street, on Friday, March 9, from 10am. They will be serving a Fairtrade breakfast and highlight the many delicious items that can be purchased ethically with a Fairtrade mark.

Another coffee morning will take place at Abergavenny Library on Saturday, March 10, from 10am.

In Chepstow, they are holding a Fairtrade Tea Party on Thursday, March 1 from 2 to 4pm in the Palmer Community Centre, High Street, in Chepstow.

Fair Trade Wales will be hosting John Joseph, the chairman of a Fairtrade and organic coffee cooperative in India between February 4 to 11.

He will be visiting the farm of Brian Bowen, the vice president of the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW), in Tredegar, on Tuesday, March 6.

Fair Trade Wales is the organisation for Fairtrade education, policy, procurement, support and campaigning in Wales.

They say they currently work with 1.6 million farmers and workers across 74 developing countries.

Ffion Storer Jones, project and communications coordinator at Fair Trade Wales, said: “With the support of Fairtrade, millions of hard working farmers and workers are earning their way out of poverty and transforming their communities.

“Thanks to the hard work of campaigners, schools, businesses, government and parliament, more people are choosing, sharing and shouting about Fairtrade in Wales, the world’s first Fair Trade Nation.”

To find out more about Mockingbird gifts, visit facebook.com/mockingbirdgifts

For more information on how to get involved with Fairtrade Fortnight, visit the Fair Trade Wales website at fairtradewales.com