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Oxfam shop named fair trader of Australia
[Tue 10/05/2011 03:02:26]
The new body is an initiative of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ). It assesses organisations against a set of criteria and offers branding to help consumers recognise businesses that use ethical principles in order to help marginalised producers in developing countries.
The accreditation comes after the organisation launched a new wholesale channel and began to sell its organic coffee brand Oxfam Fair in all Coles and Woolworth stores and selected independent supermarkets.
Director of trading at Oxfam, Nadine Silverberg welcome’s the fair trade accreditation.
“"Oxfam Shop is delighted to have been recognised as one of the first fair traders of Australia,” she says.
"Fair trade is at the heart of what we do: Oxfam's shops sell fair trade items from more than 60 fair trade producer groups in around 30 countries and through our trading relationships with these groups of farmers and artisans, we help to improve the livelihoods of thousands of producers and their communities.
"Choosing to buy fair trade items is an easy way for Australians to help make a real difference to the lives of families in developing countries," Silverberg says.
 The Fair Traders of Australia credit comes as Sri Lankan tea producer Senarath Yatigammana from Bio Foods visits Australia for Fairtrade Fortnight.
He has been producing fair trade tea for 16 years, before the concept was created. Bio Foods now also produces spice and coconut products under the same principles.
In the past 10 years the number of fair trade organisations in Sri Lanka has grown to six and Yatigammana says farmers are catching onto the concept quickly.
“In Sri Lanka the biggest problem is the raw materials price. That means if some farmers produce something, there is no big market,” he explains.
“Collectors get their product from farmers, then the collector sells to the bigger collector and then the big collector sells the product to the exporter or processing agent, therefore the farmer gets little amount of money for his products.
“With our concept, we are selling them the minimum price and that means always higher than the market price. Most of the farmers are working with us and day by day they are getting about this concept and join with us.”
Yatigammana says fair trade is also becoming more popular with Australian consumers with sales of fair trade tea hitting 80 per cent of every 100kg, up from 50 per cent. This year it’s hoped sales will reach over 90 per cent.
But for any customers who are yet to take up the concept, Yatigammana says they should know buying a fair trade product goes a long way to helping others.
“If somebody [is considering] buying a fair trade product they should think even though it’s a little expensive, that extra money definitely goes to the sustainable development of farmers and farmers’ societies and… they are helping to develop a better world,” he says.
Oxfam shop is Australia’s leading fair trade retailer, which sells a range of hand-crafted homewares and food online and in its 19 stores.
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Oxfam Shop 
