by Andrew Williams |
July 18, 2014
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They may be sugary and bad for your teeth, but most of us enjoy a fizzy drink every now and then. Whether it's coke, diet coke, or the true drink of champions - Irn Bru - a chilled can of something refreshing is the taste of summer.
When we were running our Coffee on the Cobbles Cafe over the Hay Festival, we were delighted to be able to stock Ubuntu Cola, the UK's first Fairtrade certified cola drink. I have to say I tried a few and I think they are delicious - none of the bitter aftertaste you associate with some inferior brands.
Now there's competition for Ubuntu in the shape of Kiwi upstarts Karma Cola. Their Fairtrade, organic flavours include a cola, lemonade and a ginger drink. We haven't had a chance to sample them in person yet, but the signs are good - they've just won the International Fair Trade Trader Award at the International Fairtrade Awards (try saying that in a hurry) in Bonn.
We love Ubuntu but in a market where we hope to see Fairtrade going mainstream it's good to see some healthy competition. Try both and decide for yourself!
Tagged:
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade,
karma cola,
ubuntu cola
by Andrew Williams |
July 17, 2014
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Growing up on the outskirts of Edinburgh, no trip into town was complete without a wander past the floral clock in Princes Street Gardens. I'm sure many towns have these, but there was always something special about this colourful timepiece in the heart of such a great and ancient city. Edinburgh was the first place to have a floral clock - the current one was commissioned in 1903.
Imagine my delight then to see that the floral clock has gone Fairtrade! This is to celebrate Edinburgh's ten years as a Fairtrade city. It almost makes me nostalgic for Auld Reekie... and then I remember the walk into work on a rainy, windy, February morning. Lovely place in the summer though!
Well done to Scotmid who acted as one of the sponsors of the clock.
Tagged:
edinburgh,
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade,
floral clock
by Andrew Williams |
July 05, 2014
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*UPDATE*: On Twitter, @rmelling1 is suggesting that the SCB bananas pictured could in fact be Fairtrade - whcih would be a relief. Though eyebrows will still be raised as the SCB website shows their Fairtrade bananas seem to be clearly labelled as such...
The Co-op, as we know, was the first UK supermarket to stock only Fairtrade bananas. This was thrown into sharp focus during Fairtrade Fortnight as the "Stick With Foncho" campaign looked at banana trading between the UK and the rest of the world.
So why has blogger Jessica Warrey found what seem to be non-Fairtrade bananas in her local Co-op? And why won't the Co-op respond?
Tagged:
bananas,
cooperative,
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade
by Louise Davies |
June 24, 2014
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We've just had an amazing delivery of new necklaces from the Philippines. These intricate designs are more like pieces of art than jewellery. All of the pieces are made by a co-operative in the Philippines who design and produce high quality jewellery and fashion accessories; employing fair trade principles and using natural and sustainable materials.
We currently have four designs in stock, which we have named after areas of the surrounding countries - we hope these incredible, exotic pieces will capture your imagination and transport you to sunnier shores!
Tagged:
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade,
hay on wye,
Philippines
by Andrew Williams |
May 19, 2014
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It is nearly festival time, and Hay is gearing up for the busiest ten days of the year. From this Thursday we'll have the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts as well as How the Light Gets In on our doorsteps. A very warm welcome to everyone planning a visit to Hay over the next fortnight.
We already have some big highlights to look forward to. In our diaries so far are Billy Bragg, Carrie Fisher, Ben Watt, Toumani Diabate, Gruff Rhys, Tracey Thorn, James Lovelock, Katherine Hamnett and many more!
We'll be running a fair trade pop up cafe next to our shop at Hay Castle - we hope you'll be able to join us at Coffee on the Cobbles for a fair trade cuppa during the festival.
We wish you all an entertaining, inspiring, thought provoking and fair trade Festival!
Tagged:
2014,
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade,
hay castle,
hay festival,
hay on wye,
how the light gets in
