News | Eighteen Rabbit Fair Trade

News

Thank You and Merry Christmas!

by Andrew Williams | December 24, 2012 | 0 Comments

Well, here we are at Christmas Eve. We have had a fantastic few weeks getting the shop up and running in Hay on Wye and of course on our website. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to pop in and say hello, look us up online, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. The support we've had has been truly encouraging and even though it is still very early days we are looking forward to 2013 with excitement. We have now confirmed with the great people at Hay Castle that we'll be here for the next few months. We hope to have lots more stock, different ranges and suppliers, and more stories to tell you about the people behind our products. 

In the meantime we wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a relaxing New Year. Our shop is closed from the 25th - 28th December and during January and February we'll only be open Wednesday - Sunday. However we are here every day online!

Thank you all. xx

Tagged: 2013, Christmas, hay castle, hay on wye, pop up shop, website

Whisper it...

by Andrew Williams | November 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

...but our website is now up and running! Slightly circular there as if you are reading this, you already know that our website is up and running, but never mind all that. We hope you enjoy browsing the shop and like the look of some of our fabulous far trade products as much as we do. We're still doing some testing before we start making a song and dance about the site, so if you spot any deliberate mistakes or glaring grammar errors please let us know! And do sign up for our mailing list so we can keep in touch.  

Tagged: fair trade, pop up shop, website

Web update

by Louise Davies | November 21, 2012 | 0 Comments

 We're now <----this----> close to being open online - and while we're making the final few adjustments you may notice some weird comings and goings. Please bear with us while we finish polishing the bells and whistles to our virtual shopfront! 

Tagged: fair trade, hay castle, hay on wye, pop up shop

What we did on our holidays

by Louise Davies | November 13, 2012 | 0 Comments

It has been such a whirlwind since we got back from Mexico that my plan to update the blog with details of all of our travels has become slightly waylaid. Now that I have five minutes I thought I should let you know about some of the places we visited and where we found the stock we're selling in our new pop up shop in Hay on Wye. 

We started off in Xalapa, about four hours east of Mexico City. This was the home for the Hay Festival for a few days, which featured an incredible line up of literary talent, including Jeanette Winterson, Ed Vulliamy and Wole Soyinka. An incredible dry clean for our brains, and a beautiful city which we'd never visited before. 

From Xalapa we headed south to Oaxaca. When we had visited previously in 2005 we'd been disappointed - the central square was being renovated, there seemed to be loud tourists everywhere and the whole city had the air of somewhere slightly down at heel. This visit was very different. The air was clear, the people were welcoming, the food was incredible, and crucially we made two very significant contacts. One, a government run co-operative, helped groups of artisans in the surrounding towns to pool their labour and ensured they were paid a fair wage. The second was run more commercially, though still along fairly traded principles, which meant they could help with larger quantities and a clear route to get more stock when we need it. This felt like a great leap forward. 

After a quick pit stop in Mexico City we headed south again to Cuernavaca. Having lived here in the past we had a fair idea of where to go and again we managed to make contact with two or three really interesting suppliers. 

All in all it was a hugely important trip for us, and one which has allowed us to open our pop up shop with some really enticing products and a truly hand-picked range. Come and see us in Hay on Wye, or sign up to our mailing list to find out when our online store opens. 

Tagged: cuernavaca, fair trade, hay castle, hay on wye, mexico, oaxaca, pop up shop, xalapa

We're now open!

by Louise Davies | November 12, 2012 | 0 Comments

Our new pop up shop in beautiful Hay on We is now open. You can visit us Tuesday to Sunday at Hay Castle - if you get to the top of the hill you can't miss us, we're opposite the honesty bookshop. It's a bit of a toe in the water - and who knows where it will lead? - but do come and say hello if you want to see what we're up to!

Tagged: fair trade, hay castle, hay on wye, pop up shop