true-origin-foods

17 Years of Creating Impact Through Trade. Looking Back, Moving Forward

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:37:13 GMT

From our MD, Tracy Mitchell

This week marks 17 years since Just Trading Scotland was legally registered — a milestone that feels both humbling and energising.

Today, as part of True Origin, working alongside our parent charity, True Origin Partnerships, our mission remains clear: to create true impact at origin. Together, these two parts — the trading business and the charity — enable us to build both commercial opportunity and lasting impact. Anniversaries like this aren’t just about numbers — they’re about people, partnerships, and purpose.

When we started in 2009, the world was in a very different place. The global financial crisis had shaken economies and livelihoods, smartphones were only just becoming mainstream, and platforms that now shape daily life — like WhatsApp and Instagram — were either brand new or not yet imagined. It was a moment of uncertainty, but also one that prompted new thinking about how business could work differently — and more fairly.

It’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since our parliamentary reception celebrating our first decade. Alongside the publication of our 10-year review, that moment gave us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and recognise just how far we had come. It was a celebration of a community: producers, partners, staff, board members, customers, and supporters — all connected through a shared belief that trade can be a force for good.

That belief is perhaps best seen in the lives of the people we work alongside. People like the women at Meru Herbs in Kenya where our purchases help mothers send their children to school, allow farmers to invest in their land, and keep a small rural economy alive and thriving. Where they say that our trade is telling every farmer: “Your work matters. Your traditions matter. Your future matters.”

While so much has changed over the years, what has remained constant is our purpose.

We exist to create impact through food — to build meaningful, long-term relationships with producers, and to connect those stories to customers here in the UK. That mission has not changed in 17 years. But how we deliver it continues to evolve.

As we look ahead, there is much to be excited about. We are working with incredible producer groups, developing new products, and finding fresh ways to engage our growing community of supporters. At the same time, we are learning — about what works, what doesn’t, and where we need to adapt to build something truly sustainable for the long term.

Anniversaries are also a moment to say thank you:

To our producer partners: for your resilience, skill, and trust.
To our team: for your commitment, creativity, and perseverance.
To our customers and supporters: for choosing to be part of this story, again and again.

Seventeen years in, we are not standing still. If anything, this moment feels less like a celebration of the past and more like a stepping stone towards the future — with our 20th anniversary now just three years away.

There is still so much to do — and we are grateful to be doing it together. We invite you to be part of what comes next.

Creating Impact Through Food

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:47:00 GMT

More than a food company

At True Origin, we often say that we are more than a food company.

But what does that really mean?

Today, we’re pleased to launch a new leaflet that explains — simply and clearly — how we create impact through food, and why every product we sell is part of something much bigger. Download the leaflet here .

One shared vision, two connected parts

True Origin operates as two closely connected organisations: True Origin Foods, our social enterprise business, and True Origin Partnerships, our charity. Together, we work towards a shared vision of a fairer world where trade helps unlock opportunity for producer partners and their communities.

This new leaflet focuses on the work of True Origin Foods — the trading side of our organisation — and how our commercial activities directly create positive impact at origin. Alongside this, True Origin Partnerships strengthens relationships and builds producer capacity, supporting sustainable livelihoods through project work.

Food as a force for good

Our starting point is straightforward: exceptional food can change lives when it is traded fairly.

We work directly with producer partners — many of them smallholder farmers and small-scale food producers in economically marginalised communities — to bring high-quality, ethical foods to UK consumers. But our goal isn’t just sourcing products. It is building long-term partnerships that enable producers and their communities to thrive.

Every purchase helps strengthen livelihoods, improve incomes, and create greater economic stability at origin.

A connected approach to impact

Impact doesn’t happen through one action alone. It comes from a whole system working together.

Our approach combines:

• Direct partnerships with producers, built on fairness and mutual respect

• Collaboration with like-minded organisations to widen access to ethical foods

• Growing a sustainable social enterprise, so we can increase purchases from our partners year after year

• Raising awareness, helping consumers understand the real stories behind their food

By connecting these elements, we create a cycle where business growth directly increases social impact.

Why this matters

We believe trade can be a powerful tool for justice — when it prioritises people and planet.

Through fair trade principles, we aim to:

• enhance livelihoods for farmers and producers

• strengthen long-term relationships and resilience

• expand access to ethical food choices for consumers

• empower people to make informed, values-driven purchasing decisions

In short, impact happens both at origin and here at home, through the choices we all make.

Be part of the impact

This leaflet captures how our trading model delivers impact — but more importantly, it reflects the collective effort of our producer partners, staff, customers, supporters, and collaborators who make this work possible.

If you would like to support this work, the simplest and most powerful way is to choose from our range of fairly traded food as part of your everyday shopping. Every purchase of True Origin products helps us grow demand, increase orders from our producer partners, and deepen the impact created together.

We invite you to explore the leaflet, discover our range, and buy with purpose — knowing that your food choices are helping create sustainable livelihoods and stronger communities at origin.

Because when food is traded fairly, it doesn’t just taste good — it does good too.

From Kitchen to Community: Turqle Trading

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:33:55 GMT

From Kitchen to Community: Turqle Trading, South Africa and their Partnership with True Origin

Whe n Pieter Swart and Rain Morgan founded Turqle Trading back in November 1997, they weren’t chasing trends or margins. They were responding to a reality they saw every day in South Africa: widespread unemployment, fragile livelihoods, and a trading system that often promised hope, but rarely delivered it sustainably.

Their goal was simple and quietly radical - to build a fair, sustainable food business that could make a real difference, even if it was a small one. Nearly three decades later, Turqle Trading remains a living example of what happens when good food, integrity, and long-term relationships come together, and True Origin are proud to work alongside them.

Choosing Food as a Way Forward

Before Turqle Trading, both Pieter and Rain worked in what was often called “alternative trade” well-meaning projects focused largely on crafts, driven by big hearts but constantly struggling for funding and stability. They wanted something different.

Food, they realised, was both deeply practical and deeply human. They loved cooking. They loved flavour. And they were willing to take on the steep learning curve required to turn a brilliant kitchen recipe into something that could be safely produced, consistently reproduced, and trusted by people they might never meet.

That trust still sits at the heart of everything they do.

Turqle’s products are unapologetically real. Real sweet potatoes. Real chillies. Real ginger. Real garlic. Whole spices you can see with no room for hidden nasties. Every grinder, jar, and bottle is made by people who genuinely care, and it shows.

As Pieter and Rain like to say, their products come packed with warmth, the kind only people who truly believe in what they’re doing can add .

Trading Fairly in a Changing World

The world Turqle started in no longer exists. Traditional Fair Trade as it was known 20 years ago is fading. The early supporters of the movement are aging out, while many younger consumers are under relentless pressure to buy the cheapest option at the lowest possible price. And yet, there’s hope.

Between millennials and Gen Alpha, a growing number of people are questioning endless consumption. They’re thinking about value beyond price, environmental impact, and what happens both before a product is made and long after it’s thrown away. The challenge? Expectations are broader, more complex, and different for everyone.

Turqle often faces misconceptions too, from being labelled “just middlemen” to assumptions about who should or shouldn’t be considered a “real” African producer. What those critics miss is this: doing business in South Africa requires extraordinary resilience, skill, and persistence. And Turqle has plenty of all three.

They’ve learned to run when they can, walk when they must, crawl when necessary and occasionally, as they joke, call an Uber. What keeps them going is belief: belief in their products, belief in doing the right things properly, and belief in the long-term relationships they’ve built with producers and customers alike, some stretching back nearly 30 years.

Why We Work Together

The relationship between True Origin and Turqle Trading began with simple exploratory conversations, many of them with True Origin’s founder, John Riches. What stood out immediately was a shared language of honesty, patience, and integrity.

At True Origin, we don’t believe good partnerships are rushed. Turqle didn’t either.

Trade has grown slowly, steadily, and with trust on both sides. As Turqle puts it, food is a covenant between the producer and the person who trusts them enough to eat what they make. That trust is something we value deeply, and something we work hard to protect.

True Origin isn’t just a route to market. Alongside selling food, we invest in long-term partnerships, capacity building, and resilience, sticking with producers through changing markets and unpredictable global conditions.

From Field to Table: Care at Every Step

Turqle’s product range reflects a beautifully complex supply chain. Some processes are simple and direct like harvesting salt, cleaning it, packing it, and preparing it for export. Others are intricate and exacting, especially in the spice trade, where sourcing export-quality spices that meet international standards requires deep expertise.

Some products are made directly on farms, by the same people who grow the chillies and peppers. Others like mustards, sauces, reductions, oils rely on highly skilled producers committed to excellence.

Across every product, quality and sustainability aren’t a checklist. They’re a constant practice, from ingredient sourcing and food safety, to paperwork, traceability, and relentless attention to detail. It’s hard work. And it’s work Turqle takes seriously.

What We Hope You Taste

When you choose a Turqle product through True Origin, you’re choosing more than great flavour although there’s plenty of that. You’re choosing food made by people who love what they do, who use the best ingredients they can find, and who infuse every step with hope, care, and pride.

And if Turqle had one request? Buy two. Give one away. Share something delicious with someone who could use a little joy.

Looking Ahead, Together

The landscape we all operate in is changing fast. Supply chains are fragile. Markets are unpredictable. Stability can feel elusive.

What Turqle and True Origin are working towards isn’t perfection. It’s resilience. Enough stability to absorb shocks. Enough growth to keep people employed. Enough momentum to keep doing good work, just a little better every year.

Success, for us, looks like this: Great food. Strong relationships. Producers who are proud of what they make. Customers who feel part of something bigger than a transaction.

And if, five years from now, we’re still here trading fairly, tasting great, and navigating the turbulence together we’ll be very happy indeed.

Jade and Nicola from True Origin had the pleasure of meeting Pieter, Rain, and the wider Turqle Trading team during their visit to South Africa in 2024 for the World Fair Trade Organisation Conference in Cape Town. Meeting in person was a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding of what drives both organisations, strengthen relationships, and begin shaping plans for how we can work even more closely together in the future.

From Seed to Empowerment: The Sunshine Nuts Story

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:56:57 GMT

When most people think about cashews, they picture a delicious snack. But behind every handful is an entire world of farmers, families, and communities whose futures can shift dramatically when companies choose to invest in origin. Sunshine Nut Co. was founded on the belief that great food can spark great change, and that the most powerful transformation happens closest to the source. This is the story of how a simple idea brought hope to thousands in Mozambique and created a blueprint for what ethical, origin-based business can truly look like.

A Seed of an Idea in the Heart of Mozambique

When Sunshine Nut Co. founder Don and Terri Larson moved from Pennsylvania to Mozambique in 2011, he saw a country rich in natural resources with its fertile soil, abundant sunshine, and one of the world’s best climates for cashews. But he also saw something else: Mozambique’s smallholder farmers were producing world-class cashews, yet the lack of local processing forced them into exploitative selling practices. Farmers grew a premium product but received minimal income. Communities had resources but no path toward economic independence.

Where many saw risk, Don saw potential. The cashew industry, once thriving, had collapsed due to decades of exporting raw nuts for processing elsewhere. Mozambique had become a supplier of unprocessed resources rather than a creator of finished goods meaning jobs, profits, and value were being exported too. Don believed the solution was as straightforward as it was radical: process the cashews at origin, create jobs at origin, and reinvest profits at origin.

So, the Larsons built Sunshine Nut Company using a model that turns locally grown cashews into finished products and butters in the same communities where they’re harvested and therefore creating jobs, dignity, and opportunity for the people who need it most. Forming Sunshine Nuts was never just a business decision. It was a way to combine Don’s passion for operational excellence with a purpose that would outlive him. Today, Sunshine Nut Co. roasts, packages and ships cashews and cashew nut butters directly from Mozambique, resulting in fresher flavour, a smaller carbon footprint, and life-changing impact for farmers, families, and factory workers.

Rebuilding an Industry from the Inside Out

The global cashew industry is deeply complex. Nearly 70% of the cashews imported into Europe travel from Africa to Vietnam or India for processing, raising serious concerns over prison labour, child labour, and fraudulent sourcing. Most African-grown cashews are exported raw, leaving farmers with only pennies while value and jobs shift overseas. Sunshine Nut Company was founded to break this cycle—by doing something no one expected: building a world-class cashew roasting facility in Mozambique, run almost entirely by local employees. This wasn’t charity; it was empowerment through enterprise.

From tree to table, their entire process happens in Mozambique. Smallholder farmers harvest the cashews by hand, and within hours the nuts arrive at the Sunshine Nut Co. facility for processing, roasting, seasoning, and packaging in a world-class, peanut-free environment. Finished products are shipped directly to global markets, eliminating middlemen and keeping economic value where it belongs—at the origin. This vertically integrated model reduces environmental impact, minimises waste, and creates stable employment in communities where opportunities were once scarce.

By training local workers in food safety, equipment operation, quality control, and leadership, the company built a team capable of producing some of the highest quality cashews in the world. Their eight year record of FSSC 22000 certification reflects this commitment to safety and excellence. They also invest in farmer training, orchard restoration, and long-term development, strengthening entire communities and ensuring a transparent, ethical supply chain rarely seen in the global nut industry.

Sunshine Nut Co. continues to challenge the misconception that food made in Africa is somehow lower quality. Their facility meets the highest international standards, and their cashews consistently outperform global competitors. Yet despite industry-wide hurdles, their motivation remains unwavering. Every day they witness transformation, farmers earning fair incomes, children accessing education, families regaining stability, and communities rebuilding hope. As founder Don often says, “The cashews are a vehicle for something greater; they transform people’s lives.” Though his background is in automation and robotics, his greatest joy has been turning machines off to create jobs for people.

From Profit to Purpose: A Business Model Rooted in Giving Back

What sets Sunshine Nut Co. apart is its unwavering belief that business should be a force for good. Profit was never the goal; purpose was. From the beginning, the company committed 90% of its distributed profits to uplifting communities in several ways. Their model is to pair orphaned children with a widowed house mother, build a home for them, and create a permanent family unit. Sunshine Nuts cover their education for both the children and widows, the household needs, and long-term support so they can thrive and grow up in a loving household and environment. In a country with one of the world’s highest orphan rates, Sunshine Nut Co. sought to do more than provide jobs, it aimed to build families, strengthen support systems, and give children the stability they deserve. Every customer becomes part of this mission, and their choice has a far greater impact than they may realise.

How True Origin Supports Them: Partnership Rooted in Shared Purpose

This commitment to purpose is what led Sunshine Nut Co. to partner with True Origin, a company whose mission aligns perfectly with their own in connecting customers to ethical, traceable products while building capacity at the source. Although the partnership is just beginning, it has already proven energizing. Sunshine Nut Co. feels supported by a collaborator that values both people and product, and together they’re demonstrating that world class quality and world changing impact are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

What Customers Can Do: Eat Well, Do Good

When someone opens a bag of Sunshine Nuts or Cashew Butter, the difference is immediate, the freshness, the clean flavour, the unmistakable quality that comes from producing at the source. But what the company hopes customers feel is even more meaningful, a connection to the hands and hearts behind each bag. Every purchase supports fair income for farmers, stable jobs for individuals overcoming hardship, orphan care and family restoration, reforestation through cashew tree planting, and community transformation through the Sunshine Approach Foundation. Ultimately, the true product is restored dignity. If customers could see the confidence and joy in team members who once felt forgotten but are now thriving, they would understand the profound impact of their purchase.

Transformation: What True Origin and Sunshine Nut Co. Makes Possible

Already The Sunshine Villages Project is turning communities with little to no cash income into thriving entrepreneurial economies generating nearly one million dollars annually. This model where value stays at origin and profit is reinvested locally is exactly what True Origin loves to champion. This is the power of value staying at origin, this is the power of business done right. By keeping production local, reinvesting profits, restoring families and building long term capacity, Sunshine Nut Company is amplifying the powerful message that trade can be ethical, empowering and transformative.

This is what happens when great food meets great purpose and when consumers choose to be part of a story bigger than themselves. As Don puts it, “sustainable business can restore both land and lives.” That legacy is already visible in Mozambique in the rebuilt homes, the growing incomes, and the hope returning to communities long held back by poverty and exploitation.

A Snack With a Story Worth Sharing

Every bag of Sunshine Nuts or jar of Cashew Nut Butter isn’t just a delicious snack, it’s a symbol of what business can be when compassion, innovation, and local empowerment guide every decision. Choosing Sunshine Nuts means choosing to support farmers, invest in families, fuel economic growth, and help rewrite the future of an entire industry. Because when change starts at origin, it grows far beyond it and when consumers choose products produced with integrity, they become part of that impact too. This is what happens when great food meets great purpose and when consumers choose to be part of a story bigger than themselves. It’s a model that transforms supply chains from transactional to transformational.

 Buy from True Origin and help turn everyday choices into global change.

FOOD THAT HAS TRUE IMPACT AT ORIGIN

Shop Online: www.trueoriginfoods.co.uk

Black Mamba Food - Small African Producer Creates Big Impact

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:13:54 GMT

In the lush landscapes of Eswatini, a bold idea was born - that a small African food brand could change the world, not only through unforgettable flavour, but through meaningful impact. That idea became Black Mamba Foods, a producer group rooted in regenerative farming, women’s empowerment, and the belief that business can be a force for good.

Today, Black Mamba is celebrated globally for its vibrant chilli sauces, pesto’s, condiments, and jams. But at its heart, it’s a story about people and how partnership, purpose, and traceability can transform communities. This is the journey from farm to table, and how True Origin helps make it visible to the UK.

 Flavour With Integrity

What makes Black Mamba products unique isn’t just the heat, it’s the heart. Every jar is made from organically grown chillies, herbs, fruits and produce cultivated through regenerative methods. There are no artificial additives or shortcuts (“no added nonsense,” as their labels proudly say). Everything is crafted in small batches, hand-checked, and packed with the bold, vibrant energy of Africa. But what truly sets Black Mamba apart is the impact behind each jar. Every purchase directly supports rural farmers, empowers women in the factory, and fuels a fairer, more sustainable food system.

Challenges in a Complex Industry

The world of ethical food production isn’t easy. Competing with industrial brands that prioritise low cost over fair trade, navigating the logistics of exporting from a landlocked country, and securing financing for growth are daily realities.

There are misconceptions, too. Some still assume that “made in Africa” means “low quality,” a myth Black Mamba works tirelessly to dismantle by producing premium, globally competitive products that speak for themselves.

What keeps them going? The transformation they see every day: farmers sending their children to school, communities thriving, and consumers discovering the taste of Africa with pride and excitement.

How True Origin Helps Tell Their Story

Black Mamba partnered with True Origin because of a shared belief: that consumers deserve to know where their food comes from, and producers deserve recognition. Through True Origin, the Black Mamba story reaches conscious consumers in the UK, these are people who care about authenticity, ethics, and impact. This visibility strengthens the brand and shines a light on the farmers who make everything possible.

Behind every jar of jam is a story waiting to be told. For the Black Mamba team, True Origin gives them and their farmers the chance to be seen and celebrated for the care, passion, and dedication they pour into every fruit.

From Field to Table: A Regenerative Journey

The journey of a Black Mamba product starts with smallholder farmers trained in permaculture and organic methods. No chemicals, no pesticides, just resilient, regenerative agriculture that restores soil health and supports climate-resilient livelihoods.

Once harvested, the fresh produce travels to the Black Mamba factory in Matsapha. There, a highly skilled team of mostly women transforms the ingredients into the jams, sauces and condiments loved around the world. Every jar is crafted with care, labelled by hand, and packaged using recyclable glass.

Less than 3% of waste ends up in landfill; the rest is recycled or composted. It’s a closed-loop system that prioritises safety, sustainability, and excellence backed by an FSSC22000 food safety certification.

Empowerment in Every Jar

Of all the achievements in their process, Black Mamba is most proud of the partnership between the farmers and the women in their factory. Each delivery of fresh fruit, chillies and herbs represents income, dignity, and opportunity. And when farmers see their produce transformed into products sold internationally, it’s a powerful reminder that they are part of something bigger. This is the magic Black Mamba aims to spread, one jar at a time.

 A Taste of Africa, A Taste of Purpose

When customers open a jar of Black Mamba, they’re not just tasting a condiment. They’re tasting the land, the people, and the purpose behind it. Every purchase is a conscious choice, a vote for fair trade, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment. As the Black Mamba team says: “Thank you for helping us prove that business can be a force for good.”

Growing Impact: The Future of Black Mamba

With the support of True Origin, Black Mamba is expanding its global reach while staying rooted in its values.

In the next five years, they envision a fully self-sustaining African brand that uplifts hundreds of smallholder farmers, continues to champion regenerative agriculture, and stands proudly on shelves worldwide as a symbol of ethical African excellence. Their mission is clear: Regenerate soils. Strengthen communities. Build climate resilience. And show the world that yes, Black Mamba products can change the world!

Buy from True Origin and help turn everyday choices into global change.

FOOD THAT HAS TRUE IMPACT AT ORIGIN

Shop Online: www.trueoriginfoods.co.uk

Exciting times ahead at True Origin

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:38:11 GMT

A Message from Tracy Mitchell, Managing Director, & Alistair Menzies, Chair of the Board

As we approach the end of 2025, we’ve been reflecting together on what an extraordinary (and extraordinarily challenging) year it has been for True Origin. Many of you will remember the product recall last December and the really difficult months that followed. It really tested us; our resilience, our partnerships, our operations, and yes—our optimism.

And yet, through all of it, our community of customers and supporters stayed with us. You continued to believe in what True Origin stands for and in the producers whose livelihoods depend on this mission. Thank you! Your support has meant everything as we have worked through this period of recovery and renewal.

Today, we are absolutely delighted to share some genuinely exciting news about the future. We’ve hinted at this over the course of the year and now we can share that out of the challenges of this past year, something remarkable has emerged: we are very proud to be launching two new, values-aligned producer partnerships early in 2026.

Introducing Black Mamba Foods (Eswatini) & Sunshine Nuts (Mozambique)

Black Mamba Foods (Eswatini)

Many of you will already know the incredible work Black Mamba does; creating delicious, ethically produced sauces, pesto’s, and condiments while working hand-in-hand with local smallholder farmers. Their commitment to regenerative farming, fair supply chains, and community uplift mirrors our own. When Jade and Nicola visited them in 2024 as part of their trip to the WFTO summit in South Africa they were imme diately inspired. We believe their products will bring you flavours and values that you, our customers, will love.

Sunshine Nuts (Mozambique)

Even better, Black Mamba introduced us to another exceptional partner: Sunshine Nuts, a social enterprise transforming the cashew value chain in Mozambique. Sunshine Nuts employs and empowers local people, sources directly from smallholder farmers, and reinvests a significant portion of profits into community projects. Their roasted and seasoned cashews are the best we’ve ever tasted. When I (Tracy) met some of their team in Germany in October it was genuinely one of the most inspiring trips I have ever been on.

These two producer partners open the door to entirely new stories, new flavours, and new opportunities for impact.

A Huge Team Effort

Getting to this point has been a massive undertaking.
From recipe testing and product approvals to packaging, logistics, and compliance, the True Origin team has worked tirelessly, often under intense pressure, to bring this new range to life.

We also want to recognise the phenomenal work of the producer teams in Eswatini and Mozambique. Their energy, creativity, and passion have invigorated all of us. We’ve tasted the products, spent time with the teams, and seen first-hand how much care goes into every jar, bottle, and bag. We LOVE these products, and we think you will too.

And perhaps most importantly: they reflect exactly what True Origin is about—great taste with genuine impact.

Looking Ahead: A Fresh Chapter in 2026

With our first shipment now on its way, we are finally able to look ahead with real excitement. These products will form a key part of our refreshed range for 2026.

To celebrate, we’re planning a special True Origin Live launch event provisionally on Thursday 22nd January 2026 (early evening) where we hope representatives from Black Mamba and Sunshine Nuts will introduce the new range and share more of the producer stories. Keep an eye out for details coming soon.

Thank You

This year has been hard. But it has also highlighted what makes True Origin special: our values, our partners, our team, and our supporters. Thank you for sticking with us. Thank you for believing in this work.

Here’s to a brighter, bolder, more resilient True Origin in 2026.

We can’t wait to share it with you. Please do sign up to our newsletter if you aren’t already on the circulation to be the first to know when the new products are available.

With gratitude,

Tracy Mitchell, Managing Director
Alistair Menzies, Chair of the Board

The Beer Bread That's Baking Hope in South Africa

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:55:39 GMT

If you follow the smell of warm beer bread rising in a South African kitchen, you’ll likely find a story simmering alongside it, one of heritage, hope, and a group of women determined to lift each other up. That’s the heart of Barrett’s Ridge, a small but mighty producer whose iconic beer bread mixes have travelled from one granny’s recipe book all the way to kitchens around the world.

The Challenges They Rise Above

Running a small business in South Africa is not for the faint of heart. Economic instability, cash-flow struggles, and the constant shadow of loadshedding (rolling electricity outages) mean that even a simple day of production can feel like walking a tightrope.

And while many customers imagine a bustling factory with automated lines, the reality is far more intimate: every calico bag is hand cut, hand sewn, hand packed, and hand stitched by skilled artisans who pour pride and precision into their craft.

What keeps the team going? Love, love for their country, their communities, and the belief that job creation is the key to helping South Africa thrive.

How Beer Bread Becomes a Story in a Bag

The journey of a Barrett’s Ridge beer bread mix is slow, human, and full of care. It begins with calico fabric, cut and prepped for printing. Once the designs are on, the cloth is cut again and sent to the seamstresses, who craft each bag with remarkable skill. From there, the bags travel to Ukama Contract Packing, where women pack and hand stitch each mix.

Whenever possible, raw materials are sourced from small, local businesses. Production isn’t just about a product, it’s about uplifting people, building skills, and creating opportunities. Ask the founder what she’s most proud of, and the answer is immediate: “Our seamstresses and packing partners. These are truly wonderful women who take pride in their work, and it shows in every product.”

What Customers Experience

When someone bakes a loaf of Barrett’s Ridge beer bread, the hope is that they feel something deeper than satisfaction. Yes, the loaf is delicious, crusty, warm, comforting. But there’s also pride in knowing that the purchase supports a small business, an entire community of women, and a more ethical way of eating and shopping.

Even a simple like or share on social media goes a long way for small producers like Barrett’s Ridge. As the founder says:

“Thank you. By purchasing our product, you are truly making a difference in the lives of so many.”

A Rising Future

Since partnering with True Origin, Barrett’s Ridge has expanded internationally, created more jobs, and supported more children in under resourced communities. Over the next five years, they hope to continue growing and creating more sustainable employment, empowering women, and helping local communities achieve food security.

More than anything, they hope their story inspires people to shop responsibly and ethically, thinking about where their products come from and the hands that bring them to life.

Because bread may be simple, but the impact behind it can be extraordinary.

 Buy from True Origin and help turn everyday choices into global change.

FOOD THAT HAS TRUE IMPACT AT ORIGIN

Shop Online: www.trueoriginfoods.co.uk

True Impact Starts Here - The Story of Meru Herbs

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:59:43 GMT

HOW EVERY JAR FROM TRUE ORIGIN CHANGES LIVES IN RURAL KENYA

In the rolling hills of rural Kenya, where the sun bakes the soil and water was once a distant dream, something extraordinary began in 1989 — not with a business plan, but with a simple human need: access to clean water. From that single initiative, Meru Herbs was born — a community-driven enterprise turning water into opportunity and hardship into hope.

From Water Project to a Thriving Enterprise

Back in 1991, once the community’s Water Project was established, local families asked themselves, “How do we sustain this?” The answer was both practical and powerful: create an income-generating project that could not only fund maintenance but also uplift the entire community.

That’s how Meru Herbs began producing their now-beloved herbal teas, tropical jams, and rich tomato sauces — all crafted from organic ingredients ripened under the Kenyan sun on small family run farms. From the very start, Meru Herbs aligned with Fair Trade principles , ensuring every jar and every cup of tea carried with it a story of empowerment and equity.

Empowering Women and Youth Through Fair Trade

The heart of Meru Herbs beats strongest for its people. The enterprise was built to create employment — particularly for women and rural youth and to improve the quality of life within the community. Today, many of the faces behind Meru Herbs products are women who’ve gained leadership roles, financial independence, and the ability to make decisions that shape their families' futures. Their work is not just about making products, it’s about creating dignity and opportunity .

Challenges that Strengthen, Not Stop Them

Running a social enterprise in rural Kenya hasn’t been easy. From early struggles with poor infrastructure and limited market access, to ongoing challenges securing financing and certification, every success story has been hard-won.

But through it all, Meru Herbs has stayed true to its mission — and has found a steadfast partner in True Origin , whose shared values and support have helped the cooperative grow stronger, fairer and more sustainable.

True Origin: A Partner in Purpose

Partnership isn’t just about trade; it’s about trust. Meru Herbs chose to partner with True Origin because their values align perfectly — transparency, fairness, and the belief that trade should benefit everyone involved. Through this partnership, True Origin has helped Meru Herbs achieve WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) guaranteed member status, enhance food safety standards and supported the team with practical resources, from solar lamps for staff to quality control tools that keep every jar consistent and safe. This isn’t charity — it’s collaboration . Together, they’re proving that business can be a force for good.

Crafted by Hand, Rooted in Care

At the Meru Herbs factory, farmers bring in hibiscus, tropical fruits, and tomatoes grown organically on small family plots. A team of skilled women carefully hand processes each batch, transforming the harvest into delicious jams, teas, and sauces.

Quality control is meticulous, from crop selection to final packaging, ensuring that every product reaching your kitchen is as pure, ethical, and flavourful as the community behind it. Both the Meru Herbs farm and their processing unit are organically certified, reflecting a deep respect for nature and people alike.

Every Purchase Tells a Story

When you buy Meru Herbs products from True Origin , you’re not just buying a jar of jam or a jar of sauce — you’re joining a movement. Your purchase helps mothers send their children to school, allows farmers to invest in their land, and keeps a small rural economy alive and thriving. You’re telling every farmer:

“Your work matters. Your traditions matter. Your future matters.”

As Meru Herbs likes to say: “Trade, not aid.” Giving someone a fish feeds them for a day but teaching them to fish sustains them for a lifetime. By supporting fair trade, you’re giving communities a lifeline and helping them stand tall on their own.

A Future Rooted in Growth and Hope

Thanks to True Origin’s partnership, Meru Herbs is now a member of the World Fair Trade Organization and on its way to achieving full food safety certification, a milestone that will open even more markets.

In the next five years, Meru Herbs envisions expanding from 285 to over 500 producers, e mpowering even more women and youth, and broadening their range of organic, sustainable products. Their environmental commitment runs deep, too: encouraging organic farming, embracing solar energy, and ensuring that every step forward nurtures both people and the planet.

How You Can Be Part of the Story

Every product we offer carries a story - a story of courage, community and connection. Every time you spread jam on your toast or simmer a sauce for dinner, know that your purchase has power. Every time you choose Meru Herbs through True Origin , you’re voting for a fairer world — one where trade uplifts, communities thrive, and sustainability is more than just a word. That's how you transform a routine act into an act of global solidarity.

Buy from True Origin and help turn everyday choices into global change.

FOOD THAT HAS TRUE IMPACT AT ORIGIN

Shop Online: www.trueoriginfoods.co.uk

Brew it Fair - From Campaign Coffee to True Origin Teas

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:22:37 GMT

Turning every cup into change

In a moving article for The National last Sunday, Alison Phipps — UNESCO Chair at the University of Glasgow — recalled how her journey into fair trade began as a teenager in the 1980s. At the time, the anti-Apartheid movement was in full swing, boycotts were common, and she and her family refused South African oranges and wine from exploitative vineyards.

But it wasn’t only about avoiding. Alison tells of stirring spoonfuls of the gritty “Campaign Coffee” from Traidcraft — the first fair trade instant coffee available in church stalls and local shops. It wasn’t always pleasant to drink, she admits, but it symbolised something powerful: money being directed to producers who were trying to do good, rather than to those causing harm.

That shift — from boycotting the bad to supporting the good — is at the very heart of Fairtrade Fortnight today and it is such a powerful message, full of hope and solidarity.

From Campaign Coffee to True Origin

Alison’s article highlights how far things have come since those early days. She praises the work of True Origin — now a WFTO Guaranteed social enterprise — calling us “miracle-workers” for how we source directly from smallholder farmers, create jobs here in the UK, and ensure farmers in the Global South earn a fair and reliable income.

As she puts it, this is about business practices that “support small, local, fairly waged suppliers, farmers and producers in the majority world.” It’s a joyous vision — that eating and drinking well can be part of doing good.

Brew It Fair

That’s why this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight theme, “Brew It Fair” , is so inspiring. It reminds us that behind every cup of tea are communities that deserve fairness, dignity, and opportunity.

Our Great Taste award-winning Traidcraft tea and our afternoon tea bundles are THE EASIEST way YOU can take part. They’re not just about enjoying a cuppa — they’re about making sure YOUR cup carries fairness from farm to table. Traidcraft Breakfast Blend Tea (80 tea bags) – True Origin Retail and Bundles – True Origin Retail

We have been busy taking the fair trade message out and about this Fairtrade Fortnight, including at an Africa Scotland Business Network event Home - Africa Scotland Business Network and through a joint stall with Rainbow Turtle Rainbow Turtle – Trading Fairly in Renfrewshire since 2002 at our local council offices.

Two of our board members really helped spread the word through a well-received stall at the Scotland’s International Development Alliance’s conference yesterday. Annual Conference 2025 - Scotland's International Development Alliance

A Collective Call: Do It Fair

True Origin is also proud to stand alongside over 40 UK brands and retailers — from Co-op to Greggs, Clipper, and Ben & Jerry’s — in signing the Fairtrade Foundation’s Do It Fair statement. Fairtrade Shared Statement Together, we are urging businesses and governments to ensure supply chains are transparent, just, and resilient, so that choosing fairness isn’t left only to individual consumers.

It’s about building momentum: making sure that fairness becomes the default.

Fairtrade in the Headlines

This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight has sparked conversations well beyond our own network:

The National’s piece (quoted above) reminding us that Fairtrade is about joyfully supporting the good, not just avoiding the bad. https://www.thenational.scot/politics/25500073.fairtrade-fortnight-boycotts-just-start/
The Co-op blog Choosing a Fairer Future, spotlighting True Origin as part of their Fairtrade commitment. Choosing a fairer future | Co-op Blog
Rainbow Turtle Podcast , with Kilombero rice farmer Howard Msukwa sharing how everyday food choices affect lives across Malawi. food behaviours – Rainbow Turtle
Scottish Fair Trade’s newsletter, highlighting our Christmas range and encouraging action through petitions, letters, and tea events.

Raise a Cup With Us

This Fairtrade Fortnight, let’s follow Alison’s example and Brew It Fair.

Every cup you drink can carry dignity, resilience, and hope. Fairtrade today isn’t about sacrifice — it’s about positive, delicious action. So why not make your next cuppa count?

Explore our award-winning Traidcraft tea - and our wider range – today and raise YOUR cup with us for a fairer future. Fair Food, Fine Food – True Origin Retail

True Origin LIve: Fairtrade Fortnight & Festive Preview

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:17:22 GMT

Join us for an online get together

Join us for a free inspiring evening of fair trade, festive insights, and community connections on Wednesday 10th September 6pm - 7.30pm . Hear passionate voices from across our network and get an exclusive look at what’s coming next.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - Click the button below to register.

What to expect at the event

Marie Rumsby, Director of Communications and Advocacy, from Fairtrade Foundation – Will you join us and ‘Brew it fair’ this Fairtrade Fortnight?

Louise Davies, Chief Executive, Scottish Fair Trade - Louise will review the recent International Fair Trade Towns Conference and give an update on plans for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight.

Karena Jarvie, Board Member, True Origin - Will give a short update on True Origin's Fairtrade Fortnight tea focus and the afternoon tea bundle.

Amanda Norman, CEO, The Leprosy Mission - Amanda will reflect on preparations for Christmas, why they’ve chosen to stock True Origin products, and how customers can support their wider work.

Matt Oliver, Board Member, True Origin - Matt will present a first look at our Christmas range, highlighting new lines and the stories behind them.

Tayrene Barrett, Owner, Barrett's Ridge - Tayrene will talk about Beer Bread, and the work she does within her local community.

Tracy Mitchell, Managing Director, True Origin - Tracy will share recent updates from across the organisation, followed by a message from our new Chair, Alistair Menzies, on his vision for the future.

Engage with Experts

Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with our True Origin community.

Be Part of the Change

Engage with our fair trade network, hear from partner organisations, and feel part of the movement for change.

Dignity Through Trade and Action

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:53:29 GMT

Launching Our 2024/25 Annual Report

As we reflect on the past year, we’re proud to share our 2024/25 Annual Report — a testament to the continued strength of fair trade partnerships, community support, and the unwavering resilience of producers around the world – and of our staff team.

“Dignity Through Trade” isn’t just a phrase — it’s our purpose. Every decision we make, every product we offer, and every connection we build is guided by our commitment to trading fairly and having true impact at origin.

A Year of Growth, Challenge, and Deepening Partnerships

While 2024/25 brought its share of challenges — including a major product recall — it was also a year marked by progress and transformation. We expanded our product range, strengthened direct-to-consumer sales, and continued to put producer voices at the heart of everything we do.

Some highlights:

Online sales grew by over 30%, now making up nearly a third of our total revenue.
Our collaborative “ and Friends ” range saw a threefold increase in sales, accounting for over 25% of revenue.
We proudly relaunched Traidcraft Tea with Transform Trade on World Fair Trade Day, welcoming a wave of new customers into our community.
Four products earned Great Taste Awards , a nod to the quality and care behind our food.

Standing With Our Producer Partners

Whether through pre-finance, in-person visits, or climate-focused training, we deepened support for our producer partners:

Staff attended the World Fair Trade Organization summit in Cape Town and visited partners in Eswatini and South Africa
Howard Msukwa , a rice farmer from Malawi, inspired hundreds during his visit across Scotland, sharing firsthand how fair trade empowers communities.
Our parent charity, True Origin Partnerships (formerly The Balmore Trust), provided key support — from climate-smart training for young farmers to vital equipment for organic certification in Kenya.

Looking Ahead

While the year ended with a financial loss primarily due to the product recall, we remain optimistic and determined. In 2025/26, our focus is on recovery and renewal:

Exploring new producer partnerships
Growing our online customer base
Deepening impact through collaboration and storytelling

We’re grateful to our supporters, donors, partners, and team who made this work possible.

Read the full Annual Report here.

Thank you for helping us build a just world — one rooted in dignity, fairness, and food that truly makes a difference.

#FairTrade #ImpactAtOrigin #TrueOrigin #AnnualReport2025 #DignityThroughTrade

Celebrating the Ethical Consumer 'Best Buy' Seal of Approval

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:28:45 GMT

We’re absolutely thrilled to share some incredible news: Ethical Consumer has extended its prestigious Best Buy status to the entire True Origin product range and Traidcraft Tea! This recognition previously applied only to our True Origin Kilombero rice, but now it covers all True Origin products — and our beloved Traidcraft Tea as well.

This is a huge moment for us — and for everyone who chooses to shop with purpose.

The Best Buy label is Ethical Consumer’s highest ethical rating, reserved for brands and products that go above and beyond in areas like environmental impact, workers’ rights, sustainability, and transparency. To receive this mark across our True Origin product range is a powerful endorsement of our ongoing commitment to fairness, justice, and sustainability in global trade – and of the way we do business here in the UK too.

Ruairidh Fraser, researcher at Ethical Consumer, said “True Origin are clear ethical leaders in their field, so we're delighted to expand our Best Buy certification to cover all of their branded products. It’s rare to find a company of True Origin’s size which demonstrates such a comprehensive understanding of its social and environmental impact.”

He continued “True Origin scored 100/100 for its approach to its supply chain, going above and beyond to ensure that workers’ rights are respected and their communities supported. From agriculture to food waste, they are rejecting greenwash and are instead focused on doing the right thing where it matters."

From the fragrant Kilombero rice grown in the heart of Malawi to the rich, responsibly sourced Traidcraft Tea, from the fantastic relishes and spices from South Africa to the exotic Kenyan jams — every product in our portfolio stands for dignity, opportunity, and ethical excellence.

We couldn’t have done it without our producer partners, staff and customers. Every time you choose True Origin or Traidcraft, you’re choosing a better world — and now you’ve got Ethical Consumer’s seal of approval to back that choice.

�� Explore the full Best Buy-approved range here .

�� Spread the word and tag us when you share the news!

Together, we’re changing trade for good.

See Ethical Consumer Best Buy Label

Welcoming Alistair Menzies as New Chair of True Origin Board

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:06:41 GMT

Alistair has been a True Origin director since 2020, having spent most of his career within the food industry across a range of commercial, marketing and management roles. With 30 years in management and 25 working for food businesses including Divine and Traidcraft, he has brought a breadth of experience across several categories including hot beverages, snacks, chilled, frozen as well as enjoyable spells in confectionery and wines.

Alistair has enjoyed working in fair-trade where every sale ensures fair prices and additional benefits to farming communities and has had the privilege of visiting several producer groups in Chile (vineyards and honey co-operatives), and Ghana (cocoa farmers as well as tropical fruits).

“Since joining the board of True Origin in 2020 I’ve seen firsthand how resilient and adaptable the team are when faced with the challenges of global disruptions, ever changing market conditions, and the logistics of shipping products from east and southern Africa to Paisley.

All this, to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and food manufacturers in the region. I am delighted to be continuing my journey with True Origin and look forward to building on the hard work that has gone before” Alistair Menzies.

Alistair is the perfect person to carry on leadership, taking over from Mary Popple at the helm. Our MD, Tracy Mitchell had this to say about him:

“We are delighted to welcome Alistair Menzies as the new Chair of our Board. Alistair brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to our mission to have True Impact at Origin. We are excited about the leadership and insight he will bring to the organisation. I’m very much looking forward to working closely with him as we continue to grow our impact and champion ethical and transparent supply chains.”

Alistair lives on the north east coast of England and currently works as a consultant.

You can read more about the other True Origin Board members here .

A Real Sense of Palestine from Zaytoun

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 19:17:53 GMT

At True Origin we have always loved the range of products from Zaytoun, so when we set up our True Origin & Friends section on our online shop, stocking the delicious olive oils, almonds, dates, maftoul, feekeh and za’atar was a priority. We also love their hand crafted soaps.

Palestinian Producers Need our Support More than Ever. True Origin MD, Tracy Mitchell says we can all help, whilst enjoying great quality food from this particular part of the Middle East.

“We're proud to offer Zaytoun products at True Origin — they embody ethical sourcing, outstanding quality, and a powerful story of resilience. By bringing these goods to our customers, we’re directly supporting Palestinian producers and helping sustain livelihoods in some of the world’s most challenging conditions. These ingredients don’t just taste good — they do good."

Zaytoun CIC is a social enterprise inspired by a love of Palestinian culture, communities and cuisine. They exist to support Palestinian farmers through fair trade – 100% of their profits are reinvested into delivering this mission. So buying Zaytoun products is a great way to ensure a sustainable future for food producers, particularly in these most challenging of times.

Choosing and cooking Palestinian food, as Tracy says is a great way to make a positive difference in the lives of the families who rely on selling their unique produce.

Shop Palestinian

Get ready to rustle up some authentic and delicious meals by stocking up on Zaytoun products in our online shop. In stock just now we have Extra Virgin Olive Oil in two sizes, Raw Almonds, Jericho's Finest Medjoul Dates in two sizes, Giant Couscous Maftoul, Green Wheat Freekeh and Za’atar. There are other almond lines but these are seasonal and we will hopefully have these back as part of the Christmas range. Shop the range now .

Cook Palestinian

Zaytoun have a superb range of recipes on their website to inspire you in the kitchen, perfect for enjoying with friends inside and al fresco this summer. Check them out and get your “freekeh on”. We love the sound of the Maftoul, squash and tomato stew with za’atar, the Almond orange & olive oil cake, Mushroom freekeh risotto and the Banana and medjoul date cake to name but a few.

Not Just Food

As well as revitalising your kitchen store cupboard we recommend ordering some beautifully fragrant cleansing bars for your kitchen and bathroom. Experience the timeless tradition of Nablus with Zaytoun's Pure Olive Oil Soap. Choose from, Classic Olive Oil, Honey Olive Oil, Lemon Olive or Sage Olive Oil soaps.

Handcrafted in small batches by a family-run business, these soaps are made using age-old techniques passed down through generations.

Classic offers a gentle, moisturising cleanse that restores the skin's natural softness. Free from SLS, parabens, and palm oil, this cruelty-free and 100% biodegradable soap is suitable for all skin types. Its rich lather and nourishing properties make it perfect for daily use, bringing a touch of Palestinian heritage to your skincare routine.

Meanwhile, Honey combines the moisturising properties of olive oil with the natural sweetness of honey. Lemon refreshes and Sage adds the calming properties of sage extract and essential oil.

Treat your hands and order some now.

Boustany: A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine (Hardback) by Sami Tamimi

This is the first time we've stocked a cookbook rom Zaytoun, and it's a great one?

Vegetarian recipes celebrating the food of Palestine, from the co-author of Falastin, Jerusalem and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook.

A homage to Palestinian food and culture, Boustany, is the first solo cookbook from Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi co-founder and champion of Palestinian food and culture.

With over 100 recipes, Sami offers recipes for breakfast, sharing plates, big celebrations, simple breads, moreish sweet treats, easy dinners and more. It’s an approach that’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food.

This would make a great gift as well as keeping on your kitchen shelf. Order now .

Once you've browsed our online shop for your Zaytoun products, head over to their website to learn more about their work with their producers. and get cooking Palestinian. Enjoy!

True Origin MD Speaks at Launch of new UK Malawi Chamber of Commerce Scotland Chapter

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 20:07:18 GMT

Our MD Tracy Mitchell was delighted to take part in the launch of the UK Malawi Chamber of Commerce Scotland (UKMCC) Chapter in Edinburgh today. The event was hosted by the Scotland Malawi Partnership and chaired by Mr Hannington Gondwe, Chief Executive of the UKMCC.

It was an inspiring afternoon thinking about growing meaningful trade partnerships between Malawi and Scotland (and the UK more widely).

Guests heard from several distinguished speakers including; by video link the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera and the Minister of Trade and Industry. Vitombiko Mumba, The focus was on wealth creation, job creation and food security as part of its Vision 2063 and clearly sees trade as crucial for transformation.

Left to right: President of Malawi via video link, Chair UKMCC, Deputy Malawi High Commissioner, UKMCC Chief Executive.

The event at the City Chambers in Edinburgh was attended in person Her Excellency the Deputy High Commissioner, Justice Agnes Patemba. and the chair of UKMCC, Edgar Chibaka as well several members of the team from the Malawi High Commission.

Tracy spoke at the session on “Voices from the Frontline - Rapid Fire Insights from Entrepreneurs Operating in the Malawi Scotland Corridor” about our experiences importing the wonderful award-winning Fair Trade Kilombero Rice from Malawi since 2009. She then took part in the panel discussion,

“Malawi Means Business: Bold Investments, Big Opportunities, Real Impact.“

The focus of the panels was on exploring opportunities in green growth, investment-readiness, trade linkages between Malawi and Scotland, SME innovation, and the investor climate in Malawi. Tracy spoke about what lessons we have learned from building sustainable supply chains across borders.

In her talk Tracy shared the impact of the 90KG Rice Challenge on farmers in Malawi and talked about the deal with Central England Co-op through it’s Our Malawi Partnership initiative which has seen the rice and a variety of other products listed in all their stores across Central England. Whilst Kilombero rice is already easily available through our growing online shop, having a listing in a mainstream supermarket with stores across a whole region clearly brings the product to the attention of many many more customers.

As well as the positives of trading with Malawi she also outlined some of the challenges such as; Shipping from a landlocked country, with transport and packaging issues, competitor rice producing countries and impacts of exchange rates, Quality and UK processing costs and convincing people to try the rice.

“It is honestly very hard work. Making this work commercially is difficult. I am looking forward to learning from other people’s experiences and to understanding how the UKMCC can support us in making this supply chain sustainable over the coming years” said Tracy.

It was fantastic for True Origin to be part of such an event focussing on trade, and we look forward to seeing big benefits for both countries.

Update on our jam, marmalade, chutney and sauce product range

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 21:27:52 GMT

At True Origin, we know many of you love our range of jams, marmalades, chutneys, and sauces from Eswatini Kitchen and have been awaiting an update on their availability.

Unfortunately, after six months, we have still not received any clear answers or reassurances to give us confidence that the food safety issue that came to light in November 2024 has been properly addressed.

As a result, we are not able to restock these products. As a fair trade business, guided by the Ten Principles of Fair Trade, True Origin sought the guidance and advice of WFTO on this matter to ensure that we have done as much as we possibly could to avoid this outcome.

We are, however, seeking a new supplier to continue supporting farmers and producers in the Kingdom of Eswatini and to provide you with fair trade jams, marmalades, chutneys and sauces. We will of course let you know as soon as we have replacement products confirmed.

The following products are being discontinued:

• Peach & Ginger Jam

• Lime Marmalade

• Orange Marmalade

• Orange & Cinnamon Marmalade

• Ruby Grapefruit Marmalade

• Medium Curry Sauce

• Swazi Fire

• Lime Pickle

• Mango Pickle

• Vegetable Pickle

• Hot Mango Chutney

• Mixed Fruit Chutney

• Pineapple Chutney

• Piquante Peppers

Marula Jelly

The details for the recall are here .

Please note that the following jams and sauces are still available as these come from different suppliers:

If you have any questions, please do get in touch info@trueorigin.org.uk

Why Buy Kilombero Rice

Thu, 08 May 2025 15:40:42 GMT

The UK's Most Ethical Rice! On World Fair Trade Day - And Every Day!

Why You Should Choose True Origin’s Award-Winning Fair Trade Rice from Malawi

On World Fair Trade Day join us and be the Voice of the Business Revolution. We do business meaningfully, putting the producer at the heart of the matter and empowering customers to help make a difference.

We are proud to be a Guaranteed Member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) adhering to the 10 Principles of Fair Trade. We, along with our parent charity, True Origin Partnerships provided assistance for the rice farmers association, KASFA to gain WFTO Guaranteed producer status. We are delighted to be celebrating World Fair Trade Day and calling for a #businessrevolution.

At True Origin, we believe our Fair & Fine Food should taste good, do good, and be grown with care. That’s why our Fair Trade Kilombero Rice from Malawi isn’t just rice — it’s a story of resilience, quality, and positive global impact.

Great Taste, Proven Quality

Our Malawi Rice isn’t just any rice—it’s a Great Taste Award winner, recognised for its unique and exceptional flavour, texture, and versatility in the kitchen. Whether you’re preparing a fragrant pilaf, a creamy risotto, or a simple side dish, this rice delivers consistent results that elevate your cooking with its delicate nutty flavour and firm yet tender grain.

“The Most Ethical Rice on Sale in the UK”

Don’t just take our word for it. Ethical Consumer Magazine awarded our Kilombero Rice Best Buy status, praising it as “the most ethical rice on sale in the UK”. That’s thanks to our deep commitment to fair prices, environmental stewardship, and transparent sourcing through Fair Trade partnerships.

Versatile, Delicious, and Conscious Cooking

This rice is perfect for a range of global dishes—from African peanut stew to Thai curries or even rice salads and pudding. It’s the ideal pantry staple for home cooks, chefs, and ethical eaters who don’t want to compromise on flavour or values.

We have some delicious recipes using Kilombero Rice on our website. Check them out and get cooking with our Fair & Fine Food.

A Staple That Does More

What makes this rice stand out isn’t just what’s on your plate—it’s what’s happening behind the scenes. Grown by smallholder farmers in the Karonga District of Northern Malawi, this rice is a game changer. By choosing True Origin Kilombero Rice, you’re directly supporting communities and families facing some of the harshest effects of climate change. Your purchase contributes to sustainable agriculture, community development projects, and climate resilience, as well of course as a fair price for the rice producers..

Click on the image below to watch Kilombero Rice farmer, Howard Msukwa show the effects of extreme climate patterns and hear him talk about the devastating effects.

True Origin Partnerships, the parent charity of True Origin Foods has been instrumental in supporting the rice farmers. Formerly known as The Balmore Trust the organisation has helped empower growers and their families to develop more sustainable production methods, to learn new skills and encourage entrepreneurship.

Women had to carry 50kg bags of rice on their head to get them to market, now thanks to ox carts, which can also be towed more quickly by motorbike they no longer have to do that. These carts are being made by the rice producer community through training organised by Howard Msukwa. School desks are being made alongside the carts.

The empowerment of women is key to Fair Trade and our way of doing business. True Origin Partnerships has supported a great initiative by one of the women, Grace's Briquette Project . The women used to have to walk miles to gather firewood for cooking, which is now illegal. They are now producing charcoal briquettes from waste rice husks. Another notable project is the provision of solar water pumps for irrigation.

If you shop with us this month and are able to give a checkout donation , in May that money is going towards purchasing one of these pumps, the cost of which is around £1000, it would be great if we could reach that target.

True Origin Partnerships Chair, Joyce Davidson recently took part. in one of our True Origin Live customer Zoom events and outlined all the amazing work being done. You can watch the video by clicking the image below .

What About Brown Rice? Why Isn't There Any?

The ever popular Brown Rice sadly is out of stock. We need to sell the white rice in the warehouse before we can reorder the brown. However, if you are missing it, and you live near a Central England Co-op store you might be in luck. Around 200 of those shops stock the rice as part of the organisation's excellent Our Malawi Partnership project in support of producers in the country.

Special Offer – 15% Off Until End of May

For a limited time, you can enjoy this award-winning, impact-driven Kilombero White Rice rice at 15% off on our online shop for the rest of May. We currently offer white rice in 500g bags and for catering and bulk buyers, 25kg paper sacks. There’s never been a better time to try it—or stock up. Click on the image below to get the offer.

Do You Like a Challenge? How About a 90kg Challenge?

A great way to make a difference in the lives of the rice producers is through our 90KG Rice Challenge. So called as 90kg is the amount of rice a farmer needs to sell to send a child to secondary school for a year. This is a great projects for schools and faith groups as well as businesses keen to fulfil a corporate social responsibility objective.

The rice is then sold on to fiends, family or staff and the growers in Malawi can choose to send a chid to school or invest in sustainable farming. If 90kg is too big a challenge a half challenge is also possible. We also have resources available for learning around the challenge. Find out more here .

Shop Now and Make a Difference

Explore the full range of True Origin and True Origin & Friends products and place your order today at

www.trueoriginfoods.co.uk

Mary Popple retires as chair of True Origin

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:17:29 GMT

After six years of leadership, Mary Popple has retired from her role as Chair of the True Origin Board to assume the role as an ordinary board member. She leaves a legacy of steadfast, values-led leadership, resilience and commitment to Fair Trade during a period of significant transition for the social enterprise.

First appointed to the True Origin Board in 2013, Mary became the first woman to take on the role of Chair in April 2019. Her journey into the position was shaped by a successful career in the IT industry and a passion for Fair Trade. Mary was an active member of the influential St Andrews Fair Trade group which successfully campaigned to designate the town as a Fairtrade area, and for The Open Golf championship to become the first UK sports tournament to commit to using Fairtrade products. This was complemented with over twenty years’ experience of involvement in other trade justice and development opportunities for women.

During her six-year tenure as Chair of the True Origin board, Mary strategically led the social enterprise through a challenging external environment at a challenging time for many small businesses. Less than a year into her new role, the Covid pandemic emerged, causing significant uncertainty for staff, producers and customers as well as disruption in global supply chains. The war in Ukraine and cost-of-living crisis soon followed.

Despite the challenges, under Mary’s leadership, True Origin generated over £2.3million in sales income that included £733,000 worth of Kilombero rice from Malawi. That’s equivalent to 245 tonnes or nearly 5 million servings of rice! The sale of the rice provides families in Malawi, one of the least developed countries in the world, with sustainable incomes and better food security.

Mary played an instrumental role in rolling out the social enterprise’s rebrand and positioning the organisation as the go-to place for fair and fine products under the new True Origin banner. The product range subsequently increased during her tenure, solidifying True Origin’s reputation in the fine foods market. New products included a range of condiments such the soon-to-become both a customer favourite and one of Mary’s favourite products, sun-dried fig balsamic reduction as well as the popular beer bread of which over 150,000 packets were sold during her term.

Mary’s leadership as Chair will also be remembered for her values-led approach, guiding the organisation to decisions with its founding fair trade principles in mind and the interests of producers always at the forefront. She invested time in expanding the board’s skillset and further developing the organisation’s robust governance procedures, upholding True Origin’s commitment to transparency with its stakeholders and leaving the organisation in a strong position to tackle future challenges. She also brought an instinctive knowledge of Fair Trade customers in Scotland and beyond to the role.

Reflecting on her tenure, Mary said:

“There is no doubt in my mind that we would not have weathered the difficulties we’ve faced l if we hadn't focussed on resilience in the last few years. Resilience comes from working with an absolutely brilliant staff team led by Tracy.

'I’m proud of putting in place a board and team whose members are wholly committed to giving their time and experience to support the team and ensure the business success. It has been a privilege for me to work with so many inspiring people. Thank you team and Board for being a great set of people to work with.”

"One of my greatest highlights was the Scottish Fair Trade Supporters' Day visit to the warehouse in 2024. It was inspiring to see so many people experience firsthand how True Origin works and the difference we’re making. The feedback was uplifting, and the dedication shown by the Board Members to bring this event to life under such challenging circumstances was incredibly positive."

Tracy Mitchell, Managing Director of True Origin, said:

“Mary’s dedication, wisdom and leadership have been invaluable to True Origin, especially during some of the most challenging times in our history. Through this time, she has steered the organisation into new markets to bring on new customers and successfully build our brand. Above all, Mary has brought humour, dignity and resilience to the team and role. She’s a true ambassador for True Origin, Her contributions will continue to influence True Origin for years to come and we’re extremely grateful she will continue serving on the board.”

Mary chaired her last board meeting on 3 March and stays on as an ordinary board member.

The board of trustees, staff and volunteers warmly welcome the appointment of Alistair Menzies as Chair.

Mary said: “ I hope Alistair enjoys the role as much as I have. I am delighted he is taking it on.”

Meet the entire board here .

Colleen Tait

New Paragraph

Celebrating International Women's Day

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 12:50:30 GMT

Thanks to the women of Meru Herbs Kenya

International Women's Day falls on the 08th March 2025. This is a time to celebrate the achievements of women around the world, and for us at True Origin that means the producers of our Fair & Fine Foods. This year we are focussing on the women who produce our delicious jams, sauces and herbal teas in Kenya - Meru Herbs.

If you attended the recent 'True Origin: Live' Zoom event (Feb 25), you will have enjoyed hearing from one of the inspiring woman in our supply chain, Sally Sawaya of Meru Herbs. This is a woman led organisation in rural Kenya and is dedicated to fair trade principles with a mission to empower women, alleviate poverty and improve standards of living.

On the Zoom meeting Sally was telling us that the majority of the staff at Meru Herbs are women and they have leadership and decision making responsibilities. Depending on the season, they have 50 - 150 women farmers who do everything by hand so the simplest of tools can make the biggest difference to these women.

Meru stands as a beacon of hope for women, proving that economic empowerment, sustainability and gender equality can go hand in hand. Through fair trade, women in Meru are rewriting their future.

To find out more, you can watch Sally's talk on our YouTube channel by clicking the button below.

Karena Jarvie is a True Origin Board Member, she's also a fair trade campaigner and keen to support the women of Meru Herbs. One of her favourite Meru products is Tomato & Chilli Sauce which in this short video clip below, she uses in her family favourite dish, enchiladas.

Through the checkout donation facility on our online shop our super-supportive customers raised £864 over 3 months to help provide much needed implements to help the women at Meru Herbs in Kenya produce their hibiscus and other ingredients for their tasty jams and sauces. True Origin Partnerships organised the provision of these essential tools.

Fair Trade shop and cafe venue, Gavin's Mill has long been a supporter of the women at Meru Herbs. The Mill has hosted an evening with Meru MD, Sally Sawaya and places regular orders for the products.

"Meru Heru products are always popular with our customers at Gavin’s Mill. The jams and sauces are delicious and the story behind them inspirational.

"We were very fortunate at Gavin’s Mill to have a visit from Sally Sawaya, MD of Meru Herbs in 2023. Hearing first hand about the work going on at Meru to empower women has made the products even more popular . We are delighted to have maintained a link with Meru Herbs by supporting them through our alternative gift scheme, Gavin’s Mill Gifts -they are always one of our most popular projects".

Joyce Davidson

Pictured below are; left to right, volunteer, Bev and staff member Uta.

You can check out more about Meru Herbs and our other producer groups here .

...But Give a Man a Fishing Rod

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 14:21:33 GMT

Our former Operations Manager and now volunteer, Liam McLaughlin caught up with Kenneth Mwakasungula on the challenges of being a Kilombero Rice farmer

For over 15 years True Origin (formerly known as Just Trading Scotland) has been working with Malawian rice farmers to provide an international market for their Fairly Traded Kilomero rice. Throughout that time, the farmers have had to deal with a myriad of problems including the floods and droughts that have come with climate change as well as the particular problems that the Covid pandemic has had on one of the poorest countries in the world.

After all these years and despite the fortitude of the farmers, it could be easy to question if the effort has been worth it. Despite the success in creating an overseas market giving much needed income, would it be best to put our hands up and say that this effort is unsustainable and that the farmers need to consider alternatives? Are there any actual long-term benefits for the community? Has climate change made the environment unsustainable for the farmers?

The only people who can answer this are the farmers themselves. With this in mind, I spoke to one of our rice farmers - Kenneth Mwakasungula. Kenneth is a smallholder farmer married to Getrude Mwenifumbo. Kenneth and Gertrude have 5 children and 4 grandchildren. Kenneth belongs to the royal family of the Mwakasungula of the Ngonde tribe where he is seen as an adviser in their community. This led to Kenneth becoming a representative of the local farmers association KASFA and from there on to the national farmers association, NASFAM.

I first met Kenneth when he came to Scotland to represent NASFAM. At the time I was the Warehouse Manager at True Origin and was given the task of collecting Kenneth from Glasgow airport. Kenneth was amazed by the technology that we take for granted. He’d seen an electric hob but had never known of a gas one. A dishwasher was a concept that had never occurred to him. He was keen to take a shot of my petrol lawn mower - and I was keen to let him! But this ignorance of western consumer technology was not an ignorance of mind. He was an impressive man and it soon became clear that Kenneth’s thirst for knowledge and his inquisitiveness made him an ideal choice for his task. He was also very popular with the groups that he met in Scotland, particularly the school children.

Kenneth joined KASFA in 2001 when they were promoting Kilombero rice production to local farmers and guaranteeing them a fair price for their rice. Local vendors were known to use unscrupulous practices such as unfair scales and offering low prices to farmers who had no other option but to accept them. Kenneth explained, “Despite government farm gate prices offered yearly, KASFA is always offering more than what the government is setting. Like this year, the minimum farmgate price for rice was K650 per kg but KASFA was buying at K900 per kg.” But KASFA is more than just a price guarantor. It offers training in modern agriculture techniques, e.g. improving seed yield as well as accounting and management courses for its members

This has been a great benefit to the farmers but as Kenneth tells me climate change has made it even more challenging. “Generally, the weather is quite different these days. If I compare now with the weather in the late 70s, then it was very stable. People could cultivate freely without any doubt of rain shortage. Or the rain could come in December and keep falling up to the end of April. But these days, rain starts anyhow. It can start in December and fall for only two days. It can also start in January and fall for only a week. It can have a dry spell of a month. In this situation, rain-fed farming faces a lot of challenges these days.”

This is one of the reasons that KASFA has promoted Kilombero rice. Kilombero can withstand dry spells much better than other varieties of rice. Thus KASFA’s farsighted view on the issues of climate change has helped mitigate some of its effects.

Kenneth believes that KASFAs help has been invaluable to him and helped his family prosper by growing Kilombero. Their farm management techniques and Kenneth’s own resourcefulness has also helped him to find other ways to overcome the impacts of climate change. In 2006, after another year of drought, Kenneth hired local workers to drill a soak well for him. He bought a petrol water pump to access the well which allowed him to grow vegetables in the winter months. This proved to be successful and he realised that he could access enough water to grow a small winter crop of rice along with the vegetables.

Mindful of the environmental impact of petrol, and in discussions between NASFAM, True Origin and their partners, Kenneth was able to take part in a pilot scheme to use solar pumps (“Future Pumps”). Unfortunately, it was found that the pumps were not strong enough for large scale production. Kenneth says “Yes, I remember to have received that pump called Future pump and I also remember to have sent that recommendation that they were really suited for a home garden as they could only irrigate an area of 10 x 10 metres/day”. But Kenneth was not put off by this and his research found that stronger solar pumps were available which could greatly increase his irrigation. “The 3 inch solar pump which I am using nowadays irrigates an area of an acre and plus per day.”

But solar pumps are expensive and many farmers cannot afford them. Kenneth’s 3” version costs 8,200,000MWK (~ £3,600) which is a lot for a Malawian smallholder farmer. He needed to take out a loan from the bank to buy one but by the end of the 2nd year had paid this loan off. The solar pump has been transformational for him. “I think I have reduced the climate change effect in my house because I don't rely on rain with my farming. During the rainy season my shallow well becomes my backup while in winter it is my major water source for rice irrigation farming.” What this has meant is that Kenneth can grow a 2nd crop of rice each year and from a higher yielding variety.

“There are many varieties of rice being grown in Karonga and many other parts in Malawi. Apart from Kilombero which is long term maturing and long grain we also have short term varieties such as Difa, Cherwa, Nelika4, Daudi and Nanyondo.

Now, the short term varieties are mainly grown in rice schemes during the winter period. So, I got the seed from the farmers who grow in the rice schemes. I now grow Kilombero during the rainy season while Nanyondo is grown during the winter period.

Therefore, in terms of periods of maturity and yield of the long term and short term varieties, they differ a lot. Kilombero takes 5 months to mature while short term varieties take 3 months to mature. As for the yield; in an area where one does harvest 150 kgs of Kilombero, you harvest 300 kgs of short term variety. In short, short term varieties are higher yielding than long term varieties. This means that short term varieties can give one a lot more money than long term varieties.”

KASFA has recognised the value of pumps and some diesel pumps have been sent to them. I asked Kenneth the difference between diesel and solar pumps: “As for the diesel pumps which KASFA asked from True Origin Partnerhips, they are cheap and very good as backups during the rainy season. However, they are expensive because of the use of fuel which one is subject to buy now and again. And in Malawi, we have fuel shortage problems most of the time. So fuel becomes more expensive. Furthermore, the fuel pumps need maintenance now and again. In this case, people long for solar pumps . When the solar pump is switched on at 8 am with its full sunshine, you just wait to close it at 4 pm.” True Origin Partnerships has recognised this and is planning to provide KASFA with money to buy solar powered pumps.

I asked Kenneth if KASFA were able to buy this other rice as well as his Kilombero: “The market is not guaranteed. KASFA does not have enough working capital. The money that KASFA used to buy our rice is just borrowed from banks. Like this year KASFA has bought rice from very few farmers. Most of the rice has been sold to vendors. Why? Last year KASFA borrowed a lot from banks and a lot of rice. This rice is not yet finished and the loan also is not yet finished.”

Despite this, Kenneth has been able to make a success of his winter crop and has plans to buy more land to expand his farming activity: “I want to purchase between 5 to 10 hectares of land. However, last year I bought an acre of land for buildings and other related things. I would like to plant bananas or cocoa or palm oil trees, raise livestock like chickens, ducks, guinea fowls, pigs etc.”.

With all this extra work I asked Kenneth if he would manage by himself or would he need help?

“The workload will determine. But I will start with temporary or piece workers.”

If things work out the way Kenneth is planning, not only will he be providing for himself and his family but also providing much needed work for others in the community.

Kenneth shows that with good stewardship, farmers can, not only cope with, but in some cases overcome the problems of climate change. But what of the community as a whole? Have they also seen improvements? Kenneth believes that there is a huge improvement in the community.

“There is great change in the community. Most people build iron sheet houses nowadays rather than grass houses. Urbanisation is growing. People long to go and stay in towns rather than rural areas.

Farming..people like to go for short term rice varieties because they are fast maturing and high yielding. There are more Cooperatives..people are now shifting to joint effort business activities.”

Below is a short WhatsApp video Keneth sent in Feb 25 to Liam showing him the crop he will harvest in March 25.

“Climate change still remains a big challenge for farm activities. Rain is unpredictable these days. Furthermore , there are a lot of dry spells, floods or over-rain. All this retards farming.”

There are other general problems which the farmers have to overcome. Devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha causes price increases in commodities. There are also fuel shortages. “Those with money take advantage of buying in bulk and later sell on to others at a higher price.”

A market to sell the rice into is also problematic. Although NASFAM has helped farmers greatly, Kenneth tells me “Because NASFAM has inadequate capital, most rice goes to vendors at a cheap price.”

There are obviously still huge problems for the community to overcome. However, it is clear that fairly traded practices and providing an international market have helped farmers like Kenneth to achieve long term benefits to the community. It takes hard work and a positive attitude which Kenneth obviously has. As he says; “It is each day I wake up, I think of having a new life or improving myself.”

“If you'd like to make a donation to True Origin Partnerships’ fund to provide solar pumps for KASFA, please contact True Origin via our website. Get in touch with the team at True Origin so that bank and gift aid details can be provided." Thanks for reading.

Schools! Take the 90KG Rice Challenge

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:43:26 GMT

Help a child in Malawi go to secondary school

Here in the UK we take going to school for granted, and something that is free for all children. Sadly this is not the case in developing countries like Malawi where our delicious, versatile and award-winning Fair Trade Kilombero Rice is grown.

Not every child there has the privilege of a secondary school education, and that’s definitely not fair.

By taking the 90kg Rice Challenge (or a half challenge) your school can help fix this.

90kg is the amount of rice a farmer needs to sell to enable a child to attend secondary school for a year – wouldn’t it be great to help make this happen?

In this very short reel (above). Kilombero Rice farmer, Howard Msukwa explains why we should help.

the 90KG Rice Challenge in a nutshell

This quick video below sums up what the Challenge is all about and how to get involved.

be awesome and make a difference

More than 800 schools and Fair Trade and other groups have taken part so far – could you join them? This is a crucial activity, one that benefits learners here and children in a developing country.

180 x 500g bags (90kg total), of fairly traded rice – the amount of rice sold that would provide Malawian rice farmers with enough of a sustainable income to enable them to reinvest in their farm, feed and clothe their family, and most importantly, pay for one year’s secondary education for one child as this is not free in Malawi and many cannot afford it.

Kilombero rice not only does good, but it tastes great! It has won a Great Taste award and is the most ethical rice on the market according to Ethical Consumer magazine and proudly displays their Best Buy logo.

Once you book your 90kg Rice Challenge, you will receive the bags of rice and a link to the Education Pack which contains lesson plans on current issues such as fair trade, global citizenship, sustainability, social enterprise, and climate change, as well as lots of activities, videos, images, presentations, and interviews suitable for all ages. There is enough content for a term long project, or a one-off lesson. Once you receive your Rice Challenge, it’s up to you how you sell it, from curry nights to fair trade stalls.

Results of the challenge:

Participants have an achievable goal: selling 90kg of rice, which can be undertaken as an individual, teams or a group. 45kg Challenges are an option too.
The challenge quantifies the benefits of fair trade: this is what a farmer has to grow to give him enough of an income to enable him to pay for one of his children to go to school; this is what we have to do to support him in that task.
This shows how we can help to empower farmers: creating reliable markets for smallholder farmers where they can get fair prices means they can develop their farms, work their way out of poverty and help to build up the prosperity of their country.
It empowers individuals and shows how they can make a difference.
It creates a link between individuals and the farmers who they are supporting.

But don't take our word for it, read about how other teachers have used the 90kg Rice Challenge in their schools.

ex maths teacher andy tomison on taking the challenge

Former maths teacher, Andy Tomison goes into primary and secondary schools in the Perth & Kinross area to talk to pupils about Fair Trade, with a focus on the True Origin 90KG Rice Challenge. In this video above he talks about what happens when he's visited primary schools and two secondary schools.

Bucksburn Academy in Aberdeen did it!

In May 2022 Buscksburn Academy in Aberdeen took the 90KG Rice Challenge and were so successful they immediately did another one. S3s enjoyed taking part in the Rice Challenge again in December 2024 and the school has now embedded this as part of the S3 curriculum. They’re hoping to complete another challenge at the end of this year. Here’s what the pupils and Principal Teacher of Wider Achievement, Jayne Davidson got out of it. NB the prices mentioned in this video (above) have increased since this was filmed in 22.

You can watch a video recording (below) of a special 90KG Rice Challenge Teacher Event on Zoom from 24th May 2022. The event was organised by True Origin in partnership with and hosted by the Scotland Malawi Partnership. Howard Msukwa and colleagues from farmers association, KASFA in Malawi participated. Also taking part were Bucksburn Academy teacher, Jayne Davidson (featured in the above video), Josh Brown from the One World Centre (talking about how the Challenge fits with the curriculum), True Origin Chair, Mary Popple and James Johnston from the Social Enterprise Academy who talks about how they can support schools taking the Challenge.

Link the challenge to climate change learning

Rice farmers in Malawi have a lot on their plate. The effects of climate change affect them badly and can cost them dearly. In this video below Howard Msukwa explains the challenges from global warming.

Go on! Take the 90KG Rice Challenge

We would really love you to consider taking part in the 90kg Rice Challenge. If you’d like to find out more you can email nicola@trueorigin.org.uk , or phone 0141 255 0901. And you can order either a half Challenge pack or full Challenge pack easily online. Or complete the order form and return to nicola@trueorigin.org.uk if you need 30 day payment terms.

We will be happy to support you with resources, advice and to promote any 90KG Rice Challenge activity on our social media platforms.

We look forward to hearing from you.

An Update from the Chair and MD

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:20:41 GMT

Update Regarding Products from Eswatini Kitchen

As you are aware, it came to our attention on 27th November that there is a quality issue with the Peach and Ginger Jam that we source from Eswatini Kitchen, with some jars developing a surface mould, As you know, we have been investigating the issue and the root cause and we asked you to stop selling/consuming all products from the Eswatini range whilst this investigation was ongoing.

We know the wait for results has been frustrating and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. The delay has been because the lab needed time to culture the mould and to see if other products developed anything similar.

Unfortunately, we are now confirming that we are widening the scope of the product recall to include all the other jam and marmalade products in the Eswatini range (listed below). Whilst the incidence of mould in these other products is much lower, there are some jars that are developing mould, and the investigation is finding some issues with the vacuum seals on these products. We have now informed Food Standards Scotland (FSS) of the need to recall these additional products (only where they have black lids):

Lime Marmalade
Orange Marmalade
Orange & Cinnamon Marmalade
Ruby Grapefruit Marmalade

In line with the FSS recall, customers need to contact the place they bought the stock. For customers who have ordered these products direct from True Origin:

We will be in touch in the next week to confirm credit note/refund process for affected stock that you have ordered
Please destroy any remaining stock you have
If you sell stock on, please display the recall notice you will be emailed for your customers to see.

Customers who purchased any of these products from elsewhere, need to contact the retailer that sold them the product.

No mould has been found in any of the savoury products either by us or by the independent lab (or by Eswatini Kitchen’s analysis). However, given these products are from the same production run and there has also been incidence of poor vacuum seal on these lines, with guidance from Food Standards Scotland, as a precautionary measure we are withdrawing these products from sale (again only where they have black lids):

Medium Curry Sauce
Swazi Fire
Lime Pickle
Mango Pickle
Vegetable Pickle
Hot Mango Chutney
Mixed Fruit Chutney
Pineapple Chutney

For customers who have ordered these products direct from True Origin:

We will be in touch in the next week to confirm credit note/refund process for affected stock that you have ordered and still have in stock
Please destroy any remaining stock you have

As we said previously, this issue is isolated to the Eswatini Kitchen product range. The rest of our range is not affected as we source these products from other suppliers. If you can, we ask that you keep buying from across our wider range True Origin | Food that has True Impact at Origin – True Origin Retail .

Thank you again for your patience and understanding. We understand this has been very difficult for everyone.

This has been an incredibly challenging time for the full True Origin team. If you would like to discuss ways to support us as we continue to work through the implications for our business, please get in touch: tracy@trueorigin.org.uk or mary@trueorigin.org.uk

Tracy Mitchell and Mary Popple

A Statement from the Chair and MD

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:26:29 GMT

Statement Regarding Products from Eswatini Kitchen

As some of our customers are aware, it came to our attention on 27th November that there is a quality issue with our Peach and Ginger Jam that we source from our supplier, Eswatini Kitchen.

We are investigating the issues. We have sent samples to an independent laboratory for testing to help us understand the issue and whether it impacts other products from the same production run. We are also working closely with Eswatini Kitchen to identify the root cause and prevent it from happening again.

As of 6 December, we are still awaiting the lab results and on further feedback from Eswatini Kitchen. We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information and issue further instructions as appropriate.

In the meantime, the guidance remains the same: we advise that you do not sell or consume the products listed on the original email (see below for reminder of the list). Please be aware that products with gold lids are from a previous production run and are NOT impacted. We have now included a photo to show where the producer details can be found to help you identify the products:

Please also be assured that this issue is isolated to the Eswatini Kitchen product range and these products are no longer available on our website. The rest of our Christmas gifting range is not affected as we source these products from other suppliers.

As a small social enterprise, this situation has been incredibly challenging for us and has come at a time of many other pressures. Like many small businesses, we rely on sales in the lead up to Christmas to keep us afloat throughout the year, sustaining five jobs here in Paisley, enabling us to work directly with and support marginalised producers in four African countries as well as supporting other fair trade businesses and also tackling poverty here in the UK.

As a valued customer, your support up has been the reason we’ve been able to continue running our social enterprise and trading fairly. If you can, we ask that you keep buying from our Christmas gift range and across our wider range True Origin | Food that has True Impact at Origin – True Origin Retail .

Thank you for your patience and understanding and for supporting fair trade. This really does mean the world to us.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss ways to support us, please get in touch: info@trueorigin.org.uk

Mary Popple and Tracy Mitchell

Products affected are listed below and also Gift Packs that contain any of these items:

Medium Curry Sauce
Swazi Fire
Lime Pickle
Mango Pickle
Vegetable Pickle
Hot Mango Chutney
Mixed Fruit Chutney
Pineapple Chutney
Lime Marmalade
Orange Marmalade
Orange & Cinnamon Marmalade
Marula Jelly
Peach & Ginger Jam
Ruby Grapefruit Marmalade
Sweet Piquante Peppers

Living in Two Different Worlds

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:32:14 GMT

R eflections on the recent visit of Howard Msukwa, Rice Farmer from Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association (KASFA)

Words by Joyce Davidson, Chair, True Origin Partnerships (organiser of the tour).

In September 2024, True Origin and True Origin Partnerships had the pleasure of hosting Howard Msukwa for a three week visit to the UK. It was a whirlwind of conversations, meetings, renewing old contacts and friendships and making new.

People from business communities, fair trade groups, schools and churches met and were touched by Howard during his visit.

Throughout his time in the UK Howard spoke powerfully about the challenges faced by the smallholder farmers, highlighting the significant impact that climate change is having on their communities and livelihoods. It was good to hear from him about the growth and development of KASFA over the years and the importance of its relationship with The Balmore Trust and JTS - now True Origin and True Origin Partnerships. Howard described the benefits of this partnership and the projects that it has facilitated and also spoke movingly about the ongoing needs of his community and his work to support it through the Youth Training Scheme that he has established locally. It was inspiring to meet people all around Scotland who have been supporting him in this work.

Starting with a few days in Lichfield, Howard spent time with the team from Central England Co-op who sell True Origin Kilombero rice as part of their ‘Our Malawi Partnership’ project. Later in his tour he met and spoke with people from various businesses including the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, of which True Origin Foods is a member. A fascinating visit to the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre reminded us of the longstanding links between Scotland and Malawi, and the efforts made by David Livingstone to ‘trade fairly’ with Africa.

Church visits ranged from launching a rice challenge in Baljaffray Church, Bearsden, to speaking at a forum in St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow, to attending a prayer meeting at Milton of Campsie Parish Church to highlight issues that could be prayed for throughout the year.

During his visit Howard met pupils from 9 primary and 4 secondary schools in East Dunbartonshire, Perthshire, Fife, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Fife, Dundee and Edinburgh. Their enthusiasm for hearing about life in Malawi and their support for trade justice should give us all confidence in the future of fair trade.

F air trade groups an d communities around the UK had the opportunity during Fairtrade Fortnight to hear from Howard. Beginning in Skipton and ending in Aberdeen, events and visits in between included Lenzie, Gavin’s Mill, Dumfries, St Andrews, Stirling, two online events hosted by BAFTS and an Edinburgh event hosted jointly with One Word Shop and Scotland Malawi Partnership. A wonderful ambassador for fair trade Howard encouraged and inspired us all to keep promoting and selling fair trade goods

A highlight of the visit was the Scottish Fair Trade Campaigner conference in Paisley, where many people had the opportunity to meet Howard and hear him being interviewed, together with Claire Sloan from Ardross farm in Fife, about the challenges of smallholder and sustainable farming. This was followed by a tour of the True Origin warehouse and a chance to hear more about the journey Kilombero rice takes to get to our shops!

I come away from Howard’s visit with a kaleidoscope of memories:

-the passion for justice in children and young people - where does that get lost?

-did you know that there are fewer grains in a bag of brown rice compared to white?

-the hard life and back breaking work of smallholder rice farmers-starting work at 3am and trying to support a family with a farm size of of 2 acres.

- the widespread ongoing support and enthusiasm for fair trade

-the importance of supporting education and training for young people in Malawi

-the friendship and partnership established over the years between with the farmers of KASFA, True Origin and others around Scotland

- the shared enthusiasm for football! Howard was delighted to be presented with a Dunfermline Athletic football strip with his name on it and to be returning home with two new Bala Fair trade footballs.

- tasting rice ice cream!

- the challenge of getting Howard back to Heathrow with all the extra luggage he had accumulated during his stay.

-the stark difference in lifestyle and opportunity between Scotland and Malawi- “We live in two different worlds” (Howard Msukwa) .

Thanks again Howard.

Joyce Davidson.

Jade and Nicola visit Turqle, Fynbos and St Louis

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:36:26 GMT

Turqle and Fynbos Fine Foods

On Monday we met with Pieter and Rain from Turqle Brands at their beautiful office where we were reunited with the rest of the team whom we met for the first time at the WFTO Conference a couple of weeks before, now we greeted each other like old friends. It was wonderful to see them all again and learn more about the organisation, what they are working on and how we can work better together. Lots of ideas were discussed, some of which will definitely come to fruition next year.

Sarah done a wonderful tasting session with us where we rated our favourite products, some of which will definitely feature in our range in the future as they were utterly delicious and we are sure that our customers will enjoy them.

Since Pieter had the longest arm, he got to take the selfie of us all together: (from left to right) Pieter, Sarah, Nicola, Linda, Esky, Jade, Rain

On Tuesday, Jade and I travelled to Bloubergstrand which is a suburb of Cape Town about 40 minutes from the city centre on the opposite side of the bay, where we were to meet Linda. We were delighted that we arrived a bit early as it meant we could stand and admire the stunning beach and incredible view of Table Mountain whilst we waited.

We then spent roughly an hour in the car as we drove out to Fynbos Fine Foods in Tierfontein, near Malmesbury, where we learnt more about Linda and her role at Turqle as the Quality Manager and how she deals directly with the producer partners with audits and certifications and she also ensures that the Ten Principles of Fairtrade are upheld. When we arrived at Fynbos, we got a very warm welcome from Rozelle Abramson, the owner, and her daughter Tai and Muriel Wadeley, the General Manager. We sat in Muriel’s office where we went through the introductions and we found out a bit more about Fynbos and their products and we told them more about True Origin.

Once we had 'kitted up' for the tour and washed our hands several times, Tai gave us a tour of the factory and talked us through their manufacturing processes. They maintain separate areas for products containing allergens to prevent cross contamination and every surface is wiped down and the floors are washed constantly to prevent bacteria. Every part of the process from cooking to filling to labelling to packing to all have their own designated separate areas with their own designated teams working in them. When we entered the production area, they were cooking with Bird’s Eye chillies and our eyes started to water almost immediately as they was so strong, that was quite the experience and we were somewhat relieved when we moved on so we could see again.

After our tour of the factory, Rozelle took us to her office where she has a display of their full product range, we only purchase a few of their sauces and grinders but they had so much more that we might look to introduce some more at a later date. They did gift sets as well which always interests me as I am always on the look out to expand our Christmas range. We selected a few products we were interested in and had a wonderful tasting session where I fell in love with the range of relishes they have. They were exquisite with cheese and crackers, and I can see these being extremely popular with our customers.

After our belly’s were full, Rozelle took Jade and I on a tour of the farm. We walked down rows upon rows of crops bordered by lemon trees and lime trees. We learnt about how they do the planting and how the irrigation works. We were also shown the nursery beds which were almost ready for transplanting into the fields which had just been prepared for the seedlings.

St Louis

Our next stop was St Louis in Stikland who specialise in sauces, sauces and more sauces! Over 62 sauces in their current range to be exact and they are developing more all the time. We met with Tony Buteux who is the owner of St Louis and a chef by trade and has worked all over the world developing and refining sauces which is his speciality. Tony showed us around his factory and again talked us through the manufacturing process and told us what each piece of equipment does and how it fits it. This factory was a scale up to anything we had seen before which was a really interesting contrast. Everything is controlled from a central panel which determines which ingredient goes to which cooking pot and from the cooking pot to which filling station. They ship many pallets around South Africa every day and sell to lots of big restaurant chains and even airlines. We source their products through Turqle but we have brought quite a few samples back with us for the team to try to see if we can extend the range.

Jade and Nicola Visit some Eswatini Farmers

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:05:13 GMT

This morning we made up way up to the Eswatini hills to visit three farmers who are part of the Woman Farmer Foundation. We drove up dirt tracks and quite often ‘off the beaten track’ for quite some time in order to reach the first farm. However, we did get beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and sometimes had to wait until the cows and goats finished crossing the road before we could pass.

We arrived at the first farm belonging to Nomfundo Vilakati. She was proud to show us her fields and talk about the crops she has grown and how she uses her chicken manure for fertiliser so everything is entirely organic and natural. She has been struggling with getting water to her farm to irrigate her fields as she is quite high up on the hills and the river is below and she cannot afford a pump to pump the water from the river up the hill to her farm. At the moment she is trying to capture any run off water from further up the hill but struggles when the weather has been dry for a while. This means that she has had to rent a piece of land in another part of Eswatini that she is farming as well to ensure that she has a harvest and has crops to sell.

Nomfundo came with us to the next farm we visited belonging to Paulini Mkhatjwa. We learnt that the animals are kept in a kraal (pronounced crawl) at night, this is an enclosure made of upright branches which is also used as a meeting place or social space for the men of the homestead. Paulini is growing lots of crops including maize, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, cabbage, onions, coffee, bananas to name but a few. Her land is on a slope so she has had to make several terraces so that the crops do not wash away when it rains, the hilly terrain mean that many farmers have to do this. She insisted that we try a drink she made for us all which I can only describe as runny porridge, it doesn’t translate in English. It is made with leftover porridge and fermented fruit and is drank for breakfast and as a snack throughout the day. She served us this with the tiniest sweetest bananas I’ve ever tasted, they were super yummy.

The last visit of the day was with Nomsa Dvuba who is a former finalist in the Woman Farmer of the Year Competition and this was evident when we saw the size and quality of her farm. You can see immediately the methods taught by the experts at the Woman Farmer Foundation training in clear view such as a board at the start of each new crop stating the crop, the date it was planted and the number of seedlings planted and using stakes to encourage the crops to grow upwards. It was clear that Nomsa has grown her farm gradually over the years and she is now very active in her community helping and advising other woman and young farmers. She is hopeful that she will be a finalist again in this years competition.

Thank you so much to the Teresa, Nkosinathi and Damian (pictured below) and of course to Carlos and Sonia and the rest of the team in the factory for looking after us so well and giving us an unforgettable experience. Jade, I and the rest of the True Origin team look forward to working with you all more closely in the future.

Jade and Nicola visit Eswatini Kitchen

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 20:04:33 GMT

Eswatini Kitchen and the Woman Farmer Foundation Visit - 26 Sep 2024

The drive into the Eswatini Kitchen office and factory is lined with hundreds of Mango Trees and the staff in the office could not believe how excited I was to see real life mangoes (and pineapples and papayas and bananas) in their natural habitats! All we see is the fruit in the supermarket or blended in a jar of jam etc, so I was beside myself with excitement to see mangoes on the mango trees which amused the staff greatly! They even humoured me by taking our photo in front of the them and broke off some of the fruit for us to hold.

We got a warm welcome from Carlos Paiva and met the team we would be spending time with over the next two days in their lovely air conditioned meeting room. We also got to meet some of the wonderful students who are sponsored by our dear customer Unicorn Grocery in conjunction with True Origin Partnerships, as they come to the end of their 3 month training course through the Tunnel Project, before the next cohort of around 20 students starting in October. Each of the students we spoke to told their own story of how the Woman Farmer Foundation has helped them turn the theory of what they had learned at university into practise by actually getting taught practical farming methods and having their own piece of land to cultivate using the Tunnels. These tunnels are particularly valuable as they allow the farmer to control the growing environment for the crops as the weather is unpredictable now due to climate change. We saw the difference these tunnels make as the tomato plants were almost 6ft tall whereas the ones in the open field without the protection were only around 2-3 ft tall. The weekend before we arrived in Eswatini, they had really bad hail storms and temperatures of around 15 degrees, and then a few days later it was bright sunshine and 41 degrees.

The students we met were Andile Hlatjwayo who is 28 years old and graduated from the University of Eswatini with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering. We also met Nolwazi Hlatjwayo who is 34 years old with a BSC in Horticulture and later on we met Nonsindiso Mamba. These three remarkable women are educated to a high level and yet could not find a job when they left university with their degrees and this problem is all too common in Eswatini where they have a very high unemployment rate but an educated youth who are willing to keep learning. This is where the Tunnel Project comes in. In university they only learn the classroom based theory which does not always transfer easily into starting a farm and turning it into a business. The Tunnel Project provides this link, it teaches them business skills such as bookkeeping, taxation and accountancy, business planning, IT skills etc and equips them to turn there land into a business.

One of the good things about Eswatini is that the king provides everyone with a piece of land and so they have the means to do subsistence farming but the skills learnt through the Tunnel Project allows them to develop this into a commercial business over time. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of these young women and their willingness to get out there and start putting what they have learnt into practice on their own land knowing that they have the knowledge and expertise of those at the Woman Farmer Foundation at their fingertips. The far right photo has Sonia Paiva on the right who founded The Woman Farmer Foundation and the Woman Farmer of the Year competition and she remains extremely passionate about these women and projects.

Next up was a tour of the factory by Carlos and Damien de Sousa. They were keen to show us where they started, where they are now, and where they hope to be in terms of factory capacity. They have plans to automate certain parts of the production line in order to be more efficient and save in production time. Carlos talked us through the current process and explained what each piece of equipment does. Jade and I showed great interest in the freezer room and just had to step inside to cool our burning hot Scottish skin down.

Next it was lunch time and we were treated to a proper Swazi tradition for sharing a meal together which was called a Shisa Nyama where the meats are cooked over an open flame and is served on a platter with pap (maize meal), coleslaw, and chakalaka beans. Everyone just tucks in and eats with their hands and enjoys the conversation and company. I have to say, it took Jade and I a while to get used to eating beans and coleslaw with our hands bur we really enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

After lunch we went back to the very welcome air conditioned meeting room where we spoke about both Eswatini’s future plans and True Origin’s plans and brainstormed ways we can work better together and our areas of growth. All in all it was a brilliant day, a huge learning curve for Jade and I but we soaked it all in … and then sweated it all out, 41 degrees was hard for us as we have not experienced that kind of heat before, thank goodness for air conditioning.

Jade and Nicola Visit Black Mamba

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:34:16 GMT

After attending the WFTO International Fair Trade Summit in Capetown, Jade and Nicola were lucky enough to get to go visit one of our producer groups, Black Mamba. If you haven't tried their delicious chilli products yet, head right over to our online shop and invest in some serious taste. Above is Nicola and Jade with Black Mamba Founder, Claudia. Now over to Nicola to tell the story in her own words...

We visited Black Mamba today and had the pleasure of being shown around Guba which is a permaculture education centre in Malkerns. It was great to see the fruits we see in our products on the trees and learn more about how this community project works.The images above show: Left; one of the classrooms. 2nd from left; papaya tree. 3rd from left and on the right; mango trees. The mangos have been harvested already, but here you can see baby mangos starting to grow for the next harvest - so cute!

We then went to the Black Mamba factory for a tour and met some of the wonderful staff. Below you can see some of the cooks. In the first pic there are 12 pots ready for the next batch of peri peri sauce.

C laudia then took us to a beautiful spot called Malendelas for lunch which is a little artisan village with a guest house, event space, shopping village, restaurant. It had a little Black Mamba shop where Claudia got us to do some tastings. The Chilli Crunch here was surprisingly good, even to me who doesn’t like heat.

B y the way it was 34 degrees here today and tomorrow has to be 37 degrees ��

We’re struggling with the heat as you can imagine.

Below is us contemplating and thinking about if there’s a way we can work together more.

What a great visit. Thanks Claudia and the team.

International Fair Trade Summit Opens in South Africa and True Origin is There

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 13:39:21 GMT

Jade and Nicola are representing us, catching up with associates and forging new relationships

So the 17th International Fair Trade Summit is underway in Capetown South Africa. Jade and Nicola are representing True origin. The event was officially opened b y the Rainbow Academy Choir and opening remarks were from World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) President, Roopa Mehta.

N icola attended a session from Fair Trade Africa and was delighted to hear how they are promoting Fair Trade within the continent, including products like jams from Meru Herbs in Kenya. Jade learned about being resourceful with food from the man who opened the continent’s first zero waste shop, Nude Foods. In their lunch break they checked out the Expo Market Place and met Esky and Sarah from our friends at Turqle

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Open Day at True Origin Warehouse with Howard

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:37:28 GMT

And drinks for former Scottish Fair Trade CE, Martin Rhodes

Thanks so much to everyone who came along to the open day at our warehouse in Paisley following the Scottish Fair Trade Campaigner Conference on Saturday 14th Sept. Visitors enjoyed seeing "where it all happens" at this end of the import process. The warehouse is filled with rice and other delicious Fair trade products and this gave folk a further chance to engage with Howard and sample some of our other offerings.

We were delighted that the warehouse was also the venue for the reception for Martin Rhodes MP, former CE of Scottish Fair Trade. Martin has been a tireless supporter of True Origin (formerly JTS) and of course Fair Trade in general and we much appreciate all his efforts in maintaining Scotland's Fair Trade Nation status and supporting organisations like ours. Attendees included past and present staff and volunteers and board members. We wish him well in his new role as MP. Thanks to everyone who attended.

Great Fairtrade Fortnight Event with Scotland Malawi Partnership and One World Shop - And of course, Howard!

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:53:21 GMT

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A n excellent #fairtradefortnight event in Edinburgh today at the Cornerstone Centre with True Origin, the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the One World Shop . The audience was a great mix of fair trade supporters and pupils from George Watsons College . TO Chair, Mary Popple spoke about the joys and challenges of running a fair trade social enterprise. Kilombero Rice farmer, Howard Msukwa talked eloquently about the importance of the fair trade partnership between KASFA and True Origin. Lots of enthusiastic tasting of TO products and sales of goods from the One World Shop. Thanks again Howard for your energy and enthusiasm.

Howard Presents Prizes to Budding Artists in Renfrewshire

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 21:59:17 GMT

Great event hosted by Renfrewshire Fair Trade Group

The Renfrewshire Fair Trade Steering Group's schools art exhibition and prize presentation was a big success, mainly thanks to Pauline for all her time and effort in making it a great event. The council were immensely helpful and the sound, catering and art went very well. About 60 people turned up.

All 5 prize winners and 5 other students received their prizes and certificates from Kilombero Rice farmer, Howard Msukwa. Howard spoke very well and presented the awards, and all the winners had their photos taken with him. Thanks also to those who judged the art and to Dylan for arranging the hoardings but also individual photos in frames for all the winners.

Each school which took part received a Fair Trade Bala Sport football, rugby ball and netball.

Special Guests and Busy Day at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 17:49:54 GMT

A visit from the Malawi High Commission and Oxfam

I t’s been a busy day at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair at Olympia in London at the True Origin stand. Jade, Nicola and board member, Simon are enthusing about our great Fair and Fine Foods and some good friends have dropped by. Popping over to say hello so far were Violelt Chakwera from the Malawian High Commission and her colleague, Trade Attache, Shakira Phiri.Alison Hutchison from Oxfam also came over to discuss future plans

Above: Nicola and Jade with Violet Chakwera and Shakira Phiri from the Malawi High Commission.

Above: Nicola with Alison from Oxfam.

And setting up yesterday. Jade and Nicola did an awesome job! Understandable Nicola fell asleep at the podium haha.

Gavin's Mill serve up a tasty dose of Kilombero Rice - with farmer, Howard

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 20:11:50 GMT

Fair Trade stalls, delicious rice and a guest of honour from Malawi

K ilombero Rice farmer, Howard Msukwa is in Scotland now and at the weekend Fair Trade supporters were able to enjoy his company at Gavin’s Mill in Milngavie near Glasgow. TOP founder, John Riches joined Howard in telling the rice story and guests enjoyed some delicious Kilombero rice dishes. The venue also hosted another Fairtrade Fortnight event with stalls from True Oigin, Hadeel and others. A great day indeed.

Rice Farmer Howard on Tour With Central England Co-op

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 16:50:58 GMT

An inspring visit to Staffordshire for our guest from Malawi

Back in 2022 Central England Co-op launched an innovative Co-operative International Trading Development Fund to help move global communities out of poverty. The current focus is the Our Malawi Partnership and in their stores, they’re selling a range of products linked to the country in support of producers and farmers. A proportion from the sale of these products will support the initiative and strengthen trading capacity in Malawi.

Along with some other great Fair Trade products from other importers like Liberation , Nutcellars and Revolver our Kilombero Rice is on shelf in around 200 Central Coop stores.

Ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight rice farmer, Howard Msukwa was the guest of Central England Co-op and he has had a great time meeting management and staff, customers and visiting a school and a community food project.

Here's some pics of the tour. Hope he's not too tired before he starts the Scottish leg.

Below, here he is accompanied by T.O. Chair, Mary Popple at the Streethay store and meeting with Debbie Robinson, Chief Executive of Central Co-op at the Boley Park store in Lichfield.

Below are Howard and Mary on a visit to Streethay Primary School in Lichfield, where pupils have recently successfully completed the 90KG Rice Challenge.

Cooking rice and curry in a community centre in Burton-on-Trent with Central Coop and Trent Dove housing association. Enjoying a slow cooker rice recipe with the team and True Origin Chair, Mary Popple.

Below. A chance to meet the marketing team, and r ecord a familiarisation video for s tore colleagues to understand the True Origin product. With Howard and Lauryn Mellor (Central England PR).

Welcome New Board Member, Matt Oliver

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:39:55 GMT

Traidcraft Tea - So Good

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 19:51:26 GMT

A perfect partnership: True Origin and Transform Trade

At True Origin we are very proud of our partnership with Transform Trade to bring back a refreshed version of the popular Traidcraft Tea.

As importer of this Fairtrade Certified beverage we donate at least 5% of the selling price to Transform Trade, who work alongside tea growers in South Asia and East Africa, supporting them to fight for fair wages, decent working conditions and a transparent supply chain.

Transfer Trade say that “bringing back Traidcraft Tea not only brings the benefits of Fair Trade to the producers who grow the tea but also provides an income to Transform Trade. This income, received from every pack of tea purchased, has allowed us to make future plans to work with even more inspirational business who are changing everything for their communities and showing the world a better way of doing business is possible.”

This blend boasts a harmonious balance of robust flavour and invigorating aroma, designed to awaken your senses with every sip. It tea was grown in the rich soil and high altitudes of the Great Rift Valley, Kenya - the perfect conditions to grow a refreshing and delicious tea.

It’s 100% supplied by smallholder co-operative. Unlike much tea grown on tea estates, it is hand picked to the highest quality and traceable.

Being 100% Fairtrade, it provides a fair income for the farmers who grew it and a Fairtrade Premium for community projects that benefit farmers, tea workers and their families including sustainable energy initiatives which support the planet.

This tea generates income for Transform Trade. They work with producers and workers to create a just and sustainable trading system in which everybody benefits. https://traidcraft.org/tea.

Here at True Origin we are pleased to distribute this tea along with our range of delightful fair trade foods from African producer partners.

The packaging is made from 80% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable. Tea bags are biodegradable and compost friendly.

Ingredients: 100% Black Tea Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Store in cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Once opened, store in an airtight container.

Order some from our online store . Catering pack also available.

Rice Farmer Howard Msukwa's UK Tour for Fairtrade Fortnight

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:03:31 GMT

We are delighted to welcome Howard Msukwa!

We are delighted that Howard Msukwa, rice farmer from Northern Malawi, is visiting the UK in September 2024 at the invitation of True Origin (previously JTS) and True Origin Partnerships (previously The Balmore Trust).

During Fairtrade fortnight Howard will be visiting schools, churches and community groups to speak about the challenges faced by the smallholder farmers and their communities. He will talk about the importance of fair trade to the farmers and their communities and will highlight the impact that climate change is having on their livelihoods. There will opportunity to hear about ways in which we can work together with the farmers and their communities to continue to build capacity and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Howard is a member of KASFA (Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association). One of the founder members when the organisation was established in 2001. Howard has since then served on its board in various roles including secretary, vice chair and chair. Howard has also served as a director of NASFAM (The National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi), most recently spending three years as its vice chair.

True Origin is a fair trade food importer seeking to support smallholder farmers in the global south by building mutually beneficial and empowering partnerships. In 2009, Howard was instrumental in forging a partnership between KASFA and JTS (now True Origin), a relationship which has developed and strengthened over the last 15 years.

True Origin buys and markets aromatic Kilombero rice from the farmers and over the years has been involved in the funding of a variety of projects supporting seed multiplication, education, ploughs, oxcarts, wells and irrigation. Currently True Origin Partnerships is working with the farmers on various projects including supporting groups of women farmers to develop a business making fuel briquettes from waste rice husks; and is exploring longer term irrigation solutions with the farmers.

Howard remains an advisor to the board of KASFA and acts as a link to True Origin Partnerships. We are delighted to welcome him to the UK.

On his visit Howard will be hosted firstly by Central England Coop who sell the rice through the Our Malawi Partnership. We are currently finalising plans for his visit to Scotland where he will be travelling around the country attending events from Dumfries to Aberdeen.

Public events confirmed so far include the Cornerstone Centre in Edinburgh on Thursday 12th September from 12.30-3pm . This event is hosted by True Origin/ True Origin Partnerships, One World Shop and the Scotland Malawi Partnership. Hear about the many challenges faced by Howard and his community and the joys too, and sample and buy some rice and other Fair Trade products. More details and register for the event here .

The other event confirmed so far is at Gavin’s Mill in Milngavie on Saturday 7th September from 7-9pm (tickets £10). Here you’ll get the chance to listen to Howard and c hat to him afterwards as well as taste some delicious Kilombero rice dishes cooked by the Gavin’s Mill Cafe. More details and register for the event here .

We will add the other events in Skipton, Yorkshire, Dumfries, Dundee, Perth, St Andrews, Paisley , Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow and Aberdeen as soon as they’re confirmed. Watch this space for updates and check out the posters below !

New Event Added in Aberdeen!

Grace's Briquette Project Update

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:35:28 GMT

True Origin Partnerships Friend Visits

The charcoal briquette project set up by a group of women in the Kilombero rice growing area of Malawi is progressing steadily, and we are delighted to be supporting it. Grace and her colleagues had the idea to turn waste rice husks into cooking fuel, saving them long walks to gather wood, and saving trees from being cut down to burn.

Katie, a friend of True Origin Partnerships is currently in Malawi with her family and recently visited the women’s group at Lupaso to see the briquette project. The machine was not running the day she visited but she was able to meet the group, see the buildings, chat to the women and buy a bag of briquettes which she tells me worked well for cooking.

S he reported that the effects of deforestation in the country are very obvious, emphasising the need for improved supplies of alternative cooking fuels such as the briquettes that the women’s groups are making.

The next phase of the project will be to support the women to scale up production and True Origin Partnerships is exploring how best to do that. Exciting times ahead.

Shortlisted For Another FDF Award. This Time In The Branding Category

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 15:55:59 GMT

We are up for 2 Food & Drink Federation Awards

We recently told you we have been shortlisted in the Net Zero Initiative of the Food and Drink Federation Awards. As ifs that wasn't exiting enough we have now been told we have also been shortlisted in the Brand Launch 0f The Year category.

In this category we are up against some huge brand names like Birds Eye, McVities and PepsiCo.

Jade took the lead in the award submissions so a big "well done" to her and the rest of the team. Fingers crossed!

We are delighted with our new branding and we hope you are too, as well as the judges in the awards.

Kilombero, Eswatini Kitchen, Ma’s Kitchen, Ukuva iAfrica, Cape Treasures and many more brand names, mean very little to UK consumers, never mind our original company name Just Trading Scotland (JTS). In order to expand, increase their selling potential, and get noticed by a new customer range, we needed something to change.

For a number of years, our small staff team had been talking about creating one brand, that will compliment one another. From rice, chutneys, seasoning tubs and more, we felt that this needed to be consistent and look like they are part of a range of products that are notably from the same company. This is why True Origin was created, to give a cohesive and consistent brand.

From the start, we had to engage a designer, to help us with this process. Through a recommendation, we used Finlay from Look At That, who were involved in a similar rebranding project by a company we class as a friend. The design itself, was orchestrated by the full True Origin Team, with the help and input from Finlay, and others that might know more about branding. We have a strong ethos that the True Origin staff should be at the heart of decision making, therefore the staff are involved within many aspects of the business that you wouldn’t normally see within other organisations.

We were adamant that the name had to have a sense of self explaining, which is why we are proud to have chosen True Origin as our new name and brand name.

The first product to be redesigned was Kilombero Rice. This was coordinated and carried out by National Flexible who created the film to our specifications and design. We worked with National Flexible to make our rice bags recyclable. They took the time to explain various options that we can use to make our packaging dreams come true.

As an already established fair trade and eco conscious business, we wanted True Origin to have the best start therefore we took the opportunity to make the rice packaging recyclable meaning that our tagline, “food that has true impact at origin”, was being fulfilled form every angle.

Meet our New Board Members

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:48:33 GMT

Welcome Colleen and France

We are pleased that the process for recruiting new members to the True Origin Board has concluded very successfully and we will welcome new members France Villeneuve Pictured above right) and Colleen Tait (pictured above left) to their first True Origin board meeting in September. In our sector it can be difficult to find suitably qualified people who will give a Board level commitment. However, we are delighted to have found two such people who have skills that we need to help us on the next stage in True Origin’s journey.

France Villeneuve joins us having already carried out an Impact Measurement project for True Origin in early 2024. With over 25 years of experience in multicultural environments, she specialises in sustainable growth, social impact, and ethical practices for international organisations. For the past 13 years, she has focused on fair trade certification and financial support for producers.

Colleen Tait brings significant experience of developing and implementing marketing campaigns and communications in the third sector. This includes five years with the Scottish Fair Trade Forum where she was first introduced to True Origin and she has been a fan of Kilombero rice ever since. She is passionate about sustainability, equity and justice.

As we are a small but complex organisation we take the view that a six month trial period on our Board is a good way for individuals and ourselves to make sure that we fit together. This reduces risks on both sides and so Colleen and France joined the Board on a trial basis on 1 July 2024. If you feel that you could give True Origin some of your time at Board level, please do get in touch.

See the full Board here .

Mary Popple, Chair, True Origin

True Origin Shortlisted in Food & Drink Federation Awards

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:16:55 GMT

Fingers crossed!

W e are excited to have been shortlisted in this years Food and Drink Federation Awards. The annual a wards recognise innovation, industry talent and healthier product development across the food and drink sector.

The other businesses shortlisted in the N et Z ero I nitiative category are; British Sugar, Eden Geothermal, Weetabix Food Company and Nomad Foods. We are up against some very stiff competition, but looking forward to the event in London in September.

“Respect for the Environment” is one of the ten fair trade principles which True Origin adheres to as a WFTO Guaranteed Member and one which has clearly increased in importance as the extent of the climate emergency has become ever clearer. We believe there can be no climate justice without fair trade, highlighting that smallholder farmers and workers are part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Over recent years we have reviewed our environmental policy and net zero ambitions, and this is driving actions throughout our business. Some of the actions we are undertaking::

S upported our parent charity, the Balmore Trust (now known as True origin partnerships) as they raisedfunds for a Briquette Project – led by women farmers in Malawi this award-winning project is seeking to reduce deforestation and waste by creating fuel briquettes from rice husks.

L aunched new resources within our 90kg Rice Challenge packs to enable schools to teach about climate change with real-life examples.
R eviewed our waste streams and increased the percentage we recycle.
I mplemented changes to our shipping practices to reduce the carbon footprint associated with imports - double layering containers and consolidating shipments from two suppliers to maximize the container fill and avoid waste.
F ocused on eliminating food waste, using our foodbank fund to give any short-dated stock away.
S ignificantly increased our organic range conscious of the benefits this brings to the planet.
T aken an active part in Veganuary, highlighting the benefits of introducing plant-based meals to your diet and increasing the range of vegan friendly recipes on our website.
E xtended our range of products available in bulk for zero waste shops.

We will continue to focus on putting people and planet first, playing our part in building an economic system which is socially-just and planet-friendly.

We are working on a climate policy which will build on our environmental policy and specifically consider additional actions around net zero and carbon footprint. We are reviewing our work and how it aligns with the SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals) and considering how we can better raise awareness of the climate credentials of our products, highlighting conscious consumerism as a priority for those who are concerned with climate matters.

Through all this we are seeking to reduce our environmental impact. As one practical example, we are currently testing recyclable packaging tape for orders.

Working with True Origin Partnerships (our parent charity) we hope to be able to share best practice between our various producer and to learn from them about how they are adapting to climate change and how we can support them in these initiatives.

The FDF Awards will bring together 600 guests to celebrate the winners and industry achievements from the last year. The FDF Awards 2024, sponsored by KPMG, will be hosted by the Irish chef, author of cookbooks and television presenter Clodagh McKenna, on Thursday 19th September at The Roundhouse in London.

Fingers crossed!

True Origin Partnerships Help Meru Herbs Secure Important Food Safety Certification

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 17:18:31 GMT

Read about the impact Meru Herbs expect from this funding grant

FSSC 2000 ACCREDITATION FOR MERU HERBS KENYA

True Origin Partnerships is delighted to be supporting women led Fair Trade food producer organisation Meru Herbs in Kenya with a grant to help secure food safety certification. T.O.P. will provide a total of £6000 over the next 3 years to enable the producer organisation to achieve this ongoing status.

Meru Herbs is a woman led organisation in rural Kenya and is dedicated to Fair Trade principles with a mission to empower women, alleviate poverty and improve standards of living. Meru Herbs gives small holder farmers the opportunity to sell their produce and improve their income by supplying directly to Meru and opening up global markets.

The range of their jams, marmalades, pickles, chutney, sauces and herbal teas supplied through True Origin are very popular with foodies and Fair Trade supporters. This accreditation will further enhance their appeal to consumers.

The FSSC 2200 is an International food safety certification Standard for food manufacturing. It offers a certification scheme that includes auditing and certification of Social Sustainability Management Systems to ensure safe and fair working conditions. This is in line with Meru Herbs’ Fair Trade Principles.

Meru Herbs wanted to have FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS CERTIFICATION not only because it aligns with their Fair Trade principles but because it will cover their entire operations. They currently have valid certifications for Organic Standards certified by ECOCERT that cover the Herbal Tea. The Organic certificate however does not cover the jams and sauces. Having the FSSC Certification will now cover all the jams and sauces and include the herbal teas as well.

BENEFITS OF THE FSSC FOR MERU HERBS COMMUNITY

1. Increased Food Safety Standards for Meru Herbs Tea, Jams and Sauces therefore inspiring more confidence to our Trading Partners and consumers.

2. Putting quality intellectual Production and Processing systems in place that can ensure continuity for years to come even with staff succession.

3. The inspection and audit can be done locally by SGS Kenya

4. Opening more markets for Meru Herbs (increased sales) through our Trading Partners such as True Origin.

S ally Sawaya, Meru Herbs MD said, “The increased market due to FSSC accreditation will definitely uplift the Meru Herbs current situation due to loss of sales post-covid and with the closing of Traidcraft UK who stocked a large percentage of Meru Herbs jams and sauces. It will not only continue to create employment for the women in the community but also provide income from produce to our farmers.”

22nd June 2024

Support for Woman Farmer Foundation Thanks to Unicorn Grocery

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 17:49:21 GMT

True Origin Partnerships Welcome 3 Year Grant to Support Women Farmers in Eswatini

Climate smart farming technologies such as production in tunnels or under shade nets allow high value crops to be grown in controlled environmental conditions that help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The aim of the project is to improve job security and income for rural young people by developing young farmers into agri-preneurs who can inspire and mentor their communities to mitigate the effects of rural poverty and climate change.

T he Unicorn Grocery 4% fund supports projects addressing problems arising from unfair world trade and regulations, poverty and unsustainable agriculture. They aim to fund projects that create ecologically and socially sustainable livelihoods, generally on s small scale, where communities and individuals are empowered to support themselves . Check out Unicorn Grocery

Hope, Talk and Action. A World Environment Day Message from Sally Sawaya at Meru Herbs in Kenya

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 17:01:47 GMT

Meru Herbs MD, Sally talks about the issues around climate change and how they are tackling them

My name is Sally Sawaya, I am the Managing Director of Meru Herbs Kenya. I have been with Meru Herbs for more than 25 years now. I am very passionate about Community Development and for this reason Meru Herbs is very close to my heart. Fair Trade and Organic Farming form the basis of trade for Meru Herbs.

Hope, when you till your land and plant your seeds, you know you have done the very best on your part, you sit and hope for the rains .. you hope the rains come because with the rain comes the hope to feed your family, your community and even the possibility of a little extra that can be sold in the market to earn some little income. With the climate change the big question is “will the rains come ?“

Meru Herbs is a community Based project - located in the Semi-arid region of Tharaka Nithi Meru – approximately 250 Km from the Capital city Nairobi. Even before we begin to speak about the climatic crisis, Meru Herbs from its semi arid location has already existing challenges with water and food security.

1 . Climatic change has led to more frequent extreme weather like droughts that have lasted longer than usual. It has led to irregular and unpredictable rainfall. Kenya has had about three droughts in the last 10 years. Our Meru Herbs Community heavily relies on rain-fed Agriculture and we are deeply affected by these changes. Being in a semi arid area, this has worsened the water shortage and food security in our Meru Herbs community. We rely heavily on rain fed Agriculture. We also do irrigation but even irrigation is a challenge if you dont have enough water. We get the water for irrigation from the rivers that require rain.To give a practical example our farmers have actually lost crops such as chamomile and other food crops because of shortage of rain. In 2020 as Meru Herbs we lost a whole crop of chamomile which heavily relies on water to flourish. It completely dried up because of lack of water.

2. Another effect of climatic change in our community is that the increased temperatures and variations have created conditions favourable for breeding pests. For example from December 2019 to March 2020 we had a locust invasion that affected our farmers and quite a few lost their crops due the invasion by locusts. This was after over 70 years. So something must be going wrong with our ecosyctem to create am environment that is condusive for locust invasion. Tharaka Nithi farmers lost 2400 metric tonnes of food in 2020. So you can imagine the farmer has really struggled to put up their crop and just when they are expecting to start harvesting the whole crop is wiped away by a locust invasion. This urgently calls for discussions on climatic change and how we can curb the situation to prevent another invasion and to protect the farmers and their crops.

3. Our area Meru Herbs is also prone to Malaria and so you find that climatic changes pose a risk in increase of vector and waterborne diseases. The increased temperatures, rainfall and humidity becomes condusive for malaria carrying mosquitoes.

4. Increase in malnutrion cases because of the threat on food security. Lack of proper balanced diet because the climatic changes takes away the choice to plant any food crop instead you are forced to adapt to the climatic changes and grow crops that are drought resistance and that will survive pest infestation

D OING OUR PART AS MERU HERBS – AS A FAIRTRADE ORGANISATION:

1. Our Meru Herbs community practices organic farming. This means our production processes are designed to align with the ecosystem. We farm in ways that are in line and preserve the environment. We do not use fertilizers or chemicals which polute the environment. In our Organic farming we do cover cropping, leguminous crops that aerate the soil. We put measures in place to prevent soil erosion.We also practice rotational farming meaning we have crop rotation plans in place. We plant trees as much as is possible with every opportunity we get.

2. We use renewable energy at the Meru Herbs Processing unit. Meaning the factories are powered by solar energy. So everything from the machines to housing to lighting is powered by solar energy in an effort to contribute to reduction in climatic crisis in whatever small way.

3. We recycle as much as is possible and try to reduce wastages. Take Hibiscus for instance we try and process the whole plant. We get the raw material in form of flowers, after shelling the flower is then dried to produce seeds which can be replanted or used to extract oil. The rest of the plant is then used to make compost manure which will be used in the farm. We recycle glass jars as much as possible. We hope to recycle plastics in future by melting them up to make bricks. We are sensitizing our community about the importance of reducing wastages and recycling as much as possible.

4. We are deliberate on packaging and we ask our suppliers for Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which gives us specific information like on the packaging like any harzadous ingredients, physical data, reactivity data, environment, basically information that will inform us in terms what it means to use that particular packaging as part of our production process and how it translates in terms of environmental resonsibility. We use production material that is biodegradable and also material that can be recycled.

5. Currently we are doing sea shipments as opposed to air shipments which means less emmissons.

6. We talk about it and I think this is very important because we create awareness in our community how our human activities are directly or indirectively affecting the climatic changes. It all starts with me as Sally, we as the Meru Herbs farmers, we as Meru Herbs community, we as a Nation, we as the world what is it that we are doing to contribute to the climatic crisis, what do we need to do different, what do we need to stop doing in order to deaccelarate the climatic crisis.

Dignity Through Trade - Our 2024 Annual Report

Tue, 14 May 2024 02:07:20 GMT

Download our latest Annual Report

Want to be our new Office Co-ordinator?

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:28:55 GMT

Exciting Opportunity to Help Grow an Ethical Food Business

Job Vacancy: Office Co-ordinator

Salary: Living Wage - £12.00 per hour (£23,400pa)
Location: Paisley, Renfrewshire
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Closing Date: Thursday 2nd May 2024
How to Apply: Please send CV and covering letter to info@trueorigin.org.uk

Click here to download the Position Description

The Organisation

True Origin is an ethical food business with a strong focus on people and planet. At True Origin, we view our primary mission as connecting smallholder farmers and producers from the global south with the UK market while educating UK consumers. Our present initiatives aim to seize the substantial growth opportunity presented to True Origin, with a focus on steering True Origin towards sustainability.

This role, reporting to the Office & E-commerce Manager, will be pivotal to the implementation of our growth plans as we continue to develop our current business and put in place building blocks that will enable significant future growth.

The successful applicant will be welcomed into a small, flexible team.

Key Role and Responsibilities

To carry out office-based tasks to ensure smooth fulfilment of customer orders.
To carry out general office co-ordination and administration tasks.
Coordinating effective communication materials.
Stay passionately informed about all the latest True Origin projects, products, and initiatives.

Core Tasks:

Coordinating the end-to-end processing of all orders, whilst delivering consistently great customer service. This includes customer ordering, despatching, and invoicing via Sage.
Provide finance admin support including owning the supplier invoicing process and supporting the customer statement process.
Provide communication and administrative support to facilitate social media posts, mailings/newsletters, and wider marketing projects.
Act as the first point of contact within the office, dealing with visitors and responding to phone and email enquiries.
Ensure key spreadsheets, online stock availability and mailing analytics, are regularly maintained.
Take charge of filing and office/warehouse supplies.
M inute taking, as and when required.

Key business reporting and administration

• Ensure records are maintained in an organised way to support business reporting.
• Provide other communication and administrative support to the wider team as requested.

Miscellaneous

Support wider sales and warehouse activity particularly during holiday periods and carry out any other work necessary to maintain excellent customer service, and any other duties commensurate with this post, or as reasonably requested by management.

Skills and qualities required

W ell organised with good attention to detail.
Excellent customer service and confidence in answering customer phone calls.
Competent user of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word.
Good written and verbal communication skills.
Numerate and comfortable reviewing data.
Friendly, sociable, and approachable.
Good team working skills, whilst being able to work on your own initiative.
Ability to support and challenge others.
Be proactive and adaptable to a fast-paced working environment.

Key benefits of working for True Origin

2 5 days annual leave
F lexible bank holidays
O ngoing training and development
S mall, friendly, and supportive team
Social events, once per quarter
Living Wage employer

We are an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their sex; religion or belief; race or ethnicity; age; sexual orientation or gender reassignment; or, whether they are married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are pregnant or on maternity leave or whether they are disabled.

Interviews will take place week commencing 6th May 2024.

Update on Grace's Briquette Project

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 22:45:04 GMT

Sustainable production a step closer, thanks to True Origin Partnerships

Good news from Malawi. Last year we learned that Grace’s Briquette Project had successfully managed to produce much needed cooking fuel from the husks of the Fair Trade Kilombero Rice. Two groups of women after building their own premises were able to produce high quality fuel briquettes in large quantities.

The briquettes are a great alternative to walking miles to cut and collect wood to cook with. The project was the brainchild of Grace Mwanguti.

A lengthy delay in achieving mains electricity connection for the buildings in the Karonga District of Northern Malawi did not deter them. The briquette machines were then found to have been supplied with incorrect motors and new motors had to be purchased. Grace continued to inspire the women around her with her commitment, determination and vision of a women’s cooperative.

True Origin Partnerships (formerly The Balmore Trust) was able to support Howard Msukwa to go on a fact finding visit to a group in the south of Malawi who successfully produce briquettes using the same machines. The information gained from that visit resulted in the women successfully producing their first batch of briquettes, a wonderful outcome for everyone involved. Despite the delays the project has become a focus for the women in the community to come together, with the buildings being used as a place for them to gather socially to or to pursue other projects, in itself a worthwhile achievement.

So the next phase was to look at how to take this forward as a viable business. Fast forward to April 2024 and True Origin Partnerships are working with a Malawi based Business Consultant, Khwima Singini, to gather information that will inform a business plan. This week Khwima met with both groups of women to discuss their plans. We look forward to the next steps and wish them all the very best.

Thanks to Howard Msukwa for providing the update and images.

Protecting the Environment - A Priority for True Origin

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:11:57 GMT

Our Updated Environmental Policy + Meet Our New Volunteers

The True Origin Board have reviewed and revised our Environmental Policy, reinforcing the importance of the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation)10 Principles of Fair Trade, with an emphasis on Principle 10: Climate Action and the Protection of The Environment.

True Origin recognises that trade justice is very linked with environmental justice and that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change on our producer partners and their communities, people who are seeing the biggest impact although contributing the least. Whilst our mission is clear about the importance of empowering producers through the fair purchasing and sale of food products primarily from the developing world, we recognise that there are significant trade-offs inherent in our business model. Importing foods, often as finished goods, from overseas has an environmental impact which needs to be balanced with the developmental benefits. We will seek trading relationships that promote climate justice for our partners. Within this context, we are committed to continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with regular review points. Where appropriate, we will encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same. You can download our latest environmental policy document here .

This seems like a good time to introduce our two volunteers, Milica and Zimo (pictured above), both are masters students in Edinburgh studying Citcular Economy and they are working on two projects for us:

1. Preparation for a climate related workshop at the BAFTS conference (to be held in Edinburgh 19th – 20th May 2024).

2. ⁠Development of some clear climate/environment criteria against which to assess our own products (eg made using renewable energy, grown organically, recyclable packaging) so we can communicate more clearly the climate credentials of our products.

Board Opportunities

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:04:42 GMT

Are you passionate about fair trade and sustainable partnering with producers in the Global South? Please read on.

Board Member opportunities

True Origin launched last year, building on the success of Just Trading Scotland. We’re now in our 16 ^th trading year and remain as committed to our social purpose as we did from our set up: working directly with smallholder farmers and communities in the global south to source the finest ethical foods.

In 2024/2025, we expect a number of our existing Board Members to retire. We are looking for 2 passionate, socially conscious individuals to join our Board ideally with PR, communications, marketing/social media; and funding/business development skills and experience.

As importantly, we’re looking for Board colleagues willing to ask questions, share our passion for fair, ethical trade, driving our brand (and supporting us with your networks) as well as your time commitment to the role. Interested in reading more? Please download our candidate pack for more information. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

This is a voluntary position therefore the role is unpaid. Reasonable expenses would be reimbursed in line with our expense policy.

To apply please send your CV and written statement to our Chair, Mary Popple mary@trueorigin.org.uk

Closing date for applications is Monday, 8 ^th April 2024 noon.

Changes to the True Origin Board

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 18:55:02 GMT

We are delighted to welcome our newest Board Member, Simon Remington. Simon began his relationship with True Origin whilst working for Midcounties Cooperative, where he was Buying Manager.

Simon has worked in commercial and buying roles for various retailers including Marks and Spencer, One Stop (Tesco), Spar (Blakemore) and most recently Midcounties Cooperative. He has also spent 7 years in the Airline Sector.

True Origin Chair, Mary Popple said “Simon will bring fresh ideas, retail knowledge and a good working knowledge of the Co-op to our enterprise.”

The board will benefit from his 27 years of experience in commercial roles as he helps to bring onboard new, like-minded customers, to enable growth for the future.

As Simon joins us, we say farewell and a huge thanks to Terry Lillie who stepped down at our recent board meeting. He has been a long serving True Origin (formerly Just Trading Scotland) board member since 2012.

“Terry’s common sense, business sense and determination to stick with JTS during very difficult times is being rewarded by a more sustainable business as time goes on. The enterprise is deeply indebted to Terry for all he has done.” Mary Popple.

Every year 12 million Christmas jumpers are sold in the UK

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:39:26 GMT

Supporting our ethical partner,Transform Trade

They can be fun, seasonal gifts for family, and bring festive cheer to Christmas parties. But most of these jumpers are only worn a handful of times (if they're lucky). And there’s something UK fashion brands fail to mention...

Discussions around waste at Christmas often focus on the wrapping paper, because it is usually single use; every Christmas in the UK we use enough to stretch to the moon.

But often we treat clothing, like Christmas jumpers, as equally disposable – flinging them straight into the textiles recycling bin. Or they will join the 350,000 tonnes of wearable clothing already going to landfill every year in the UK.

Worse still, 95% of Christmas jumpers are partially or wholly made of plastic. Polyester can take up to 200 years to degrade - so that jumper will probably last longer than you will.

Global clothing production for UK brands is incredibly exploitative and wasteful, and Christmas jumpers are just one small part of that. But thankfully environmental destruction is far from your only option for gifting this year. Our charity partner Transform Trade has an alternative... something to make things better.

It's a gift that transforms the fashion industry by helping some of the worst paid and worst treated people who make our clothes. This gift card supports homeworkers fighting for formal recognition to access the workers' rights they deserve - so they can support their families and are protected in the case of ill health.

This is just one example of what charity gifts can do - it's about seeing a flawed system and doing something better.

You can browse the full range here – our This Gift is Not Socks card is perfect for those difficult-to-buy-for family members. If you are looking for more traditional Christmas cards to send to your loved ones, Transform Trade’s charity cards are just the ticket.

Many Christmas jumpers on the racks this year will have been made in part by homeworkers. These homeworkers stitch, embroider and pack clothes from their homes or small workshops and are paid by the piece – all without basic health and safety, often long into old age. If you want to find out more about the homeworkers who make your clothes, take a look at Transform Trade’s Unseen Appeal .

This is just one example of what charity gifts can do - it's about seeing a flawed system and doing something better. Our friends at Gavin's Mill also have a great selection of ethical alternative Christmas presents through their Gavin's Mill Gifts . These also make a big difference in the lives of producers in the global south.

Supporting Rice Farmers in Malawi in their Battle Against Climate Change

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 18:10:25 GMT

True Origin Foods and True Origin Partnerships assist as crops devastate d

As Climate Change continues to be one of the major challenges faced by food producers in the Global South, the growers of True Origin Fair Trade Kilombero Rice have been suffering the effects of extreme weather patterns in recent months which have led to the devastation of their crops.

The south of Malawi faced severe flooding earlier in the year due to Cyclone Fred. The northern district of Karonga where the rice is produced faced prolonged dry spells which have greatly diminished rice crop yields.

The government have declared Karonga a disaster area are supplying maize to feed the population, including the farmers and their families through an emergency scheme. For the rice farmers the drought has meant that yields are down and they are suffering.

True Origin Chair, Mary Popple says “To the rice farmers of Karonga, rice is a cash crop, it’s their livelihood rather than a subsistence crop such as maize and cassava which they grow to eat. They tell us that it is very important that we continue to support them by buying their rice and thereby providing money for them to buy necessities such as secondary education, farming equipment, medicines etc. It is also important that foreign currency such as that generated through the export of rice continues to flow into Malawi to enable the country to function”.

Irrigation pumps have been supplied to the Kilombero Rice farmers by The Balmore Trust (now True Origin Partnerships) in the past. The farmers requested petrol powered pumps as they were available for immediate purchase and use, and much cheaper than any solar powered pumps that they could access quickly. The rice farmers are currently growing short variety rice which can be harvested in 90 days, as well as other food crops, thus improving food security in the region. True Origin Partnerships has started discussions with KASFA to look at a longer-term project to replace the petrol pumps with appropriate solar pumps.

Howard Msukwa of smallholder farmers association, KASFA said "The farmers who are still using pumps which the Balmore Trust (now True Origin Partnership) supported us with some time back survived the dry spell and are now busy preparing their fields for winter cropping, so they asked me to request irrigation support again.

“We agreed that, if possible, we need 20 petrol water pumps which can be used by 200+ farmers,” said Howard.

Sixteen petrol water pumps have since been purchased and distributed amongst the members enabling them to irrigate their land. These pumps have already been in use to assist farmers in growing crops that they will harvest and eat within their community.

From November onwards they will help irrigation for next year's rice crop”.

Funding this recent purchase was made possible through a few generous donations with the view to hopefully alleviating some of the climate effects that the farmers are seeing impacting on their rice and other crops.

True Origin Partnerships Chair Joyce Davidson said “The close working relationship between True Origin Foods and True Origin Partnerships means that we are able to gain a rapid understanding of issues affecting our producer partners. On this occasion, and thanks to some generous donations, we were able to respond immediately to KASFA’s request for urgent help to irrigate their crops. We hope that we can work together to look at the most appropriate longer term solutions”.

The drought-stricken farmers reached out to ask not just for the pumps but also that UK consumers continue to buy their rice as this provides their only income.

“True Origin and True Origin Partnerships are working together to do both these things. The close, direct relationship we have with all our producers means that we are able to support them through crises such as this in the most effective ways possible,” says True Origin Chair, Mary Popple.

True Origin is urging consumers to continue to buy Kilombero rice as part of their concern for our planet and its people. This crucial support can be done through True Origin online https://www.trueorigin.org.uk and through Fair Trade shops across the country.

True Origin Shortlisted for Awards

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 16:24:32 GMT

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Renfrewshire Chamber recently announced the 2023 shortlist for the annual business awards, the ROCCO’s. Now in their 19th Year, the ROCCOs are the premier business event in Renfrewshire, and we are delighted that True Origin has been shortlisted in two of the categories: ROCCO Award for Journey to Net Zero, sponsored by REN ZERO and ROCCO Award for Business Leader of the Year sponsored by DIAGEO.

Helping producers in the global south fight climate change is crucial for our business, and we are keen to do what we can here in Scotland so are excited to be one of 3 organisations shortlisted in the Journey to Net Zero category. True Origin MD, Tracy Mitchell says “Respect for the environment is one of the 10 fair trade principles and one which has clearly increased in importance as the extent of the climate emergency has become ever clearer. We believe there can be no climate justice without fair trade, highlighting that smallholder farmers and workers are part of the solution to the climate crisis. I am really pleased that our work in this area has been recognised in this way.”

This year the most significant project we have implemented relates to plastic waste. One of the biggest products we sell in volume is our Kilombero Rice from Malawi. In a 2019 investigation by Ethical Consumer which thoroughly reviewed 38 rice brands from many retailers, Kilombero rice was awarded the “best buy” status – the most ethical rice in the UK. The one area we didn’t score so well in was the plastic bags the rice used to be packaged in. After much research on different packaging options over several years, we have changed that and moved to recyclable bags. As we know plastic waste is a big issue worldwide, so we wanted to address this issue in our organisation to reduce our environmental impact. Having sustainable solutions to packaging, given the volumes of rice we sell (over 50,000 bags of rice so far this year), will significantly reduce the volume of non-recyclable plastic our business was previously generating

W e are exci ted that Tracy is one of the leaders shortlisted for the ROCCO Business Leader of the Year award which recognises the head of a company who has done some or all of the following:

● Led the company through a difficult phase - and came out on top
● Grown the company significantly whether it be by turnover/profit/market share/staff
● Enhanced the profile of the company on a local/national or even global basis
● Through their leadership the company excels in certain areas, such as service or quality
● Enhanced the reputation of Renfrewshire

We can safely say that Tracy has done all of the above and really is a motivating and inspiring influence over the team. Chair of the True Origin board, Mary Popple had this to say about the shortlisting.

"I am delighted that Tracy our MD has been shortlisted for this award. She has all the characteristics of an excellent leader - she thinks strategically, she understands the detail and cares deeply for the welfare of the staff and the mission of True Origin. And she is a pleasure to work with".

17 winners will be announced at the ceremony hosted by Fred MacAulay on the 17th November at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew. ROCCO Main Sponsor is Invest In Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire Council's programme to grow the local economy and support employment.

Renfrew ChamberCEO, Bob Grant said "We've had an amazing response with entries this year, many companies have great stories to share as we celebrate everything our business community has achieved together. A huge congratulations to all our finalists and commiserations to those who did not make the shortlist. Competition has been particularly tough this year and I would encourage you to please enter in 2024. Judging for 15 of the 17 awards will require the shortlisted organisations to present to our panels w/c 30th October at the Chamber Business Centre, Glasgow Airport”.

Wish us luck.

True Origin Becomes Transform Trade's Latest Ethical Partner

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 10:36:38 GMT

T his partnership builds on our joint work earlier this year to support Meru Herbs following the closure of Traidcraft. True Origin (then JTS) had quickly identified Meru Herbs as our most vulnerable producer partner at that time and we were thrilled to be able to create a link with Transform Trade who were able to provide a capacity building grant through their Producer Fund. Since then, we have been able to place a significant order with Meru Herbs, including a number of new lines (partly funded through our own Crowdfunder in April/May) and we are really looking forward to launching those products later this year. This one example highlights the value of working in collaboration with others in the fair trade sector and we are really looking forward to strengthening our joint work as Ethical Partners.

Transform Trade have said “We’re pleased to be partnering with True Origin so that together, we can work for a world where everyone can enjoy the benefits of trade. True Origin is proving every day that business can be done differently, while Transform Trade works directly with the most marginalised producers and campaigns for a fairer trading system.

“You will soon be able to top up your order with a donation to Transform Trade and support producers to build their businesses and advocate for their rights. To celebrate the new partnership True Origin are offering a free gift to Transform Trade supporters who place an order on their online shop between now and the end of October.

" Our roots are in the alternative trade movement in the northeast of England and we draw support from across the UK and beyond. We work in partnership with ethical business, workers, farmers and social entrepreneurs in South Asia and East Africa to transform trade so that everyone benefits. Our focus areas are Fashion, Tea and Farming. We used to be known as Traidcraft Exchange. "

Here’s a little more from Transform Trade

" Within an unjust and broken trading system, we stand with the workers, farmers and social entrepreneurs who are transforming trade. We act as a resource partner, accompanier, influencer, networker and ally. We work at local, national and international levels, focusing on Fashion, Tea and Farming.

We have a vision of trade which values all people and regenerates our fragile earth . "

For more information on Transform Trade please see

https://www.youtube.com/@transformtrade and https://www.transform-trade.org/

Thanks Joe

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 16:44:36 GMT

Board Member Joe Osman Steps Down From True Origin Board

Last week, Joe Osman attended his last meeting as one of our directors. I am grateful for all his support, challenge and input over the last 4 years. His depth of knowledge and contribution to our discussions across a wide variety of topics has been of huge value. As I was reflecting on this, I remembered the thorough and extremely helpful workshop he facilitated with the team as we sought to become Guaranteed Members of WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) and his supportive follow up from that day as we navigated the WFTO processes.

We will really miss Joe and asked him to say a few words - “Having left Traidcraft back in 2019 after nearly 40 years it didn’t feel like I was finished in being involved in the practicalities of Fair Trade so it was an absolute privilege to then get involved as a non-executive director of JTS (now True Origin Foods) just a few months later.

"JTS was a supplier to Traidcraft whist I was still there, and it always appeared to me to be one of the few dedicated Fair Trade organisations that was closest to many of the founding principles of Fair Trade. In fact, JTS reminded me of Traidcraft in its early years with a trading entity putting Fair Trade into practice and working directly with producer groups, but closely integrated with a charitable trust supporting those same groups.

“I now leave True Origin after a four year term and now ready to be a supporter of Fair Trade merely as a consumer. It’s been great to see the organisation develop over the last four years, not just in terms of sales growth but in terms of its now prominent and respected place in the UK Fair Trade landscape, especially now that Traidcraft is no longer around. Now with its fantastic rebranding I’m sure it’s a case of ‘upwards and onwards’ and I wish it every success.”

Mary Popple, as chair of the Board has commented “I am very sad that Joe is now moving on from the Board of True Origin. Joe has been a huge help to me as Chair of True Origin. He has always given wise and thoughtful counsel at Board meetings and his profound knowledge of the history and context of Fair Trade has help us steer True Origin successfully through the turbulent years we have just seen. Thank you and best wishes for the future.”

We really like the top image of Joe receiving a wee thank you at his last board meeting, taken by Lindsey at Edinburgh Photographic.

JTS Becomes True Origin - What's This All About?

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 19:15:45 GMT

Learn More About The True Origin Brand

Our aim is to have True Impact at Origin through food. The idea of connection and togetherness is key to our ethos, as smallholder farmers and producers are at the heart of True Origin. It’s in our name, we’re true to the product’s origin by providing sustainable incomes. This enables farmers to invest in equipment, education, infrastructure and environmental protection. This strong connection to the producers has been built into the brand’s visual language through the use of the 'TO' symbol and pattern. Created from the True Origin initials, this interwoven symbol represents the connection, togetherness and unity values of True Origin. The line-work as a textural quality, that of twine or thread.

Social Fabric is the relationships and connections we make with one another; making us all a part of the common thread of society as a whole. This is a lovely metaphor for the connections True Origin forms with its community. The True Origin social fabric not only includes the farming community but also the consumers across the United Kingdom who make the choice to use their money to support fairly traded products.

The name True Origin came from the core value of the brand, honesty, as well as a desire to restore the balance and equality to make a fairer world for our producers. Our ultimate goal is to have true impact at origin.

TRUE

1. IN ACCORDANCE WITH FACT OR REALITY.

Rightly or strictly so called; genuine.

2. ACCURATE OR EXACT.

Correctly positioned, balanced, or aligned.

3. LOYAL OR FAITHFUL.

Honest, of true character.

ORIGIN

1. POINT OR PLACE WHERE SOMETHING BEGINS.

Arises or is derived; source.

2. A PERSON’S SOCIAL BACKGROUND.

Ancestry or parentage; birth.

TRUE ORIGIN WORDMARK

The True Origin wordmark is simple, contemporary and impactful. The “O” is divided into two halves representing the unity between True Origin and our community of producers. The strong horizontal line through the centre of the wordmark works as a level line signifying the balance and equality that True Origin is striving to achieve.

PATTERN

By taking the True Origin symbol and repeating it we get this impactful and iconic pattern, demonstrating the strength that comes with unity. Similar to what you might expect from traditional African fabrics or artwork, it nicely nods to our producer countries. This graphic is used on our packaging to link our products together.

Drought in Northern Malawi and the importance of True Origin Rice Sales

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:57:22 GMT

The Karonga area of Northern Malawi has experienced a severe drought over the current growing season and the government are supplying maize to feed the population through an emergency scheme. For the rice farmers the drought has meant that yields are down and farmers are suffering. To the rice farmers of Karonga, rice is a cash crop - their livelihood - rather than a subsistence crop such as maize and cassava which they grow to eat. They tell us that it is very important that we continue to support them by buying their rice and thereby providing money for them to buy necessities such as secondary education, farming equipment, medicines etc. It is also important that foreign currency such as that generated through the export of rice continues to flow into Malawi to enable the country to function.

So, buying rice is important, but there is more that we are doing. Sometime ago we raised money through the Balmore Trust to buy pumps to assist irrigation of the paddy in dry years. This year these pumps have proved invaluable to the farmers who can access them. We have now been asked by KASFA if we could supply the funds to purchase another 20 petrol driven irrigation pumps which will be used by a further 200 farmers. These pumps will be used, if needed, from November onwards to help next year's rice crop, but in the meantime as soon as they are installed, they will assist farmers in growing crops that they will harvest and eat within their community.

It is crucial that we are proactive in helping the farmers combat climate change to help secure their future. Acting on the farmers requests for us to purchase rice and to support them through this time of huge hardship illustrates the importance of the partnership between the Kilombero rice farmers, JTS and the Balmore Trust.

Producer Visit: Sally from Meru Herbs in Kenya

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:29:07 GMT

A chance to sample some jam and hear about life for those who make it

I am so looking forward to meeting Sally tomorrow! I have been communicating with her regularly for several years now but so far we have only met via Zoom so meeting her face-to-face will be brilliant!

Sally Sawaya is the MD of Meru Herbs, a women-led enterprise in Meru, a community in rural Kenya, which produces delicious jams and sauces made from locally grown ingredients.

Sally is in Scotland for a few days visiting family after having been in Italy for a work project. We are thrilled that she is making time during this visit to meet with us and help us to promote the wonderful products from Meru Herbs in Kenya.

A key part of Sally’s visit will be spending time with the JTS team discussing our 2023 order and product developments.

There are three main opportunities for customers and supporters to meet Sally and hear about the work at Meru Herbs – and taste their products:

One World Shop, Edinburgh – Friday 2 ^nd June – 2.30pm-3.30pm in the shop, no need to book

Gavin’s Mill, Milngavie – Sunday 4 ^th June – 4.30pm-6pm, in the café – bo ok here: Meet Sally Sawaya Fair Trade Producer – Gavin's Mill (gavinsmill.org ) (or just come along).

Billington’s’ Deli, Lenzie – Tuesday 6 ^th June 6pm-8pm, in the deli – book here: Events | Billington's of Le nzie (billingtonsoflenzie.co.uk)

In addition, Sally will visit the Rainbow Turtle in Paisley on Tuesday 6 ^th June at about 11am and she will be taking part in the Shared Interest Volunteer Festival on Tuesday afternoon.

We hope those of you who are local enough will take the opportunity to meet with Sally and hear direct from her about the difference your purchasing makes.

Tracy

Dignity Through Trade

dave.macdonald@bigfrontdoor.com (David MacDonald) — Tue, 16 May 2023 17:30:09 GMT

Our Annual Report for 2022/23

We are pleased to publish our latest Dignity Through Trade report, our annual report for 2022/23. This reports on the year to end January 2023, another difficult year in every part of the world. For JTS, we are trading in times of financial hardship in the UK. For our producers, the effects of the Ukraine war have been huge, with issues surrounding the cost of oil particularly challenging. However, we have continued to grow in terms of sales and this is testament to our amazing team, their close relationship with our producers and their agility in facing change.

We continue to be totally committed to delivering as a fair trade business, working with others in the sector and putting the producers at the centre of this. It is clear that the fair trade sector is under strain at the moment but we believe our focus on direct relationships with producers is totally true to the principles of Fair Trade and we will remain steadfast in delivering against them.

We really hope you will find the report an inspiring read. As we focus on the True Origin of our products and continue to put people and planet first, we hope we can count on your support to help us fulfil our mission to provide Dignity through Trade.

Take a look at the report here

World Fair Trade Day - Regenerative Business

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Wed, 10 May 2023 17:03:57 GMT

Seeking to Create a Better Future: Regenerative Business

T he current economic model is leading to unsustainable levels of resource consumption, environmental degradation, and increasing social inequality. We see the devastating effects of this on the people and environment around us. Our time for debating is running out, and the time for action is now! It’s critically important for us to reimagine the economy and find a more sustainable and equitable way forward. As we seek to create a better future, it's essential that citizens, enterprises, activists, influencers, and policy makers work together to promote Fair Trade practices and support ethical and regenerative businesses.

As part of our commitment to World Fair Trade Day, we asked three of JTS’s directors to comment briefly on this topic.

John Riches, Founder and Director of JTS and long-time Trustee of the Balmore Trust (JTS’s parent charity) – commenting particularly about our work with KASFA in Malawi

We work with smallholder farmers to help them develop their farms into sustainable businesses and build resilient communities. Their way of life and form of farming has a very low carbon footprint and if developed could contribute significantly to the production of sustainable food. They have suffered from years of neglect and have become isolated and fragmented, very individualistic. To thrive, they need 1) to build sustainable producer organisations; 2) to have access to affordable finance; 3) investment in low carbon implements (oxcarts, ploughs), smart technologies (tunnel farming, fish farming); 4) access to wider markets. There needs to be a revolution in the culture of small-scale farming (not the introduction of hi-tech plantations). Partnership with fair trade importers who support these wider cultural developments can be truly regenerative.

Mary Popple Chair of JTS

The economic world in which we live seems entirely focussed on short term gain, which continues to favour the rich and disadvantage the poor. It seems to me that to create sustainable and fair distribution of wealth in our world we need to care less about today and more about tomorrow. The fair trade model of doing business fits this need with sustainable long term relationships giving producers the returns and the confidence to invest in their businesses. The JTS model of doing business is a re-imagined future. We pay producers as much as we can on agreeing a contract to pay for their outlay rather than paying in arrears. This helps secure their future, but to make this work for a reimagined economy requires lots of businesses in the Global North to do the same. Could others have the courage to do this and take their stakeholders with them?

Joe Osman, Director of JTS and author of “Traidcraft – Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution” JTS Director, Joe Osman, Launches New Book

Some of us have been around long enough to remember that ‘Fair Trade’ emerged from the ‘Alternative Trade’ movement back in the 70’s and 80’s. There was a recognition that the global economic system was arguably broken, and that poverty and inequity was one of the direct consequences. The greatest impact had been on the most vulnerable and disempowered, small-scale artisans or small holder farmers, especially in the global south. There needed to be a different way of doing business, and one which prioritized the interests of those primary producers as a fundamental aspect of organisational mission. Much has changed since those early days not the least a mainstream certification system which sees the Fairtrade label in all of the big supermarkets but not quite as radically ‘alternative’ as those early days. Environmental issues and climate change have added new dimensions to Fair Trade but the basic principles remain the same so it’s important that organisations like JTS who embrace that ‘alternative’ way of doing business continue to grow and thrive.

Why are we crowdfunding and how is it going?

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Fri, 05 May 2023 11:47:18 GMT

We are seeking funds to help us create growth. We want to strengthen our work with our amazing producer partners.

Running a fair trade business in the last few years has been challenging as we have navigated the supply chain challenges of the pandemic and the subsequent constraints on global shipping followed by the impacts of the Ukraine war and the cost of living crisis.

Our focus is on working with our producer partners to provide market access. We are pleased to report that our sales (and hence producer purchases) have been growing through this period, but the costs associated with overcoming all the challenges has not allowed us to generate a profit to adequately invest in growth. We are crowdfunding to help us do that.

Over the last 4 years, JTS purchases from producers have grown by over 50%. We are now seeking your support to increase this further. We aim to grow our sales by another 50% by 2025 to enable the producer groups to continue to make a real and lasting positive difference in their local communities as they struggle with the challenges of climate change on top of everything else.

Our target is £12k and we are very grateful for all the support that has already been pledged – we have reached £4k so far. BUT crowdfunding is time-limited and we only have until 29 ^th May to reach the target. We want to build foundations for the next 10 years of fair trading.

Will you help us this week?

JTS MD, Tracy Mitchell, talks about Meru Herbs in Kenya

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Thu, 04 May 2023 15:48:40 GMT

Why are Meru so special?

I wanted to share something about how I am I personally inspired by Meru Herbs in Kenya and keen to see our relationship continue and develop through 2023 and beyond.

My interest in Kenya goes back more than 40 years – my Godfather visited in the 1970s and brought back a wonderful wooden elephant puzzle for me and later, when I was a Guide, I did a project on Kenya for my Commonwealth badge.

So, when JTS started importing from Meru Herbs in 2013 I was eager to learn more about the producers and the products. Initially, we just listed some exotic jams and at that time it was a joint initiative with Traidcraft who imported some of Meru’s herbal teas. JTS’s relationship with Meru Herbs became much more significant when we introduced the two tomato-based sauces. These are now key products in our range with regular customers enthusing about the lack of additives and real fresh taste you get from the sauces. One local café owner, with considerable experience working in Italian restaurants, has described them as one of the best sauces he has come across in a jar. Certainly, the tomato & basil sauce is a store cupboard essential in our house – perfect for the evenings when I don’t have a plan for tea or need something really quick. On its own over pasta or with some chicken, bacon or vegetables through it, it makes a great family meal.

Over the years, I have been encouraged by the reception the products have received. We hosted a visit from Anisia Wanja from Meru Herbs in 2014, giving schools, fair trade groups and a local deli a chance to hear direct from one of our partners. At the time our then MD Malcolm commented “I learned (or more accurately it was reinforced) that producers in the developing world do not want charity. They want the opportunity to penetrate new markets and trade their products through ethical partners.” For three years from late 2016, we worked in collaboration with Soroptimists throughout GB & Ireland as sales through their groups supported the Soroptimists Meru Women’s Garden Project. We spoke and sold at local events and held a stall at their annual conference in Cardiff. This brought the products to a whole new audience with stalls at several events selling out.

With the two tomato products selling well, we now import by the container load. We like working with Meru Herbs and our involvement is wider than simply buying their delicious products:

In conjunction with The Balmore Trust and with support from the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, we have been working with Meru Herbs as they seek to become members of WFTO (the World Fair Trade Organization). Having achieved provisional membership status in 2022, they were audited earlier this year with the hope of becoming “guaranteed” members. We will share news on this as soon as we have it.
Meru Herbs have featured in the Gavin’s Mill alternative gift catalogue – funds raised this way have provided women farmers, and their families, with solar lamps to give safe, low-cost lighting using clean, renewable energy replacing hazardous paraffin lamps or candles. The lamps have a built-in radio and phone charger, providing families with news and entertainment.

Since the start of COVID restrictions, JTS has been developing its producer relationships through regular zoom sessions. We discuss orders of course but also business and community developments. Personally, I really value these sessions, and I particularly enjoy meeting with Sally Sawaya, the Meru Herbs managing director and her team. These sessions led to Sally speaking by zoom at a supporter event at Gavin’s Mill in 2022 where we learnt about the history of Meru Herbs, it’s links to Italy and how the factory is fully solar powered. As well as giving folks a chance to hear direct from Sally, the event included a jam tasting session and raised funds for staff uniforms at Meru Herbs.

It was really hard therefore earlier this year to have to share news with Sally that Traidcraft had gone into administration and that having assessed the impact on all our producer partners we had identified that Meru Herbs were particularly vulnerable. Traidcraft bought several Meru Herbs lines from JTS in large volumes and without their purchases we were really concerned about our stock levels and what the impact would be on our future ordering.

Following the closure of Traidcraft, Transform Trade contacted JTS to understand any key producer impacts and I expressed my concern for Meru Herbs. As you may have seen, Meru Herbs have as a result of these conversations, featured in the Transform Trade Producer Fund appeal https://www.transform-trade.org/producer – we are hopeful that they will receive a grant in the coming days to help them invest in training and certification as well as upgrade some production equipment.

As the Transform Trade appeal has said ” The success of a producer-led business is not measured purely in sales or in profit, but by their impact on the lives of the workers and artisans, the growers and makers they employ, and all of their families……Traidcraft (through JTS) was Meru Herbs' largest buyer, and their closure may affect as many as 1500 people.”

Throughout this period, we have been liaising closely with Sally, understanding the potential impact of not getting an order in 2023 as well as the importance of timing particularly for seasonally available fruits. I was really pleased then to be able to tell Sally in late March that our board had agreed to go ahead with an order and to work to raise funds through our Crowdfunding to enable us to add some new products. So far, we have only ordered the jams where the fruits were in season (and wouldn’t be for much longer); we will review sales data (and how this has changed post-Traidcraft) in early June with a view to firming up the rest of our order then – by which time we hope the required jars will have arrived with Meru Herbs to enable the rest of our order to be produced.

We continue to be totally committed to delivering as a fair trade business, putting the producers at the centre of this. It is clear that the fair trade sector is under strain at the moment but we believe our focus on direct relationships with producers is totally true to the principles of Fair Trade and we will remain steadfast in delivering against them.

We ask for your continued support as we continue to work with Meru Herbs.

Will you buy some of their wonderful products? We are particularly keen to see a growth in sales for these three products:

Tomato & Basil sauce Meru Herbs Tomato & Basil Sauce (295g) – JTS Retail
Tomato & Chilli sauce Meru Herbs Tomato & Chilli Sauce (295g) – JTS Retail
Hibiscus jam – which is on special offer through May Meru Herbs Hibiscus Jam (330g) – JTS Retail

Could you donate to our Crowdfunder for product development? JTS growth and development fund 2023 - a Food and Drink crowdfunding project in Paisley by JTS Fair Food Fine Food (crowdfunder.co.uk) .

The Challenges of Load Shedding in South Africa

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:42:08 GMT

How this is affecting the production of Beer Bread

An update from Tayrene at Barrett's Ridge in South Africa who is trying her best to produce an order of Beer Bread for JTS but is facing extreme challenges.

South Africa is currently experiencing massive load shedding. This means the government has put planned power outages in place in order to reduce the load on the national power generation plant. Being without power for up to 9 and a half hours a day affects every aspect of our supply chain, from the cutting and printing of our calico to sewing our bags and packing the product.

Due to our product being mostly had made and hand packed, this is really taking a toll on us and our production line capabilities. This past Friday we were without power from 10 am to 2:30pm. This gave us a working day of only 2 and a half hours.

We are currently cutting our calico by hand which is extremely time consuming and our seamstresses are unable to sew any bags during load shedding. Alternative power supplies such as generators and portable batteries are costly for any small business and difficult to fully charge when we have a 4 and a half hour load sheds.

Economists and analysts have warned that despite promises from the government to get new capacity online and having load shedding resolved within two years – or even sooner – South Africans should expect the situation to get worse, particularly in the coming months as the country heads into winter and energy demand shoots up.

Introducing True Origin

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:29:45 GMT

The new brand name for your favourite fair trade products

True Origin

True Origin is the new brand name that we are delighted to start using across the current JTS range from May 2023.

The new brand reflects our goal to have true impact at origin. Stressing the fact that we work directly with a network of small-holder farmers and producers in the global south to source the finest ethical foods.

Our desire is to make the world fairer for our producers, by offering them a sustainable income through our purchases and where appropriate to supplement this with development projects through our charity.

Small-holder farmers and producers are at the heart of True Origin. It’s in our new name, we’re true to the products’ origin by providing sustainable incomes which enable the farmers and producers to invest in equipment, education, infrastructure and environmental protection. “Connection” is an important part of our identity and this strong connection to the producers has been built into the brand’s visual language through the use of the TO symbol and pattern.

Other products, including the jam and chutney range from Eswatini and Beer Bread from Barrett’s Ridge, will follow as our 2023 purchase orders from these suppliers arrive over the summer/autumn.

We expect that more than half of our products will be in True Origin branding by October 2023. And over the summer we will be moving our websites, online shops, social media and email addresses across to True Origin.

True Origin Partnerships

You may be aware that JTS was founded in 2009 by The Balmore Trust, our parent charity. As it seeks to focus its development work on partnerships with our producers and their communities, The Balmore Trust will also be adopting a new name and image, becoming True Origin Partnerships later in the year.

So in short, we’re excited with this positive step forward for the business and we’re confident that consumers and supporters will love the newly designed packaging – we’ve certainly had very positive feedback from our producer partners overseas and our trade customers in the UK.

Below is a video telling you a little more about the rebranding:

Our website will change to: www.trueorigin.org.uk in due course but in then meantime, please continue to contact us in the usual way:

Website: www.jts.co.uk

Email: info@jts.co.uk

Phone: 0141 255 0901

Below are some FAQ's but if you have any other questions, please do let us know. We will do our best to answer them, this list will be added to as we receive questions from our customers and supporters.

Why the change in branding?

At JTS, we are focused on our relationships with producer partners and over the last couple of years we have been considering how we can grow our purchases from these partners to enable them to deliver increased positive impact in their communities.

We have always had great support from the fair trade community in UK, but we have struggled to really enthuse a wider audience about our product range. In order to grow our sales, market research and feedback from some of our larger customers have told us we need better product packaging and more cohesive look to our range so that customers can, for instance, see a link between Kilombero rice and Eswatini curry sauce.

It's also true that JTS is not yet well known even in the fair trade sector. Our role as the importer and distributor of such a wide range of quality fair trade foods is often invisible with potential customers unclear where they can source the products.

As part of our five-year strategic plan, we are aiming to substantially grow our work with our producer partners. This will involve widening our customer base, whilst encouraging our current customers to keep buying, in order to increase our sales turnover. It will also involve increased collaboration with our parent charity, the Balmore Trust, who support projects with our producer partners.

Over the last eighteen months, we have been listening to customers, learning about how they feel about our products and their packaging, seeking to understand what would help them to sell more of our range. Based on this feedback, and following detailed discussion internally and with The Balmore Trust, we are thrilled to announce our new brand.

How will the new brand affect the products?

The products themselves are not changing. It’s the same great tasting products with a fresh new look.

Currently JTS products are sold under the producers’ brands, creating a diverse but visually incohesive portfolio of brands. Now these products are all being brought under one brand, True Origin. This change allows True Origin to build a cross-category presence, promote repurchase and target a wider market, while still honouring the producers.

Our products have strong support from the fair trade community. This re-brand brings with it new opportunities to additionally position True Origin as a brand for foodies, and those who want quality ingredients.

What is the new brand?

For JTS, the new brand will be “True Origin” with the tag line “fair & fine foods”. The Balmore Trust will become known as “True Origin Partnerships”.

Is there an environmental impact on the change in branding/packaging?

The film used on the True Origin Kilombero Long Grain Rice will be recyclable – increasing the ethical stance of these great products.

Obviously, we are keen to minimise any waste associated with the branding change so you will continue to see our current branding on some products throughout 2023 and possibly beyond as we sell through existing stock. We know, for example, that most of our Christmas gift range will be in current branding for 2023 to avoid wastage of gift boxes and product. And, in the case of the rice, we have used up stocks of old-style bag film to provide 1kg bags for the 90kg Rice Challenge for this year.

What about the practicalities?

We will of course keep you updated but don’t worry – current email addresses and website addresses will redirect you to the new ones when that is relevant.

What’s happening with Kilombero Rice?

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:13:27 GMT

We have been receiving lots of enquiries about rice and why we have been out of stock of brown rice for so long, when rice will be available to shops again and what is happening with the 90kg Challenge. This blog gives some updates that will hopefully help explain the situation.

What’s been happening with buying rice?

We started the process of negotiating a new rice contract with NASFAM (the national farmer association in Malawi) as far back as February 2022. At that point the dollar/sterling exchange rate combined with increased local sales in Malawi (giving rise to low rice stock levels there) meant the price was so high that buying then was not an option. We agreed with NASFAM that we would wait for new harvest rice, when supplies would be higher and of better quality, and the anticipated price would be lower. We knew this would mean there would be a period when we were out of stock of 1kg brown rice, but we had little option.

When we did agree a contract in summer 2022, it was for four full containers of rice, the most we have ever imported. None the less, the price was much higher than our previous imports, due to increased costs in Malawi linked to global impact of the Ukraine war, combined with the worldwide concerns around the increasing cost-of-living and the ongoing challenges with the dollar/sterling exchange rate. Unlike many businesses, a key part of any price negotiation for a fair trade business is ensuring that the producers (in this case rice farmers at KASFA) are being paid fairly and for us that meant accepting the higher price and working through the implications for the UK market.

Why is it taking so long?

The impact of the war Ukraine is felt by us and our suppliers, especially in terms of the cost of oil and gas. You will remember the huge spike in oil prices last autumn and each and every one of us continue to feel the implications of that. Well, in countries like Malawi and Sri Lanka it had the impact of shutting down supplies for power stations and transport as these countries could not afford to buy oil. For the Kilombero rice farmers this meant that the rice in trucks travelling to Lilongwe from Karonga where it is grown (700km north of the capital) actually got stuck at the side of the road – no diesel for several weeks. Then when it eventually got to Lilongwe for the final milling, because of electricity blackouts the milling took much longer than it should. A shipment of rice that should have reached us in October finally arrived in Felixstowe just before Christmas. After processing to ensure the product meets UK food safety standards, we received the first into rice into the warehouse in February 2023.

This has a huge impact on our business. As part of our fair trade credentials, we pay the producers 50% when we place an order and 50% on receipt of goods. The delays mean our capital is being tied up for much longer than normal (cash tied up for 9 months is very costly to any business). This obviously has a cash flow impact and means we can’t purchase other goods until some of that money comes back. This is where the fair trading model collides with our normal capitalist model – but if farmers were to be made to wait for nine months post-harvest they would starve.

So why do you still not have rice for shops?

The increased purchase price, combined with anticipated increases in logistics and UK processing costs, meant we had to look hard at the retail price of our rice. We felt the 1kg bags would be retail constrained (too high a price for most consumers). Most premium rice is sold in 500g bags and we decided it was time to follow the retail trend and move to 500g bags for our main retail pack. This has involved considerable work from the team in the design and planning of a new pack size. We expect to get the film from the manufacturers in later April and bagging will take place as soon after that as possible. We hope to rice in new look 500g bags by early May. Excitingly, this new rice film is recyclable, addressing the main point that the Ethical Consumer Magazine highlighted when they awarded Kilombero Rice “Best Buy” status in 2019.

We had some old film for 1kg bags which we obviously didn’t want to waste so we have bagged a limited amount of new rice into this old film and are selling this exclusively to schools, churches and community groups for the 90kg Rice Challenge, keeping the price as low as possible to make the challenge attractive as a educational fair trade activity.

We are really excited to show you the new look, recyclable 500g bags very soon – meantime we do have 3kg bags in stock and 25kg sacks too, available for sale. Please do sign up to our newsletter list if you are not already on it so you can be amongst the first to know when we are ready to take orders for the new 500g bags.

Update on Grace's Briquette Project

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:17:06 GMT

First briquette's are produced

Grace’s briquette project continues to make progress despite various set-backs and it is wonderful to see the determination of Grace and the other women to see this project through to fruition. A lengthy delay in achieving mains electricity connection for the buildings did not deter them. The briquette machines were then found to have been supplied with incorrect motors and new motors have had to be purchased. These are now installed and the machines are finally working, so The Balmore Trust was recently able to support Howard Msukwa to go on a fact finding visit to a group in the south of Malawi who are successfully producing briquettes using the same machines. The information gained from this visit has now resulted in Grace’s group successfully producing their first batch of briquettes, a wonderful outcome for everyone involved. As you can see, the women are thrilled that production of briquettes is finally starting and we look forward to the ongoing success of their business.

Despite the delays the project has become a focus for the women in the community to come together, with the buildings being used as a place for the women to gather socially to or to pursue other projects, in itself a worthwhile achievement. Grace continues to inspire the women around her with her commitment, determination and vision of a women’s cooperative.

Devastating Climate Challenges in Malawi

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:55:55 GMT

Another year of drought in Karonga, Northern Malawi

You may have heard about the terrible floods in Malawi in the news which have affected the South of the country. However in the North, in the Karonga District where our Kilombero Rice is grown, they are facing another devastating climate issue: drought! The rice farmers have had to deal with a dry spell over the past 9 weeks which is taking its toll on their crops. Howard Msukwa has sent us these images of the rice and seedlings in the dry soil.

Maize is one of the main sources of food in the area and this too is badly affected by the drought. “It’s very bad. Imagine waiting from around 3rd January, and the rains just came yesterday. The rice which has survived will have very low yield. Even although the rains are finally here, most of the nurseries have dried up on the beds and farmers must now plant winter crop.” Howard Msukwa tells us.

Our thoughts are with the farmers and their families as they struggle to fight the battle against climate change. Yet again this shows how crucial our purchases of Fair Trade Kilombero Rice are. Despite having to deal with all of this Howard has sent clothing and books to the victims of the floods in the South.

Producer story for Fairtrade Fortnight

dave.macdonald@bigfrontdoor.com (David MacDonald) — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:09:34 GMT

MA's Kitchen is based in Sri Lankan and creates a wide range of food solutions primarily using produce grown in Sri Lanka. Our manufacturing facility in Minuwangoda specialises in all things coconut milk. Coconuts are sourced directly from farmers in the south of the country. Our extension team works with the farmers to set up fair trade practices and in many situations organic agricultural systems.

In relation to climate change ain its current and future impact, the farmers are most greatly influenced by irregular rain patterns- fluctuating between no rain and too much rain. The farmers together with the farmer group and extension team have shared knowledge on practices on how to retain rainwater around the coconut trees using pits. These changes to farming practices do not completely eliminate the issues arising from irregular rain however, it does contribute positively to the overall crop outcome and little by little we can have a lasting impact.

MAs not only works at the farmer level to try and mitigate issues relating to climate change but actively at the manufacturing facility.

"Hi, My name is S.M. Premalatha, I'm a production supervisor and have been working with MA's for 9 years.

We regularly have awareness sessions on ways we can work to reduce our contribution to climate change. Mostly these trainings are reminding us about resource preservation and even small things like turning off lights, reducing water waste can have an overall impact.

We've also committed to an annual tree-planting program where we plant coconut, vegetables and other fruit trees.

We've replanted in areas which have been cleared to regreen the area surrounding the manufacturing facility."

During the last national tree planting day we have been focused on planting fruit/edible trees in the area surrounding the manufacturing facility. Not only are we increasing the vegetation in our area but we are also reducing the area's susceptibility to soil erosion. There is the added benefit of harvesting the trees which are used in the company canteen which provides meals to the factory workers.

We believe that many small activities will combine to contribute an overall meaningful effort as a company to combat the negative impacts of climate change in the future.

THE FAIR TRADE MOVEMENT WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR TRADE JUSTICE

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 09:39:47 GMT

By now you may have heard that Traidcraft plc, one of the pioneers of the Fairtrade movement, has ceased trading.

Our thoughts are with all affected producers, suppliers, Traidcraft staff and passionate supporters at this difficult time.

But while this movement has lost one of its pioneers, the work very much continues.

It’s fitting that four of the organisations Traidcraft helped set up are able to continue to support the future of ethical trade. Transform Trade , the Fairtrade Foundation , Café Direct and Shared Interest all came out of the early Fairtrade movement. Now, together, we are well positioned to build on the legacy of Traidcraft – each in unique ways, while fair trade and ethical businesses in the UK continue to trade, proving every day that business can be done in ways which nourish people and protect the planet we all rely on.

But it’s not business alone which will change the world - at the heart of the trade justice movement are the people buying, selling, campaigning, donating and giving up their time. We’ve been hearing many inspirational stories of people who are stepping up their support for trade justice in light of the news about Traidcraft, with fresh enthusiasm to engage with the issues and work for a fairer world.

We recognise that the fair trade movement is under threat, and together, we are fighting back.

Now more than ever we need to show solidarity in the movement. We urge you to continue to buy, sell, campaign, donate, invest and promote fairer trade and push for a more ethical way of doing business.

Take action now – three actions you can take today!

In the wake of Traidcraft ceasing to trade, organisations are coming together in solidarity to support the people who matter most: the makers, growers and artisans.

1. Stock up

If you have previously bought from Traidcraft, whether to run a stall, to stock your business or for personal use, you can still get most of these products elsewhere . We’ve listed a few options below.

Where can I buy fair trade products now? (this list was kindly compiled by fair traders David Hough, Alan Cunningham, and others)?

Your local fair trade shop will be able to provide a wide range of fair trade items for personal use and you can talk to them about discounted or sale or return goods for stalls. You can find a list of BAFTS shop members on their website https://www.bafts.org.uk/find-shops

2. Donate to Transform Trade’s Producer Fund

Transform Trade are working hard to support the worst affected Producers across the world by providing grants, accompaniment and market access to help strengthen their businesses and keep orders coming in.

How can I support former Traidcraft producers to strengthen their businesses?

3. Campaign

Buying and selling isn’t enough. We need to change the systems which allow people to be exploited. Lend your voice to the campaigns that matter and fight for a fairer world. Add your voice right now at Fairtrade Foundation and Transform Trade .

JTS saddened to hear that Traidcraft plc is going into administration

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 19:16:55 GMT

Traidcraft has played a huge part in the UK fair trade market for longer than many of us can remember. They have had a major role in changing the landscape of ethical shopping, pioneering new products and providing a route to market for enterprising producers all around the world.

For JTS, Traidcraft has been a key customer for over a decade. Additionally, they encouraged us on our journey to become a WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) Guaranteed Supplier ensuring our business is managed in line with the 10 principles of fair trade.

The last few years have been some of the toughest trading conditions ever for fair trade businesses and we had been aware of the challenges at Traidcraft for some time. We had really hoped they would be able to overcome these challenges and were saddened to hear on Friday that they were going into administration.

We are of course concerned for their staff, several of whom have been our key contacts over a number of years, and we want to express our thanks for their custom, support and challenge. We understand the news will also have a big impact on Traidcraft’s supporters and customers. We hope that those who have been loyally supporting producers by buying from Traidcraft over the years (and in many case decades) will continue to buy and sell fair trade in their areas. The process won’t be as simple without Traidcraft around, but it is crucial for the sake of the overseas producers.

JTS will be doing all we can to minimise the impact on the wonderful producer groups that we have direct relationships with. The products that Traidcraft listed that we supplied came from far and wide: Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, India and Sri Lanka. (More details in the notes)

All of these products can be purchased direct from JTS at https://shop.jts.co.uk where we also have a small range of “and friends” products from other fair trade businesses.

As Charlotte Timson, Transform Trade CEO said in her comment on the news, the good work that Traidcraft pioneered cannot and will not be undone. At JTS, we are maintaining our commitment to offering small-scale producers and farmers access to UK markets and our commitment to providing UK consumers the best of fairly traded foods. We trust we can count on your support.

Tracy Mitchell

MD, on behalf of the JTS board and staff team

Notes: Main products supplied by JTS to Traidcraft:

Mixed Fruit Chutney, Medium Curry Sauce and seasonal gift packs from Eswatini Kitchen (WFTO producer based in the Kingdom of Eswatini)
Kilombero Rice from KASFA (WFTO producer based in Malawi)
Gift sets from Turqle Trading (WFTO producer based in South Africa)
Pasta sauces and jams from Meru Herbs (based in Kenya, this group is currently undergoing the audit process to become a WFTO accredited producer)
Fairtrade Coconut Milk and curry pastes from Ma’s (Sri Lanka)
Fairtrade pulses (lentils and chickpeas) from Nature Bio (India)
Beer Bread from Barrett’s Ridge, in South Africa (this group is at the early stages of WFTO accreditation)

Veganuary

nicola@jts.co.uk (Nicola Taylor) — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 11:00:19 GMT

Veganuary Offers from JTS

We are delighted to support Veganuary 2023. Our diet is crucial to our wellbeing and more and more people are choosing a vegan diet. At JTS we are catering to this need with a large number of our Fair Trade food products suitable for a vegan diet.

The Veganuary mission is to inspire and support people across the globe to try vegan for January and beyond and they’re celebrating their 10th Veganuary campaign in 2023! More than two million people have officially signed up since the pledge began in January 2014.

It’s easy and free to sign up: https://veganuary.com

Try vegan in January and get 10% off these great products:

We’ve got some great vegan recipes on our website for you to try: https://www.jts.co.uk/recipes

And there are lots more on the Veganuary website: https://veganuary.com/recipes/

JTS Publish Annual Report 2021 - 2022

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 09:31:11 GMT

Dignity Through Trade

We are pleased to publish our latest Dignity Through Trade report, our annual report for 2021/22. This reports on the year to end January 2022, a period in which we were all still very much dealing with COVID and the associated lockdowns and global supply chain challenges.

JTS survived the pandemic through the hard work of a stable and focussed staff team energised and committed to what they do, and a Board that is focussed on driving strategy and supportive interrogation of the business. We remain very grateful for all the support we receive from customers across the UK, your orders are crucial to us and of course to our producer partners.

It would be fair to say that 2022 has brought its own set of significant challenges (which partly explain why this report is being issued later in the year than planned). We really hope you will find the report an inspiring read; it has certainly been good to look back on last year and see the progress we made then and are continuing to make this year.

As we continue to focus on putting people and planet first, we hope we can count on your support to help us fulfil our mission to provide Dignity through Trade.

JTS named a finalist in the prestigious UK Social Enterprise Awards

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 09:46:12 GMT

Two shortlists in two weeks!

A couple of weeks ago, we were excited to announce that we are a finalist in the Social Enterprise Scotland Awards 2022. JTS has been short-listed in their Social Enterprise of the Year category in recognition of our mission and the impact we deliver. We are so pleased to be part of a list of very inspiring organisations that have made the shortlist for these awards!

This week JTS has also been named a finalist in the prestigious UK Social Enterprise Awards, which recognise businesses that are transforming communities and tackling climate change. We have been shortlisted in the Social Enterprise Team of the Year category. This category acknowledges those teams which have demonstrated the strength, passion and resilience which is so characteristic of the social enterprise sector.

I have said before that I am very privileged to lead such a wonderful team at JTS. Their roles are incredibly broad and varied and I am delighted that their teamwork, resilience, hard work and commitment to making a difference has been recognised in this way. They show a real thoughtfulness in balancing the need to grow JTS income with ensuring that the farmers and producers continue to grow their own incomes. Responding to the news, Mary Popple Chair of JTS said “I was thrilled to receive this news from Social Enterprise UK. This recognition ‘is richly deserved. Each person in the JTS team is truly committed to improving the lives of others through trade justice. They are simply inspiring to work with".

Board Director, Alistair Menzies commented about the team “They are hardworking, committed, adaptable and resilient. JTS are proud of them and grateful for their consistent efforts in the most uncertain of times.” Martin Hamilton, JTS’s Operations Manager and longest serving staff member, commented: “Over the moon that JTS and the staff team are being recognized for the amazing work that we do. The journey to get this far has not been easy but the level of commitment shown by the staff team, supported all the way by our volunteer board has been phenomenal. We strive everyday to improve lives for our producers, and the difference we make to their lives is always at the forefront of our minds as we continue our journey to sustainability and food justice.

JTS has a mission to empower food producers from the developing world, bringing their hard earned great quality food produce to market in the UK. It can go unnoticed that JTS has the same values when it comes to our UK mission. JTS has always strived to give opportunities and to empower individuals in need of a chance in life. Many of our current and previous employees have arrived at JTS out of work and untested in the job roles they have been employed to do. Being nominated for Social Enterprise Team of the Year showcases that companies like JTS who put their time, faith and belief in the individual can create a dedicated, skilled and passionate team of people from all walks of life pushing forward together making JTS the company that it is today.”

Nicola Taylor JTS’s Customer Relationship Manager said “I have been with JTS for 6 years now and for me, there is no greater sense of job satisfaction than knowing that the farmers and workers who produce our food will always be at the heart of what we do. As a team, we really do believe in the ethos and vision of JTS and that common bond unites us and makes us determined to work our hardest and do our very best to make the organisation a success and bring fair, fine and ethical food to the UK market. It has been a tough few years due to the pandemic, but even that challenge didn’t dent our determination. The whole team worked all the way through the pandemic remotely and used newfound (to us) technologies such as Zoom to communicate daily as a team and also to communicate with our producers in the Global South to make sure they were okay and what we could do to help them during the uncertain times.”

Nicola summed up our feelings about the short-listing “We are delighted that we have been shortlisted for the Social Enterprise Team of the Year award. We are a small team who believe we can make a big social impact and being shortlisted just gives us more impetus to keep moving forward and open up new markets for our producers thereby helping them to work their way out of poverty with dignity though trade.”

Tracy Mitchell

Managing Director

JTS

Build a Better World

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 13:46:23 GMT

JTS joins celebrations around the world for International Day of

Co-operatives this Saturday (July 2)

At JTS Fair Food Fine Food we are really pleased to be part of an exciting project being launched this weekend by the Central England Co-operative to support co-operatives and farmers’ associations in Malawi.

We are thrilled that Kilombero rice grown in and around Karonga in Northern Malawi will be available to Central England Co-operative customers from this weekend. The rice is supplied by KASFA, an inspiring association of smallholder rice farmers. KASFA work in conjunction with NASFAM, the largest independent, smallholder-owned membership organization in Malawi, to facilitate the import of rice to the UK.

Kilombero Rice has the been awarded the Ethical Consumer's 'Best Buy' for rice and both the white and brown rice have a Great Taste award assuring its good provenance and delicious taste. Buying their wonderful Kilombero rice at a fair and stable price provides the farmers with a sustainable income that is reinvested in their farms, providing better food security and the means to support and pay for their children's education.

Building on our 13 year partnership with KASFA, being part of the Co-operative International Trading Development project will enhance the farmers’ associations’ ability to strengthen community livelihoods as they seek to bring the poorest out of poverty. Together let’s Build a Better World.

Please click the button below to read the Press Release issued by Central England Co-operative telling more about this exciting project.

JTS recognised by the Social Enterprise World Forum

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:06:37 GMT

Earlier this month the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) officially recognised JTS as a social enterprise. JTS has long considered itself a social enterprise and acted as such. However, the scrutiny and approval of a respected third party gives consumers added confidence in the company’s claims.

The verification criteria used by SEWF covered the following areas of mission and governance:

Mission: the social enterprise has a clearly stated primary social or environmental mission.
Ethics: the social enterprise is transparent about and accountable to its mission and aspires to the highest ethical business standards in all internal and external dealings.
Income: the social enterprise generates the majority (51% or more) of its operating income from trade, the sale of products and services, including grants for product outputs or services.
Surplus: the social enterprise reinvests the majority (51% or more) of its surpluses in pursuit of the mission.
Ownership: the social enterprise is controlled in the interests of the stated mission, not individually controlled.
Asset Lock: the social enterprise has provisions in place to ensure that if the organisation is dissolved, disposed of or converted, all residual assets will be distributed in line with the stated mission.

It is exciting to have this additional recognition which builds on our World Fair Trade Organization Guaranteed Member status. We really hope this recognition will help us support our producer partners through increasing the sales of their wonderful food products.

FLOODING IN KWAZULU NATAL

Thu, 26 May 2022 08:43:40 GMT

Heartbreaking News from Tayrene at Barrett's Ridge, South Africa

** WARNING! SOME OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG MAY BE DISTURBING! **

On the 8 ^th of April 2022, Durban began to experience one of the deadliest storms since 1987. Nearly half of Durban's annual rainfall was recorded to have fallen within a 48-hour period. A state of disaster was declared on the 13 ^th of April 2022. To date, 435 people have died with 54 confirmed missing. 13 500 houses have been affected with 6278 people left homeless. As is with most disasters like this, the hardest hit were the poorer communities.

Many were left without water or electricity for 14 days. A main access road to fuel depots was also damaged leading to fuel shortages. The biggest port in Durban had to suspend all operations and turn ships away due to damage. Due to crop and infrastructure damage as well many major roads being flooded, the supply chain to major cities was affected. As Durban is the countries main sugar supplier, there has been a sugar shortage in Cape Town for 2 weeks now which has impacted our (Barrett's Ridge) ability to fulfil orders.

Here are some numbers to show the extent of the damage:

R955.4 million in damages to rail infrastructure.
R1 billion in damages to water and sanitation infrastructure.
R17 billion needed to fix overall damages.
110 SMMEs affected at a cost of R20 269 400.
R431 million in damages to the manufacturing sector.
R33.5 million in damages to the warehousing and logistics sector.
R18.1 million in damages to the construction industry.
R46.9 million in damages to the retail and wholesale sector.
R12.6 million in damages to the agricultural sector.

The damage is devastating, especially for a province that have not yet fully recovered economically or emotionally from the riots that happened last year.

LOAD SHEDDING

As a country, South Africa is also dealing with load shedding. These are scheduled power cuts to the entire country as the demand for electricity cannot be met. There have been 14 days of load shedding this year. We are currently in stage 4 which means the power is cut 3 times a day for 2.5 hours per shed.

In the worst case scenario, we are scheduled to have 295 days of load shedding from April this year to March next year. This mean small businesses can be without power for up to 5 hours a day. Many of us can't afford or are unable to use generators: due to cost and rising gas prices and so production for us is impossible.

The worry is that with winter coming, we may be moved to stage 6 as cold weather and rain increase demand…. Let’s hope we don’t get there.

WATER SHEDDING

But, we have to look on the bright side and be grateful that we are no longer water shedding alongside the load shedding.

In 2018 Cape Town’s water crisis was declared a national emergency. We were faced with becoming the 1st major city in the world to run out of drinkable water due to droughts. Water shedding was implemented to save water. In the immediate response to the water crisis, the municipality diverted water from the agricultural sector to supply the city. Although this was not a sustainable solution as water for agriculture was in short supply, and it also played a role in the loss of over 30,000 jobs in the agricultural sector.

At the most extreme point of the crisis, residents were limited to using only 50 litres of water per residence per day — to put that in context, it takes about 10 litres of water to flush a toilet. This led to monitoring the flushing of toilets, reusing grey water (which is waste water, except that from toilets), and banning activities that required excessive amounts of water. Pools were no longer allowed to be filled, cars could no longer be washed, and watering the garden became a nightly activity in order to reduce evaporation.

The city rolled out around 250,000 Water Management Devices (WMD) that set limits for water usage on properties. The devices were programmed to shut off a property’s water supply once it had reached the daily limit. Households that used high volumes of water and surpassed limits faced heavy fines. The municipality also temporarily increased water tariffs to discourage excessive use of water in each household.

Connections and Concerns – help needed

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 15:30:37 GMT

Working in fair trade with producer partners in six countries in Africa and the Indian sub-continent, there are times when a new story catches my attention in a way it might not otherwise. When a container ship blocked the Suez Canal, I was immediately mentally checking where our products were on route and wondering about the impact, or when COVID rates escalated in South Africa and then India my thoughts were with our producers there and likewise when there was flooding in Malawi, or protests in Eswatini. Sometimes, there is very little we can do, sometimes, as in the case of COVID, JTS has responded with an appeal to support the producer groups with hand-washing and education.

Most recently, it has been the situation in Sri Lanka that has made the headlines. It is, no doubt, much more complicated than this but, essentially, Sri Lanka has been massively impacted by the lack of foreign exchange following the collapse of the tourism industry in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 and travel restrictions related to COVID. The economic crisis is severe.

In the last few weeks, the situation in Sri Lanka has worsened with daily power cuts lasting for hours at a time and long queues for fuel as well as a steeply increasing cost of living. There have been protests widely across the country.

We have been in contact with the team at Ma’s Tropical Food Processing, our producer partner in Sri Lanka, to understand how this is affecting them and to see if there is anything practical that we can do at JTS to help. Their feedback was that “the situation on the ground is as bad as it looks…. It seems almost every part of the island is having a large protest.” Ma’s are predicting food shortages a few months away.

When the news headlines are so full of really tough situations, at home and abroad, it can be hard to know how to respond. In this situation, particularly given Sri Lanka’s need for export earnings, one very practical thing we can all do is support the work of amazing fair trade producers like Ma’s by buying their products.

JTS has stock of their Fairtrade & Organic coconut milk as well as their Organic curry pastes ( click here ) as well as an order in production in Sri Lanka that will provide some much needed income for Ma’s and their producer communities.

We will continue to be in touch with Ma’s and let you know if there are other ways we can support them.

Grace's Briquette Project wins award

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 10:28:21 GMT

Climate Partnership Award

We were delighted that The Balmore Trust and Grace’s Briquette Project were awarded the Climate Partnership Award at the Scottish Fair Trade Awards ceremony in November.

The Balmore Trust and JTS have been working together with Grace and her colleagues, rice farmers in Karonga, Northern Malawi, on their project to develop a business using the waste husks from rice milling to make fuel briquettes. This project aims to empower and support rural women in developing a business and to reduce deforestation by providing fuel that can be an alternative to firewood collected from the hillsides.

The two buildings which will house the briquette making machines have been constructed and the machines purchased. Currently the women are waiting for the buildings to be connected to electricity, required for the machines to function.

In the meantime training of the women in some of the required business skills has been started.

Placing fairness at the heart of climate ambitions

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:01:56 GMT

People and Planet must come first

With COP26 now underway in Glasgow, it is time to talk about “respect for the Environment” – one of the ten fair trade principles which JTS adheres to as a WFTO Guaranteed Member and one which has clearly increased in importance as the extent of the climate emergency has become ever clearer.

In September, the fair trade movement published a position paper calling on the international community to ensure that ambitious climate aims go hand in hand with trade justice goals.

The report stressed that there can be no climate justice without fair trade, highlighting that smallholder farmers and workers are part of the solution to the climate crisis. The paper calls for us to rebuild our economic system in a way which is socially-just and planet-friendly.

At JTS we have reviewed our Environmental Policy this year and the latest version is available to download below. This is not simply a paper policy – it is genuinely something that is driving actions and some examples of actions we have taken this year are given below:

we have replaced the lighting in our warehouse with new energy efficient lighting
we have significantly increased our organic range conscious of the benefits this brings to the planet
we have taken an active part in Veganuary, highlighting the benefits of introducing plant-based meals to your diet and increasing the range of vegan friendly recipes on our website
we have supported our parent charity, the Balmore Trust, as they have raised funds for the Briquette Project – led by women farmers in Malawi this is seeking to reduce deforestation and waste by creating fuel briquettes from rice husks
we have launched new resources within our 90kg Rice Challenge packs to enable schools to teach about climate change with a real life example
having researched the options, we are working on a project to move our Kilombero Rice into bags made from recyclable plastic in 2022
we have initiated a strategic review of our waste streams aiming to further increase the percentage that we recycle

Join us as we continue to focus on putting people and planet first, playing our part in building an economic system which is socially-just and planet-friendly.

#TradeJustice4Climate

Well done, KASFA, new WFTO member!

dave.macdonald@bigfrontdoor.com (David MacDonald) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 08:24:14 GMT

By Cathy Ratcliff of Thrive (www.thrive-scotland.org)

My first visit to KASFA (Kapora Smallholder Farmer Association) was a delight. Hard-working, no frills, community-based and democratic – those were the first things I noticed about KASFA. Staff and board took me to visit farmers in their fields, where we were dwarfed by the high-growing Kilombero rice, and all were keen to learn about the WFTO process. My subsequent visits to KASFA went just as well. I enjoyed working with these businesspeople, who made time in their busy work schedules to fit in all the decision-making, actions and monitoring that the WFTO membership process entails. KASFA’s Business Manager, Masangwi Mang’andale was the driving force in the process of WFTO membership, ably supported by board and staff. Early on, he facilitated a training session for the board on WFTO principles, and I brought WFTO posters which he put up around KASFA’s premises of office and warehouse. Initially I visited KASFA quarterly on half-day visits. As well as work meetings, we had lunches by the shore of Lake Malawi, a visit to Karonga’s museum (featuring a model Malawisaurus!) and a peer visit to the nearest WFTO member, in Tanzania. These all helped cement relations, while I also met key contacts – visiting the National Association of Smallholder Farmers (NASFAM) and US African Development Fund (USADF) in Lilongwe, and liaising frequently with WFTO Africa in Nairobi. (USADF gave KASFA a new rice mill and working capital.) And so, by the end of our first year of working together, when KASFA had achieved Provisional Membership and the global pandemic stopped my visits, KASFA and I had built up trust in each other.

In the first year, a graduate intern had written a broad assessment of how KASFA lived up to WFTO’s 10 principles. Thereafter we used an Excel timetable with WFTO’s 66 compliance criteria for producers, deciding how KASFA would meet these criteria, and monitoring KASFA’s progress in quarterly meetings, initially in person and then by Zoom. I also attended quarterly meetings of the Balmore Trust, which contracted me to work on this, as they held the Scottish Government grant to help KASFA become a WFTO member. And I met Scottish Fair Trade Forum, which advised on the process, reviewed KASFA’s Living Wage Ladder, and held the final meeting to celebrate achievements. All the way through, I monitored, met people, sorted problems, networked, coaxed, planned, suggested ideas, reported and advised the Balmore Trust when to send funds to KASFA.

In the second year, Masangwi completed the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) online, and KASFA continued to make good progress in spite of the pandemic. The Scottish Government and Corra Foundation, to whom I reported on this grant, allowed us to adjust the budget to make the project safe from COVID, for example using radio to get messages to farmers and air time for board meetings by phone. But nobody could get around the fact that KASFA now couldn’t host a peer review by another WFTO member, as the pandemic had stopped international travel. Fortunately KASFA’s SAR was good enough to allow WFTO Africa to waive the peer review requirement, but the project was still plagued by staff illness after getting their COVID-19 vaccines.

As if the pandemic was not enough to deal with, we also had to contend with the fact that KASFA is the first WFTO member in Malawi. So not only did the peer visit have to be to another country (to Kahawa Coffee in Tanzania), but there was no WFTO auditor in Malawi. KASFA identified consultants who could train to be a WFTO auditor, and WFTO Africa selected Ruth Phiri, trained her and contracted her to conduct the audit. She travelled safely by car to Karonga, where KASFA is based, conducted her audit and then worked with WFTO to write a report of the standard required. She did this without ever having seen a WFTO member, met anyone from WFTO, or observed a WFTO audit. She learned well and fast.

KASFA passed the audit. WFTO in the Netherlands reviewed KASFA’s Improvement Plan. And finally KASFA was pronounced a WFTO member! After 2.5 years of work, in the global pandemic and a country with no prior WFTO presence, KASFA had made it to its goal. KASFA’s measures to achieve WFTO membership had included infrastructure improvements at its warehouse, adoption and implementation of new policies, and training its 4,515 members (62% women) in various matters. Given its democratic structure plus previous and ongoing support from NASFAM, Balmore Trust and USADF, KASFA had started out in a strong position to gain WFTO membership, and everything came together to help KASFA advance and improve. But KASFA could never have achieved WFTO membership without the dedication of its people, in particular the encouragement of former Chair Howard Msukwa, active participation of board members, contributions by staff (especially the Miller, Ray Manda and Field Officer, Veronica Subi), and most of all the hard work and integrity of KASFA’s dynamic Business Manager, Masangwi Mang’andale.

KASFA is a pleasure to work with. I wish them well in their continuous improvement over years to come. Well done, KASFA!

JTS Annual Report 2020 / 2021

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:54:14 GMT

Dignity through Trade

We are delighted to share our review of 2020/21 with you, a year with both huge challenges and notable achievements. This was a year where we continued to work closely with our producer partners and where our staff went above and beyond to respond to the challenges of the pandemic.

The pandemic affected our whole supply chain. We were extremely humbled by the concern expressed by our producer partners when the UK was suffering the worst of the first phase of the pandemic and pleased to be able to honour and indeed increase our orders from these partners as the pandemic situation worsened for them.

We were delighted to be awarded WFTO Guaranteed Status demonstrating that we adhere to the ten principles of Fair Trade. With the climate emergency upon us, and COP26 being held in Glasgow in a few days, never before have these principles been more important, and the work that JTS undertakes more significant.

A recent report issued by the fair trade movement (which you can find below), highlighted the opportunities for producers, workers, and consumers to partner together to adopt more nature-based solutions, with smallholder farmers playing a vital role in feeding the world and doing so sustainably. We endorse that report and firmly believe that there can be no climate justice without trade justice.

We will continue to focus on putting people and planet first and we look forward to your support to help us fulfil our mission to provide Dignity through Trade.

We hope you enjoy reading our brief report.

Please click the buttons below to read the JTS Annual Report and the Fair Trade Movement Position Paper “Placing fairness at the heart of climate ambitions”

Cook-A-Long with a Bake Off Legend

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 12:24:24 GMT

Invitation to cook with Sandy Docherty

Build Back Fairer: Standing With Producers

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:37:17 GMT

The Woman Farmer Foundation of Eswatini: 7th September 12.30-1.30pm.

The Balmore Trust, JTS and Gavins Mill invite you to the first of a series on online meetings to hear from some of our Fair Trade producer partners about work they are doing in their local communities and what we can do to support them.

The first of these events will focus on the work of the Woman Farmer Foundation of Eswatini, which aims to empower and develop woman and young people who will in turn inspire and support their local communities to mitigate the effects of rural poverty.

Their Youth Technological tunnel project aims to empower young people aged 18-35 years from rural areas in Eswatini, offering training in high tunnel farming methods. This innovative technology promotes the growth of high value crops using sustainable technology aimed at combating climate change. High tunnels are low cost structures that make use of solar energy, protect crops form extreme weather conditions and have been shown to improve agricultural yields.

The aims of the project are to improve job security and income for rural young people, to increase youth involvement in Eswatini’s production of high value crops and to create and promote community youth agri-business models.

Watch the video below to find out more about the products available to buy from Eswatini through JTS and Gavin's Mill.

We would love for you to join us to learn more about the Tunnel Project and hear directly from some of the participants. Register now on Eventbrite for a Zoom link to attend this virtual event and learn more about how you can help to Build Back Fairer and Stand with the Producers. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join our team! We are recruiting.

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 13:17:30 GMT

Logistics and Quality Coordinator - Closing Date Friday 20th August

We are a small, friendly team making a big difference. We value and invest in our staff (as highlighted by this example: https://www.jts.co.uk/the-jts-i-know). If you would like to join us and have the right skills and experience, we will make sure that you have the training required to undertake your role and that you are rewarded for your commitment and expertise. We offer 34 days holidays (including bank holidays and a Christmas/New year shutdown) and are happy to consider requests for flexible working.

Context

JTS is an ethical food business with a strong focus on people and planet. At JTS we see our fundamental role as providing smallholder farmers and producers from the developing world with a UK market and educating UK consumers. Our current plans seek to ensure JTS capitalises on the significant opportunity it has been given for growth and our focus is on building JTS towards sustainability.

This role, reporting to the Operations Manager, will be pivotal to the implementation of our growth plans as we continue to develop our current business and put in place building blocks that will enable significant future growth.

Role and Responsibilities

• To co-ordinate the procurement, inbound logistics and product processing for any product purchases including taking part in quality checking

• To work with other members of the team and external support to develop and implement new business development plans

Key Tasks

Core tasks

• Work with others to understand requirement for any product purchases and then co-ordinate the procurement, inbound logistics and product processing for these including raising and managing POs, arranging and managing freight-in, including all document requirements and dealing with logistics and processing companies to ensure safe and timely receipt of stock (including Gold Seal Samples as required)

• Goods in processing – work with the Operations Manager to ensure all quality and weight checks are carried out and recorded, ensuring appropriate retained sample processes are in place and adhered to.

• Own the JTS Quality Management System (QMS) and associated procurement processes and act as the key point of contact for external food labelling and food standards expertise

• Develop good supplier relationships and liaise with suppliers re certifications and product specs and other aspects of the QMS as well as to monitor partnership agreements

• Book freight out and coordinate despatch admin

• Work with other members of the team and external support to develop and implement new business development plans including liaison with producers on possible range changes

Key business reporting and administration

• Ensure all product purchases and associated documentation is appropriately stored on the system

• Provide inputs to management/KPI/board reporting as requested

Miscellaneous

Support the operations manager with warehouse tasks as required and support wider sales and warehouse activity particularly during holiday periods.

Carry out any other work necessary to maintain excellent customer service, and any other duties commensurate with this post, or as reasonably requested by management.

Skills required

• Knowledge of logistics and importing

• Numerate with an organised, logical approach

• Competent user of IT – specifically Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Sage

• Good communication skills, written and verbal

• Good team working skills, with an ability to support and challenge others and work on your own initiative in a target driven environment

How to apply

Send your CV and covering letter to info@jts.co.uk.

Standing with our Producers

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 13:23:07 GMT

It is a critical time as in the UK we move tentatively out of the pandemic grateful for our widespread vaccination programme. Our producers are not so lucky, and Covid has undoubtedly widened the gap between the ‘have’ nations and the ‘have not’ nations of our world. Now more than ever they need u s to stand by them.

We have talked with our producers in South Africa, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Malawi, Kenya, Sri Lanka and India to try to comprehend how their day-to-day lives are being affected by Covid and by political and other issues that have been compounded by Covid. Here are comments from some of our partners in South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini with some of the points they have made to us giving us so many reasons to count our blessings and give them our support, and why it is more important than ever that we all keep buying their products and stand with them.

Our Beer Bread and our Turqle ranges of products come from South Africa. South Africa has been in some form of lockdown for 18 months leading many businesses to close with massive job losses. With donor fatigue and a strained economy many feeding schemes and informal day care facilities have shut their doors and people are worried and frustrated.

Now, we hear of riots following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma for corruption. These triggered further looting and riots, fuelled by the job layoffs and economic inequality made worse by the pandemic. One of our producers says she feels she can speak for all South Africans when she says, “We are tired, frustrated, scared, angry and just emotionally exhausted. We (especially those of us in the Western Cape) felt helpless and heartbroken as all we could do was watch as businesses and communities were looted, burnt and destroyed”.

However, as Tayrene Barrett, the owner of Barrett’s Ridge Beer Bread says, ‘There is always hope and resilience even in chaos. South Africa has no shortage of helpers in times of crisis. That is our real strength. As exhausted and scared and tired as they are, South Africans have come together to mend their communities. People are fighting back with care for one another in many ways, from blood donations to providing baby food, people coming together in hardship clearing up the mess”. Read about this in the article Tayrene sent us:

Rebuild SA: Photos of the Clean Ups Bring Hope!

In The Kingdom of Eswatini, a small country landlocked by South Africa, there has also been unrest and protests in recent weeks as jobs go and money is scarce. With the riots and protests in South Africa Covid has inevitably spiked again leading to restrictions again in Eswatini. This causes increased hardship for the farmers and the Eswatini Kitchen factory where our sauces and jams are produced, with production stopping and starting and loss of income for all.

As we approach the crucial COP26 conference in November in Glasgow, we are all aware of the impact of climate change globally. The carbon footprint of our smallholder farmers and producers is tiny compared to ours, yet they are the people who will suffer most. We are together and individually part of the hope for the future for Tayrene and the workers and farmers who supply Barrett’s Ridge, and all our partners. We ask you to help us stand by our producers in these increasingly difficult times for them. Keep buying fairly traded goods and help us all build back a fairer world. Please ask your friends directly and on social media to do the same.

'Facing the Crisis' Digital Exhibition

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:38:39 GMT

The theme of climate justice touches on many issues including politics, trade, and human rights and the inequalities it emphasises, and how different organisations are working towards a fairer and more sustainable world. As a part of highlighting these issues and ahead of COP26 taking place in Glasgow later this year, t he Scottish International Development Alliance recently created a website “ Facing the Crisis ” as a digital exhibition to showcase the very real challenges that are being faced around the world.

A representative from the Alliance said “We are excited to introduce our new online digital exhibition, Facing the Crisis, exploring the impacts of the climate crisis across the globe. Across more than 50 films and images, discover personal stories, challenges and responses to the climate crisis in countries across the “Global South” through the lens of photography and film. Each image tells its own story of the human costs and resilience of people around the world. Please take your time, share images using #FacingTheCrisis, and enjoy!”

Organisations and individuals are able to upload their photos and share the stories behind them, so JTS and the Balmore Trust collaborated with their producer partners KASFA (an association of rice farmers) in Northern Malawi to tell their story.

This digital exhibition is well worth exploring as it gives you a real insight into how the climate crisis is affecting every day life and the mitigations that communities are having to put in place to combat the challenges that climate change brings. Below are the photos submitted by The Balmore Trust and JTS and we would appreciate if you would click on the photos to learn about the stories behind them.

How to Prepare Dried Chickpeas

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 17:06:35 GMT

We asked our Fair Trade Foodie, Fiona to explain how to prepare our new Fairtrade, Organic Chickpeas. Here’s her advice – and it’s painless. Follow the steps below or alternatively, scroll to the bottom to view a video showing how to prepare dried chickpeas.

We have been enjoying chickpeas for thousands of years. Tasty, high in protein and fibre with loads of vitamins and minerals. Plus they are a satisfying slow release carbohydrate. What’s not to like?

Why choose JTS dried chickpeas?

It’s easy to open a tin but try dried chickpeas and you might be converted. Tinned or jarred ones can have salt and preservatives, whereas the tasty organic JTS chickpeas are simply harvested and dried before they reach you from the fairtrade farmers in India. You can then decide whether you want them nutty or melting when you cook them and how much salt, for example, you want to use.

Economical

When they soak and cook, chickpeas more than double in weight and bulk so the packets contain far more than you think. A 500g pack takes up little cupboard space but gives you more than a kilo of ready to eat chickpeas. That would be nearly five tins worth (as the tin weight includes the liquid the chickpeas are in).

How to prepare chickpeas

All you need is a large bowl and water. Simply leave the chickpeas in deep water for about 8 to 12 hours – overnight or doing it in the morning is easiest. You can add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda if you want them to get really soft but it’s not necessary.

They will swell up and after a quick draining and rinsing are ready to go in a pan covered with fresh water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about an hour.

Start testing after about 50 minutes to see if they are to your liking – softer makes silky humus but for some recipes like a curry you might fancy them with a bit more bite. If you have used bicarbonate of soda they could take less time to completely soften. My test batch took 45 minutes with bicarb.

That is all there is to it!

Is it too much work?

If you are thinking you don’t want to be “cooking” for over a day for one dish, remember it will only take you a minute to get a bowl, put chickpeas in and fill the bowl from the cold tap. That’s you done. The next day (or at dinner time if you put then to soak in the morning) you only need to put them on to simmer in fresh water and they can just sit on the hob while you cook the rest of the food.

Bulk Cooking

Chickpeas will keep covered in the fridge for three days but put them in the freezer (patting them dry with kitchen roll first) and they will be ready to go into action for months.

The hands-on work of chickpeas is absolutely minimal but the reward is maximum!

Your plump chickpeas can be put in a tasty curry or falafel, added to a salad, roasted as a snack or get your processor out, whizz them with crushed garlic, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil for the best hummus you ever tasted!

Fiona

PLEASE WATCH VIDEO BELOW TO SHOW YOU HOW TO PREPARE DRIED CHICKPEAS

Briquette Project UPDATE

dave.macdonald@bigfrontdoor.com (David MacDonald) — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 10:10:19 GMT

Thank you for helping to make Grace's dream a reality.

Thank you to all our wonderful donors who are helping to make Grace’s dream a reality. Below is an update from Grace telling how the project is progressing thanks to your generosity.

About Grace and her Vision

Grace Mwanguti a woman rice farmer in Karonga, Northern Malawi wants to start a business to turn the waste product from rice milling into a useful fuel for cooking. The idea is not new, but what is really different is that this will be a business to be run by women for women. It will help ease the lives of women rice farmers who for generations have had the back-breaking job of collecting firewood in the hills and also help to stop the denudation of the hill slopes itself a serious environmental and climate emergency issue. The business will also give women training in management and computing skills, and potentially more confidence in their abilities in a society where women do not traditionally have equality of opportunity with men.

• Support the development of an emerging woman’s business

• Make the daily lives of women less arduous

• Contribute to the manufacture of inexpensive cooking fuel for families

• Reduce the problems created by undisposed, rotting rice hasks

• Help upskill members of this rural community, particularly women

• Support ongoing work against climate change by reducing deforestation.

Progress so far ...

The two groups of women have been working hard on the construction of the buildings to house the briquette machines and we are amazed at the rapid progress. At Kaporo, which was the first to start, the roofing timbers are on the building and the women have purchased iron sheets for the roof. At Lupaso, the walls are complete and the roofing timbers will be the next phase of construction.

The women would like to be able to complete the buildings and purchase the briquette machines by the end of June when the rice harvest is in.

Can you help us with this last stage of our fundraising to make this happen?

Donations of Rice to Foodbank Appeal

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 13:04:49 GMT

Donating rice to our Foodbank Appeal helps those in need both locally and globally

Food scarcity is becoming a real issue in today's society. In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children. This problem has become even more prevalent in recent times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. In order to do our bit in addressing this issue, JTS are launching our biggest ever rice donation project with the aim of helping those in desperate need, both in our communities here and also in the farming communities in Malawi who have also been adversely affected by the pandemic.

Due to lockdown, many of our customers in shops, churches, and schools have not been able to undertake the 90kg Rice Challenge as they usually would, this has meant a severe drop in demand for rice and therefore us not being able to order containers of rice which the farmers depend on for their livelihoods and their children’s education.

Can you get a few people to contribute towards a 90kg Rice Challenge which we can then submit to a local foodbank on your behalf? JTS will commit to donating an extra 6 bags of rice for every 90kg donated .

90kg of rice can benefit households in the UK as part of their food parcels issued by the foodbanks and meanwhile in Malawi 90kg of rice can provide a sustainable income for a rice farmer and his family and enable a child to attend secondary school for one year.

Any contribution is worthwhile so if 90kgs is too much then there is also the option to donate anything from 1kg.

Let’s help to fight food poverty both locally and globally.

Briquette Project

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 11:30:50 GMT

Grace Mwanguti has a vision. Can you help?

JTS and the Balmore trust are raising money to help Grace and her farming colleagues turn the vision into a reality. The start-up project has now begun, and the women are busy building sheds and learning about financial management.

The project encompasses building two brick sheds, provide two briquette making machines, storage, management computing facilities and training and running for the first four months of work. Because of a large spike in Covid cases since November and a high death rate we have now included provision of PPE for the workers and their families in the budget. In consultation with our colleagues in Malawi we agreed to send £1500 from project funds to buy mask making equipment (sewing machines), cloth and sanitising equipment, in order to try to keep the women safe as they work. The Covid spike has now passed but has left much uncertainty. Several politicians are among the dead and, because testing is not available to all who might need it, the infection rate and death toll is believed to have been considerably higher than the formal figures show.

Our budget is £10,000 to include the additional PPE. So far £4,000 has been donated. We would like this building project to be completed by the time the rice harvest commences in May/June this year when the first rice hasks could be processed.

Through this project we will:

• Support the development of an emerging woman’s business

• Make the daily lives of women less arduous

• Contribute to the manufacture of inexpensive cooking fuel for families

• Reduce the problems created by undisposed, rotting rice hasks

• Help upskill members of this rural community, particularly women

• Support ongoing work against climate change by reducing deforestation.

I wonder if you can help. Please donate any amount no matter how small, through our Total Giving page here

Mary Popple

Chair of JTS and Trustee of the Balmore Trust

Making Veganuary Extra Good – Vegan and Fair Trade

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 17:08:04 GMT

Take part in Veganuary for a healthier start to the new year

If you haven’t heard of Veganuary it’s an annual campaign, as you might expect, to encourage people to become vegan. A new year – a new diet, and we’re right behind it.

Chances are though you will have heard of Veganuary as it is gaining traction with a record number of sign-ups this year. More than 500,000 have taken a step to try a plant based diet.

If you’re new to JTS and have landed on this blog as a novice vegan, a big warm welcome to you. We are a not for profit importing a range of sustainably sourced, fairly traded food products, some of which are organically produced and some are vegan friendly. All of them make a big difference in the lives of the developing country family farmers who produce them.

To introduce you to our great tasting fairly traded vegan products we’ve got some great, special Veganuary offers. Order yours, delivered to your door. Just look for the special packages on our online store .

Meet the producers and learn about the farmer organisations we work with in developing countries and see how the fair trade system benefits them.

Vegan products offered by JTS include:

Kilombero Rice (white and brown long grain rice)
Ma’s Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk
Meru Herbs Tomato & Basil Sauce, Tomato & Chilli Sauce and Hot Chilli Pesto
Cape Curry Red Curry Paste & Yellow Curry Paste
A range of jams, marmalades and sauces from Eswatini
A range of spice s and chili sauces from Turqle Trading in South Africa

So, where can you get hold of these awesome vegan (and other fairly traded products)? Well the easiest, safest and most convenient place during lockdown is through own web shop at https://www.jts.co.uk/shop/ We also sell through a network of other online and independent retailers including Traidcraft and the Ethical Superstore, and Unicorn Grocery. If you’re after a bulk order we can do that, or you can go through wholesalers including Green City Wholefoods, Essential Wholefoods, Infinity Wholefoods and Locavore.

JTS is a small social enterprise set up in 2009 and based in Paisley, Scotland. The organisation empowers and educates producers and consumers, through the fair purchasing and sale of delicious fine food products from developing countries.

So again, if you didn’t know about Veganuary before reading this blog and you fancy trying a vegan diet Veganuary have lots of free information you need. It’s not too late, sign up now and every day in January you’ll receive an email with all the support you need to make trying vegan easy:

Daily hints and tips
Meal plans and recipes
Information about the benefits of a vegan diet for health, animals and the planet

You’ll be part of a global community of vegan pledgers! By following the Veganuary campaign on Facebook and Instagra m you’ll be able to share your struggles and successes with other Veganuary participants past and present. Almost 1 million people have previously taken part - trying a plant-based diet in January to reduce their environmental footprint, protect animals and improve their health. Already vegan? You can join too! Sign up for Veganuary to show your support, receive unique and delicious new recipes to try, and have access to vide os, graphics, and other great sharables that will encourage your non-vegan friends to take part!

What are you waiting for? Sign up today to be part of the worldwide Veganuary phenomenon.

JTS celebrates achieving Guaranteed Member status of the World Fair Trade Organisation

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:55:44 GMT

The Gold Standard for ethical business

Here at JTS we are delighted to have been awarded Guaranteed Member status by the World Fair Trade Organisation. This is the gold standard for ethical business and ensures everything we do is focused on the needs of producers and the protection of our planet.

This is an independent recognition achieved through a thorough self-assessment and audit process. Our work and the way we do it was all assessed against the 10 Principles of Fair Trade with all our staff taking part in the audit.

This is a great recognition of our mission to empower producers and consumers through the fair buying and selling of delicious food. We were thrilled at the response of the WFTO auditor and the reaction of some of our partners in the fair trade movement:

“JTS Ltd demonstrates a wholehearted commitment to fair trade across all aspects of its activities. All of the products it trades are sourced from marginalised producers and through the trading relationship, JTS demonstrates its will to improve the socioeconomic position of its suppliers and their producers.” WFTO Audit report

Martin Rhodes, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum commented “It’s is really exciting to see JTS being awarded full membership of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). The commitment of JTS to the Principles of Fair Trade in all that they do has been independently audited and verified by the WFTO. It is another sign of the continuing and growing commitment across Scotland to Fair Trade.”

Laura Cave, Chair of BAFTS Fair Trade Network UK responded “Massive congratulations to JTS on becoming a guaranteed WFTO member. Thoroughly well deserved! So excited to see greater collaborations and unity in the international fair trade community.”

Charlotte Timson (Traidcraft Exchange CEO) welcomed the news saying “Congratulations to JTS team, producer organisations and customers for this brilliant news of JTS becoming a WFTO Guarantee member. This is another evidence of the excellent work you have been doing with your partners in Africa, especially in Malawi. We hope this Fair Trade certification will allow the organization to reach new customers; and continue to increase the positive impact of JTS on those communities in Sub-Saharan Africa using fair trade as a key instrument of change; as well as providing the inspiration to JTS to include more best practices in its relationship with its partners.”

We are a small organisation with a long reach. We are proud of the producer relationships we have developed and we hope this recognition will enable us to strengthen our work with them over the coming years. As Chair I would like to thank all the members of the JTS team for their total commitment to achieving our Fair Trade mission and to the Board for backing us in all we do.

Give Gifts of Hope this Christmas

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:59:55 GMT

Gavin's Mill Gifts

Give some gifts of hope this Christmas through Gavin's Mill Gifts. Help marginalised people experience hope in a tangible way this festive season. There are many fantastic, worthwhile good causes you can support for all price ranges. Check out the JTS options on page 11.

JTS Great Taste Award Winners 2020

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:17:07 GMT

The Guild of Fine Food have recently announced the Great Taste Award winners for 2020

JTS were delighted to find out from the Guild of Fine Food recently that we were successful once again and have three winners this year in addition to the four received last year.

Read below to see what the Great Taste judges had to say about our winning products.

These are in addition to our previous winners:

Please continue to support JTS and our producer partners by continuing to buy the finest. fairest and most ethical food from around the world.

JTS Director, Joe Osman, Launches New Book

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:18:43 GMT

Traidcraft – Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution

It was a great pleasure to join JTS as a non-executive director last year. Having worked at Traidcraft and being involved in Fair Trade for nearly four decades it was good to stay involved. Traidcraft went through some difficult times in 2018 and almost ceased trading and the downsized new version of Traidcraft which emerged neither had a place for me nor was of any great interest to me, so it was time to leave.

I was encouraged by former colleagues to write something of my journey through Traidcraft which I joined in 1981 and, whilst never having written anything substantial beyond business papers and the occasional Traidcraft blog, I was reasonably positive that I could pull it off. It became very clear to me that the history and legacy of Traidcraft was something that deserved recording and, as I write in the introduction to my book ‘ Traidcraft – Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution ’, “I eventually concluded that I was probably the best, if not only, person to write something, given that I’ve lived and breathed the organization for much of my life.”

I met up with Richard Adams, Traidcraft’s founder, and he became a bit of a mentor during the process, reading the section covering his time there, and encouraging me to continue. In fact he was one of the few people who read the final manuscript. We agreed that getting contributions from others would be a sensible thing to do. So former work colleagues and folk from the wider Fair Trade world also contribute including suppliers, producers and all Fairtrade Foundation leaders since its inception. Richard also provides an epilogue to the book.

So what can people expect from the book? Well it’s inevitably autobiographical in nature, recounting Traidcraft’s history through my eyes and recounting some of my own experiences. It will inevitably be a bit too ‘technical’ for some given that I recount some of the ways in which Traidcraft’s model of Fair Trade evolved through the years and how policies changed and developed. It will probably result in the reaction “I never knew that!” especially in recounting stories about some of the key product developments that Traidcraft was involved with and recounting some of the background behind the development and growth of the wider Fair Trade Movement. I particularly enjoyed writing the chapter on Traidcraft’s journey and influence in Fair Trade tea which I was quite involved with and I also enjoyed the contribution from one of our close contacts at the Co-op who writes about the partnership that evolved between us in their journey to becoming probably the leading retailer of Fair Trade products. There may even be parts of it that some might disagree with or have a different version of events – although, as I write in the introduction, “History anyway is, in a sense, interpretive” so I’m more than happy to stick to my version! It will also cover Traidcraft’s origins as an organisation with Christian roots and mission and the challenges involved in that and I was particularly pleased to have a foreword contributed by the former Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

‘Traidcraft – Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution’ is published by Lion Hudson and is available from numerous online platforms. Amazon have paperback and Kindle editions. For those who might be boycotting Amazon, I’ve seen the paperback on Book Depository, Foyles, Hive and Wordery, and there are others who sell the digital version like Eden and Google Play. Then, of course, it’s available from Traidcraft online shop.

Producer Covid-19 Support Update

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:28:08 GMT

Update from Eswatini in their fight against the pandemic.

Here is the latest update from Eswatini and how they are spending the grant money raised by our kind and generous supporters to educate their employees about Covid-19 and the preventive measures they can utilise to keep themselves and their families safe:

" Sharing here with you is an image taken from our recent staff training we had with ESK's employees on the pandemic (Covid-19).

This training came about as Management realised that some employees may have fears in reporting sick or rather indicating that they suffer from flu-like symptoms in fear of being retrenched; Some companies within the country have negatively dealt with the pandemic creating hostility between employers and employees at national level.

We at WFF did not wish to have any of our staff or ESK staff silently suffering from any sickness as it firstly posed a danger to themselves and secondly to the entire company as a whole - due to this, WFF & ESK Management saw it fit to go through an intense staff training session on the signs and symptoms of Covid and further assure them that if they follow all procedures in reporting sick or the need to seek medical attention they can do so with their jobs safely waiting for their return.

The training also covered on regulations to follow towards ensuring safety and prevention of infection amongst staff.

Your continuous support propels us to do more. "

"We are also pleased to share with you the photo below which was taken from last Thursday’s distribution of the materials to be used by our farmer the prevention of covid-19 infections while they work on their fields and interact with their clients which was purchased through JTS support.

This particular distribution was made under the Manzini region (district), Eswatini’s leading district with Covid + cases . Your support is greatly appreciated in this regard. "

Re-opening of Covid-19 Appeal for Producers

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:56:46 GMT

Chair of JTS, Mary Popple, explains why we have to re-open the appeal

The Scotland Malawi Partnership have been holding a series of information exchange Zoom meetings with health professionals, academics and others in Malawi, and we in Scotland who have projects, supplier partners and colleagues in Malawi. At the last meeting we were informed that Malawi experienced a spike in Coronavirus cases following the rallies held before the successful election at the end of June. Worryingly we were told that the country has few COVID-19 testing kits, that there is still a concern that people, particularly those in rural areas are unaware of preventative measures that can be taken, and that the very poor do not have the resources to protect themselves.

We are in frequent contact with the leaders of the Kilombero rice farmers in Karonga who have confirmed the very real fear that in this remote part of Malawi, were the virus to take hold, the results could be devastating. They tell us that many people in their remote community are still not aware of the seriousness of this disease and what they can do to help prevent it. Although we have already raised £5000 to provide buckets, sanitisers, masks and some radio advertising we are again appealing for help. This time the specifics are around raising awareness to enable local people to help prevent the spread of COVID in their communities and following up with the provision of masks. Our colleagues in KASFA are putting together a programme of awareness raising, visiting remote communities with local health officials and providing masks for all members of farmers’ families.

Please help us to help them ...

Covid-19 Producer Support Continues

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 13:28:59 GMT

Facemasks, Buckets and Radio Jingles

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Unicorn Grocery in Manchester for a sizeable donation to this appeal, and a few other friends of JTS, we were able to offer another grant to our producers in The Kingdom of Eswatini and Malawi. Eswatini are very much using the these funds to disseminate information to educate about the virus. They have even made up radio jingles to advise people in the local area how to keep themselves and others safe during this time.

The past week the Woman Farmer Foundation (WFF), run by Sonia Paiva, the Managing Director of Eswatini, made a distribution of branded buckets & masks to some of the farmers. Sonia informed us that so far, this latest support has purchased the following materials with purchasing continuing over the next few weeks:

50 buckets specially made for the use of an elbow to open and close
60 branded face masks
50 - 1 litre containers of disinfectant liquid
50 bars of soap

"All these items will be used by the farmers as precautionary measures to fight the infection of covid-19. Your continuous contribution and support to Eswatini Kitchen & Woman Farmer Foundation is greatly appreciated." Sonia said with a grateful heart.

Please see the picture below for some more information on the preventative measures put in place at Eswatini.

New Directors bring Renewed Vision to JTS

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 11:05:35 GMT

Buy the food. Support the work. Spread the word.

JTS is Scotland’s leading fair trade food importer, distributor and educator. Our ambition remains to ensure that small-holder food producers in the Global South receive fair recompense for the wonderful foodstuffs they produce, and that here more and more people enjoy their products and understand the importance of fairness and trade justice on our planet.

Following reorganisation in 2017 which gave us the strong long-term JTS staff team of Martin, Nicola and Jade who many of you will know, we celebrated our 10th anniversary last year. Since then we have been building the JTS Board so that we can take on the challenges of the next phase in the life of the enterprise. Joe Osman, a former Director of Traidcraft who has worked in fair trade through all his working life, joined us in the middle of last year. Joe has written a book on Traidcraft which is soon to be published which tells the story of fair trade in the UK so far. He has brought to us his huge experience of understanding and developing supply chains of foodstuffs from producers in the Global South to consumers in Britain and Europe as well as a better understanding of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).

I am also delighted that Karena Jarvie, who is a stalwart supporter joined the Board earlier this year. She is a long term fair trader and has a very strong understanding of the mission and beliefs of the grassroots support for JTS. She is Chairperson of the Perth and Kinross FT Zone Group and a member of Kinross Fair Trade Group as well as a Trustee of Scottish Fair Trade Forum.

We have recently been joined by Alistair Menzies. He formerly worked in senior sales and marketing positions for both Traidcraft and Divine Chocolate and thus brings with him sound commercial knowledge of the food market place and particularly an understanding of introducing ethical brands to the wider retail world.

Lastly, our Managing Director, Tracy Mitchell has joined the Board after being associated with JTS for all of its ten years. John made a brilliant appointment back then. Besides being an excellent MD to work with, Tracy embodies the ethics and enthusiasm for trade justice that JTS stands for.

We welcome all our new Board members and together with John, Robin, Terry and myself these highly motivated people bring renewed urgency and vision to JTS as we enter the post-Covid world and we seek to become a truly sustainable enterprise.

Mary, Chair of JTS (mary@jts.co.uk)

Impact on JTS due to Covid-19

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 15:33:34 GMT

An update from the JTS Managing Director

Covid-19 is having an impact on just about every organisation, and indeed individual, all around the world in one way or another. JTS, as a social enterprise, was asked to provide an update on how this pandemic has affected our organisation and how we have had to change the way we do business.

We would appreciate if you could take some time to listen to the video produced by our friends at Fablevision and featuring our lovely Managing Director, Tracy Mitchell. We also have lots of other videos on our You Tube, why not have a look around and learn more about JTS, our products, our producers, and our impact.

Covid-19 Producer Support Appeal Update

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 11:21:36 GMT

An update from Eswatini and KASFA on how they are using the funds

Eswatini Kitchen and Woman Farmer Foundation, through the support of JTS (Just Trading Scotland), will be implementing a short term project where they will supply small-holder farmers with soaps and disinfectants and also educate and sensitize farmers on Covid-19. The short term project will further ensure that producers still have access to markets such as Eswatini Kitchen in order to keep the food chain moving despite the current situation the world is faced with.

Eswatini Kitchen (ESK) has taken a number of preventative measures to make sure that the virus does not spread by providing ESK staff with soap wash basins, masks, sanitizers, enforced social distancing inside the factory and also prevent non-essential visits at the factory. The short term project will build on the above initiatives that ESK has implemented to ensure that the virus does not spread and that they are able to continue supplying JTS whilst still adhering to food safety standards. In that regard of continuous supply, ESK will be working with Woman Farmer Foundation (ESK) an NGO that links ESK with smallholder women and youth farmers that supply ESK with fresh produce such as lime, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, birds’ eye chilli, grapefruits and onions. A lot of information is needed in the rural communities about how farmers and their workers can enforce precautions at the fields to safeguard workers and ensure that food safety systems are in place and that they wash their hands regularly whilst maintaining social distancing.

The project outcomes will be improved knowledge on Covid-19 prevention and continuous supply of fresh produce which will result in less disruption of the food supply chain.

Sonia Paiva, the Managing Director of Eswatini Kitchen, had this to say “The Woman Farmer Team is doing well with the progress of the Covid19 project. We hope and pray that you will be able to secure some more funding. We have been told that schools are opening and grade 7, grade 9 and 12 will be the first ones to attend classes. Most of our schools in the rural areas do not even have running water yet, but we will see what other support we will be able to provide.”

Meanwhile in Malawi ...

JTS buy Kilombero rice from the Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association (KASFA) in Karonga, Northern Malawi. They gratefully received the first lot of donations and have put these to good use by providing Personal Protective Equipment such as gloves, masks, aprons, goggles, thermometers etc to a rural health centre and a rural hospital. These two facilities are in the areas where most of the rice farmers live and grow the award winning Kilombero rice. The Chairperson of KASFA, Twebo Ng'oma, said "We expect the PPE would enhance the health workers efforts in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the area.

He then went on to acknowledge that "rice farmers play a critical role in the country's socio economic growth" and that "the pandemic has hit the rice industry hard" This just emphasises our need to do more, to keep on seeking donations which will help our producers and the health care facilities in these communities and to continue to support them in this fight against coronavirus.

In light of this and the fact that we still have to reach our target, we urge that if you can spare even just a few £'s, that you consider the plight of these producers and donate to our Total Giving page.

The donations made the local newspaper in Karonga, the excerpt is below.

JTS Annual Report 2019 / 2020

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 13:16:25 GMT

Dignity Through Trade Review

We are delighted to share our review of 2019/2020 with you. Please click the button below to read the JTS Annual Report.

Fair Trade Shops v Coronavirus Lockdown

Tue, 26 May 2020 10:26:44 GMT

Case Studies of Shops Managing to Trade During Lockdown

Many shops have been closed for quite a few weeks or even months now as part of the coronavirus lockdown. It has been a time of uncertainty and worry for everyone which has resulted in some of our shops having to think of different ways to trade to ensure they are still able to serve their loyal customers during this time and still continue to trade as, for some, this is their only source of income.

Here's how some of our shops are surviving the pandemic, in the hope that this might give you a bit of inspiration and belief that you can do something similar.

If you have other ideas, then please get in touch so we can share with others in our fair trade shop community.

Help our Producers Fight Covid-19

Mon, 18 May 2020 15:56:27 GMT

Coronavirus has now arrived in the Developing World

Sadly, Covid 19 has now arrived in the developing world to make life even tougher than normal for our producers. This fact is causing concerns for families and communities all around the globe.

Howard Msukwa, a producer of Kilombero rice in Malawi, advised us that at the beginning of May there were "25 active cases of Covid-19 and 3 deaths so far in Karonga". They are at the very beginning of this pandemic and so JTS have been asking all our vulnerable producer partners what support they need in the current crisis.

KASFA rice farmers in Malawi and Eswatini Swazi Kitchen from The Kingdom of Eswatini, have told us that their main need at this time is for simple handwashing facilities and soap. Therefore we have set up a Total Giving page to raise funds to supply these basic necessities and to be ready to support them further as the situation develops.

Can you help us respond quickly to those needs, starting with simple handwashing facilities and soap as requested by KASFA’s rice farmers in Malawi and Eswatini?

Together, we can help the most vulnerable people fight this global pandemic.

Let's give them a chance.

Coronavirus Update

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 18:16:42 GMT

In these very challenging and unprecedented times, I wanted to update you on the steps JTS are taking to try and keep supplying you our products.

This week we have been extremely busy particularly with rice orders and the team have been working very hard to try and satisfy all of these. To the extent that it is within our control, we plan to continue to process and ship orders. From Monday we will move to twice weekly shipping on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

From Monday 23rd March the JTS team will be largely working from home for all activities that can be done remotely, with email access but limited phone access. We will aim to respond to you as normal by email but it is possible there will be times when the phones are not answered. We are trying to ensure phones can be diverted but have not yet managed this so please accept our apologies if you call and don’t get a reply.

We are working hard with our suppliers to ensure incoming supplies reach us as planned, again to the extent that this is within our control.

We will do our best to keep you updated as the situation changes.

With our very best wishes

Tracy Mitchell

Business Manager

Product Recall

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:18:08 GMT

ukuva iAfrica Triple Gift Set

This triple gift pack has been sold through Oxfam shops and via the Oxfam online shop since October 2019 and we have now been made aware of a product safety issue and are now recalling this item. If you have purchased this item then please return it to your nearest Oxfam shop at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your understanding and quick response.

Please see below for further information:

Product name	Pack size	Batch codes	Best before
U-KUVA i-AFRICA A Taste of Africa Peri Peri Mombasa Chilli Sauce	125ml	460307 and 460508	15 May 2021
U-KUVA i-AFRICA A Taste of Africa Safari BBQ sauce (Batch 1)	125ml	470408	29 April 2021
U-KUVA i-AFRICA A Taste of Africa Safari BBQ sauce (Batch 2)	125ml	470509	13 May 2021
U-KUVA i-AFRICA A Taste of Africa Braai salt	70g	B 387496-B	20 May 2021

JTS are amongst Scotland's Fair Trade Champions

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 11:03:36 GMT

Scottish Fair Trade Awards Honours Local Fair Trade Campaigners

Fair Trade supporters gathered at Scotmid’s headquarters in Edinburgh on Monday 18 November to celebrate the 2019 Scottish Fair Trade Awards. The Scottish Fair Trade Awards recognise the individuals, groups and organisations who work locally to support and promote Fair Trade in Scotland, and thereby make a tangible difference to the lives of the people in the Global South who grow our food and make the products that we use everyday.

The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Carol Clarke who has been campaigning for Fair Trade and trade justice for over 20 years as part of the Hamilton Fair Trade Group, the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, Justice and Peace Scotland and a myriad of other social justice organisations.

Karena Jarvie from Kinross-shire won Volunteer of the Year for her work in communicating the benefits of Fair Trade and building support for Scottish-based Fair Trade businesses such as Bala Sport and JTS .

The Campaign of the Year Award went to seven teachers from schools across Scotland who are passionate champions of Fairtrade cotton uniforms.

Farlogie Café run by P6 pupils from Carnoustie Primary School received the Community Award for managing a thriving Fair Trade café in their community, and City of Glasgow College’s Jewellery Department was honoured with the 2019 Innovation and Sustainability Award for taking a proactive approach to embedding Fair Trade into the curriculum.

Paisley-based social enterprise JTS was given a Special Recognition Award for their partnership work with Fair Trade producers in Malawi, The Kingdom of Eswatini, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

Ben Macpherson, Scotland’s Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development, attended to present the awards. Mr Macpherson said: “I was delighted to attend this event and formally recognise those who go out of their way to promote Fair Trade and global citizenship in their communities. The work of these individuals, groups and organisations is crucial in encouraging the public to choose Fair Trade and make a difference to the livelihoods of producers around the world. The Scottish Government is committed to making the world a place where justice, equity and sustainable development are at the heart of trade practices. Congratulations to all the award winners.”

Martin Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum said: “This is significant year in the Fair Trade movement with the Fairtrade Mark turning 25 and a number of other dedicated Fair Trade businesses such as Traidcraft and JTS also celebrating major birthdays. We would not have been able to reach these milestones without the work done by the awardees and other passionate campaigners who dedicate their time to raising awareness of Fair Trade.”

Scotmid’s head office was a fitting venue for this year’s event. With a core purpose of serving local communities and improving people’s everyday lives, Scotmid opened its first-ever grocery store in Edinburgh exactly 160 years ago this month, and has been a champion of the Fairtrade movement since its inception. It was one of the first Scottish retailers to stock Fairtrade products when the Fairtrade Mark was
introduced in 1994 and continues to support Fairtrade community groups and Fairtrade activities in schools across Scotland today.
Harry Cairney, Scotmid President, said: “We were privileged to be able to host this event and it was great to be able to celebrate the success of the Fairtrade movement."

“Fairtrade shares Scotmid’s values and principles – for the past 160 years, we’ve operated ethically. Naturally our friendship has grown and over the past 15 years and through co-operation we have helped to spread the word about the importance of Fairtrade products to all – from primary schoolchildren to pensioners – in our trading areas while also stocking the products in our stores. Edinburgh has held Fairtrade City status since 2004 and, over the past 15 years, we have provided support and sponsorship for Fairtrade festivals that have been staged across the city – engaging positively with Edinburgh’s population about an incredibly important subject."

“There is no debate about the benefits which Fairtrade brings to all and it’s great to see the increasing number of people and businesses who can see the longer-term rewards of buying into what Fairtrade is all about. Essentially it is about working together and co-operation and you can’t say fairer than that.”

"The need for action against climate change emerged as a theme of the evening with many of the awardees praised for their work in positioning Fair Trade as part of the solution to the climate emergency, and organising activities that showed Fair Trade campaigning and climate action going hand in hand."

The Scottish Fair Trade Forum also collaborated with Ayrshire charity, the Energy Agency, who sponsored this year’s Innovation and Sustainability Award. Liz Marquis, Director, said “We are proud to be involved with Fair Trade who share our vision of sustainability and actively work towards improving our future”

Full list of Scottish Fair Trade Award Winners 2019:
Innovation and Sustainability Award 2019: City of Glasgow College Jewellery Department for taking a proactive and energised approach to embedding Fair Trade and sustainability into their curriculum, and working with a range of external partners to do so.

Volunteer of the Year 2019: Karena Jarvie of the Perth and Kinross Fair Trade group for her outstanding commitment to Fair Trade, as an advocate, campaigner, educator and Traidcrafter - for over 30 years.

Community Award 2019: Farlogie Café run by pupils of Carlogie Primary School for managing a thriving Fair Trade community café in Carnoustie that has become a hub for Fair Trade products and information in the town.

Campaign of the Year 2019: This group of teachers for embracing Fairtrade cotton uniforms, and by doing so, playing their part in leading the “Fairtrade school uniform revolution” in Scotland.
· Louise White (Corpus Christi Primary School, Glasgow)
· Dawn Maloney (Leith Primary School, Edinburgh)
· Fiona Eaton (Turriff Primary, Aberdeenshire)
· Monica Malet (St Joseph’s RC Primary, Aberdeen)
· Natalie Young (St Columba’s Primary School, Cupar, Fife)
· Morag Oldham (Grange Primary School, Carnoustie)
· Eleanor Duncan (Castlehill Primary School, Cupar Fife)

Outstanding Achievement 2019: Carol Clarke of Hamilton Fairtrade Town Group for her consistent outstanding commitment to Fair Trade in both a personal and professional capacity.

Special Recognition Award 2019: JTS for their significant achievements in so many aspects of Fair Trade campaigning, retailing and support for producers, and in special recognition of these achievements in their 10th year.

LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY - AN ACTIVITY TO ENGAGE LEARNERS

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 11:09:04 GMT

The 90kg Rice Challenge

The 90kg Rice Challenge is a perfect activity for your school for several reasons:

Planned lessons in line with the Curriculum for Excellence

Teaching Resources provided

Quick and easy to take part

The 90kg Rice Challenge is in its 10th year now and is becoming more and more popular due to its ease to take part in, its clear message, and its worthwhile outcome. The simple concept is that a rice farmer in Malawi has to sell 90kg of rice to give him enough of a sustainable income to run his farm, feed and clothe his family and enable him to provide education for his children.

The 90kg Rice Challenge is a teaching tool to demonstrate:

the benefits of buying fair trade products here and how it positively impacts the lives of the producers in the developing world,
how pupils can be global citizens by helping those in some of the poorest communities in the world gain an education and therefore provide a brighter future for their peers in Malawi,
sustainability by providing a consistent market in the UK and thereby helping the rice farmers to work their way out of poverty with dignity and creating food security,
social enterprise by allowing the pupils to run a business and come up with innovative and creative ways to sell the 90 x 1kg bags of Kilombero rice from Malawi

The Challenge costs £288 (£3.20 per 1kg bag of rice) and the idea is that having completed the lessons, the pupils will sell the rice on to family members or in the community in order to cover the costs, but some schools prefer to cook with it, host curry nights, bake offs, or do a Dragon’s Den scenario etc.

To take part in the Challenge:

· call us on 0141 255 0901

· email nicola@jts.co.uk

· order online at shop.jts.co.uk (upfront payment required for online orders)

· visit us at the Scottish Learning Festival on Stand H37

Meet a few producers from Meru Herbs, Kenya

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 16:16:22 GMT

Creating sustainable livelihoods through fair trade

Angelica Kaabara – Producer and Head of Meru Herbs Ecolodge

After completing my education at Materi Girls High School in 1991, I was lucky enough to start working at the neighbouring Meru Herbs Project which at that point only had a tea factory concentrating solely on hibiscus. In 1992 we had a volunteer by the name of Franco who introduced us to jam making and I was selected to head the Jam Factory. When we first began, we prepared the jam in simple cooking pots as we did not have a factory and so all the cooking took place outside. We were quickly able to build a factory that was much more hygienic and well equipped to handle our increasing orders.

Today we prepare more than 100,000 jars of assorted jams and sauces which for me is a great achievement considering our humble beginnings.

Apart from being a worker at the Meru Herbs Project, I am also a Meru Herbs organic producer. I was among the first 43 farmers to get organically certified.

MY ACHIEVEMENTS

I feel very fortunate to be an employee and farmer for Meru Herbs as it has allowed me to achieve and benefit a lot. It is the main source of income for my household and I have benefited from the bursary fund which has enabled me to educate my two children. I have also been a recipient of the Women’s Bicycle Project which provides my only mode of transport.

I have been able to produce food both for my family and also to sell through fair trade partners which ensures the health of my family and allows me to give back to my community and help other farmers. I am very proud to be an employee of Meru Herbs as I have seen the project from its humble beginnings to where it is now. I have also had the opportunity to travel to Italy and South Africa for food shows.

I have also taken leadership positions by heading the Meru Herbs Jam Factory until 2018. I was promoted to head the recently completed Meru Herbs Ecolodge in August 2018. I am proud to be associated with the project which is a source of great pride to the people in the area.

Evangeline Kawira – Meru Herbs Producer since 1995

During my time as a mango farmer, I have seen a lot of fruit go to waste. This is because most of the farmers around this area have mangoes and so once you have sold a few in the market there was still a lot of fruits left over which went to waste. Therefore I am delighted to have been supplying fruits to Meru Herbs since 1995, they use the mangoes to cook jam and us farmers were so happy because there was value added to the fruits and now we could harvest and sell the fruits instead them being wasted. This has provided additional income for me. I am married with four children. Three boys and one girl who I have managed to educate to university level. I have used the income from my sales to educate my children and improve my living conditions. My appeal to our fair trade buyers is to continue buying our products because the more they buy the more fruits we will supply to Meru Herbs to make the fruit jam.

MATHEW KAJIWE – Meru Herbs Producer since 2004

I have been farming carcade (hibiscus), lemongrass and chamomile for Meru Herbs since 2004 for them to use in their teas and jams. I was in the second group that converted to organic farming so I now grow these herbs without the use of any fertilizers, pesticides or chemicals. Being a producer to Meru Herbs has provided me with enough of a sustainable income to allow me to open a shop near my home as an extra source of income for my family. I have a wife Margaret Kajiwe and two children aged 11 years and 8 years. I believe that the more our fair trade partners buy from us the more the farmers will benefit from the sale of organic produce.

Florence Nkirote – Producer and employee of Meru Herbs since 2004

I began working at the Meru Herbs Project after finishing school. I started working at the jam factory. Later I had training at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF) and started working in the Agriculture Department. I am passionate about Organic Farming and I enjoy working with the growers group. I have been able to support my family with the income from the produce and also as an employee of Meru Herbs. I am a mother to a three year old daughter and I hope to educate her to the best of my ability. I have had a chance to travel to Italy which was a great moment for me to understand how the whole value chain works. It was a great joy to be able to see our Meru Herbs products at the international shops where our final customers access them. I am very grateful to those people who buy our Meru Herbs products and help us make a better life for our families and ask that you continue to buy them. Thank you.

JTS 2019 Great Taste award winners

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 16:59:40 GMT

We have recently heard back from the Guild of Fine Food regarding our Great Taste award winners. Please see below for our magnificent winning products and what the judges said about them:

"Delicious, creamy, light and subtle. Literally melts in the mouth. Very light, packed full of flavour and extremely moreish. We loved it. A great alternative to clotted cream on scones".

"A deliciously sweet and fresh coconut milk. Pure with no 'over ripe' notes which can be found in coconut milk. Delicious, fresh flavoured, naturally sweet and rich."

"Coconut cream is rich and creamy with a strong coconut flavour. The coconut milk is not oily but does leave a powdery feel on the palate. Both are good to taste but the flavour does not linger or develop."

"Smooth and creamy and light and fresh - what's not to like?!"

"A deep glowing ruby jam with floral aroma with a hint of smokiness. The texture is slightly chunky, firm and spreadable. The flavour is pleasingly fruity, fragrant and acidic and not over sweet. This would be a perfect jam for anyone who prefers less sweet flavours."

"Fabulous garnet colour. Has that unmistakable tang of Hibiscus. Full of texture although soft enough not be offensive. It's sharper than it is sweet, a relish rather than a jam. Judges divided over texture, too many bits for some and also should be sweeter it its called a jam. Interesting product we feel needs refining but shows great promise."

"Lovely fruity aroma. Flavours sing and the jam has beautifully cooked out fruit and skins. The fruit notes continue on for ages - great length."

"This marmalade is a lovely amber colour and a wonderful soft set. We like the large pieces of orange rind. The orange and cinnamon flavours complement each other well producing an appealing, warming eat."

"Visually attractive colour and cinnamon on the nose. Judges felt that the peel was far too big but had a good bitterness to it."

"A speckled marmalade with a strong aroma of cinnamon. On the palate the peel feels at first quite firm but it gives way to delicious citrus fragrance - then we taste the cinnamon again. Warming and not too dominant, we love the balance of this marmalade and it has an intriguing flavour profile."

"Paste looks and smells authentic. Packed with spices delivering an intense, zingy fresh clean flavour. Judges felt that when cooked with tomatoes it lost its impact and its complexity slightly."

"The paste itself looks and tastes quite authentic and has a good mix of flavours. In the cooked curry we it needs more of the paste to be distinctive."

"Indeed aromatic, with beautifully even, snowy coloured grains; on the palate there is a delightful sweetness alongside the aromatics, a good bite - and excellent persistence of flavour."

"This rice has cooked really well with a slightly sticky outside and a bite in the middle. The rice has a gentle aromatic flavour but we didn't feel it was terribly distinctive."

"Good fluffy rice that has an almost meaty flavour profile."

Visit our online shop to order these delicious award winning products

Malawian orphan succeeds against all odds

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 12:13:50 GMT

Another JTS / KASFA Partnership Success Story

This is Mac Milan Mwafulilwa. He is a double orphan who has been brought up by a disabled sister. Due to this, he had no prospects in life, both have had to struggle through most of their lives supporting each other and raising their younger brother. He was destined to a life of poverty on the streets. This would have been tragic as Mac Millan had so much potential, he was a bright boy who wanted to create a brighter future for himself, his sister and his younger brother. He worked hard and was determined to be the best that he could be and it was this determination that changed his life.

JTS buy the award winning Kilombero rice from KASFA (Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association) in Northern Malawi. We have worked closely with them for the past 10 years and have set up a bursars fund for children just like Mac Millan who have no family to support him or pay for his education. KASFA saw the potential in Mac Millan and have supported him all the way through secondary school and college. They sent him to a technical college to study Electrical Installation, he has now just completed his level one course and come out with a grade 1 trade test.

Mac Millan now wants to be an electrician in the local villages as his way of giving back to the community of farmers who helped him and his sister throughout these past few years.

If you want to be a part of helping children in a similar situation to MacMillan, you can do so by:

Giving to the JTS fund
Buying Kilombero rice from JTS ( shop online )
Undertaking the 90kg Rice Challenge which gives rice farmers enough of a sustainable income to enable them to send their child to secondary school for a year.

JTS featured in The Scotsman

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:17:58 GMT

Helped by the people of Scotland, ethical rice ‘is our rescuer, our hope, our wealth’

Working under the hot Malawian sun, small-holder farmers in the north of Malawi grow the delicious Kilombero rice in tiny plots. This vital lifeline is then imported by our Paisley-based not-for-profit organisation Just Trading Scotland (JTS) where we help set a fair price for this quality product.

It is one partnership in a long line of strong friendships our two countries have forged over the past 160 years. "It is our cash crop, our rescuer, our hope, our wealth,” said Howard Msukwa, chair of the Farmers’ Association in Karonga (KASFA).

Like many others involved in this particular Scotland-Malawi partnership, Howard has cause for celebration as JTS has just received a very special tenth birthday present. We have been given the prestigious accolade of the “most ethical rice you can buy” following an extensive investigation by Ethical Consumer, an announcement met with jubilation by Scots and Malawians alike.

So, how did all of this come about? JTS started life in 2009 with a first delivery of rice from KASFA. Our task was to create a market for a product no one had heard of in a marketplace crowded with big corporations who were keen to keep the small players out. Today we import 50 tonnes of ethical rice per year and sell it right across the UK.

It has not been easy but there have certainly been key high points along the way, one of the most notable being the idea to establish the “90kg Rice Challenge”.

This is the amount a farmer must sell in order to pay for secondary schooling for one child for a year, a tangible concept which many Scottish communities have taken to their hearts. Quite simply, it involves a group buying 90kg of rice (in 1kg bags) from JTS and selling it to family, friends, colleagues, school groups, and so on. Since starting the challenge, 900 supporter groups have taken 1,600 challenges, buying 144 tonnes of rice.

For teachers like Fraser Boyd at Robert Douglas Memorial School in Scone, the Rice Challenge is a great way for pupils to forge their own roles as global citizens in helping to enact change. For several years, pupils have sold Kilombero rice during the school’s parents’ evenings.

Another key moment in the strengthening of this partnership occurred a few years into our relationship with the farmers when, in 2013, the Scottish Government through its Malawi Development Programme gave invaluable assistance by funding a project to improve seed quality and farming efficiency to increase yields.

Low-tech interventions such as the purchase of tarpaulins for winnowing and ox-carts to transport the rice from the fields have made a sustainable difference. Interventions which Howard says have helped the farmers to raise yields by 20 to 30 per cent.

I went to Northern Malawi to talk with women rice farmers and to see first-hand the hardships they face. They were so proud to learn that their rice is enjoyed by people in Scotland – it brings smiles to their faces.

They talked of the long hours in the fields, the heat and the back-breaking work and how the rains on which they depend have become unpredictable. Without bullock-drawn ploughs they may not get their land tilled and the seed sown. We started a plough fund and now many women own ploughs and can till their land. It is a small change which is making a real difference to women farmers and their families, and all because of a simple initiative embraced by many Scots.

Reflecting on our tenth anniversary, Tracy Mitchell, business manager at JTS who has worked with the enterprise since its inception summed up the partnership with the rice farmers well by saying that it is “dignity through trade.”

For any organisation, reaching a key milestone is both cause for celebration and a chance to look ahead to future plans and keeping vital partnerships sustained. It is with this focus in mind that JTS has launched its “Join us for the Journey” appeal to raise more working capital and help the enterprise survive and thrive.

John Riches, the inspirational founder of JTS, said: “Life is hard for social enterprises like ours that want to pay farmers a fair price upfront. Please help us by buying rice and with our Join us for the Journey appeal for working capital to help our business survive for another ten years.

“The relationship built up between the farmers in Malawi, JTS and the people of Scotland is an amazing story of hard work, determination and commitment. This is the partnership between Scotland and Malawi working at its best.”

Kilombero rice and other ethically sourced products are available from fair trade shops throughout Scotland and online at www.jts.co.uk/shop /

Read the article here

Ma's Kitchen - The Power of Fair Trade in Sri Lanka

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 10:11:16 GMT

The Story of Basilica De Silva

Five years ago, from the village of Kalahugoda, Basilica De Silva joined MA’S Kitchen’s Produce of Paradise coconut production facility in Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka. The facility which has been foreclosed for many years, was reopened by MA’s Kitchen and offered career opportunities to 70 people, including women and supports over 200 organic coconut growers.

The 51-year-old Basilica, hailing from the minority Catholic community, started life as a child of a middle-class family. However, her life changed due to the unfortunate death of her father forcing the 15-year-old Basilica to leave her studies behind and support her mother to upkeep the family.

At age of 26, life started to look up once again for hard working Basilica after marriage to her soldier husband. The couple spent 17 years of happy wedded life raising two children, a son and a daughter. However, sadness crept into Basilica’s life once again when her husband was injured by a landmine while on mission during the 30-year ethnic conflict in the North of Sri Lanka.

Basilica had a very difficult time nursing a handicapped husband and supporting the family on a pension from the Army. Unfortunately, her husband passed away leaving her a single mother. Though employment at her age was difficult to come by, she was determined not to let her children lose their education like she had many years back.

With the determination to face all her difficulties, Basilica ended up at the Produce of Paradise facility. She was offered employment as a trainee production assistant. Soon, due to her commitment and hard work, Basilica became a permanent fixture at the factory’s canning line.

As meals are provided at the factory and it is located close to her home, she can save most of her income. She is now able to offer her children a comfortable life and a good education, fulfilling her dream of making them respectable professionals.

International Development Minister congratulates JTS on “MOST ETHICAL RICE”

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 17:08:05 GMT

Changing Lives, One Bag at a Time

The smallholder rice farmers in Northern Malawi have just achieved the impossible. Against competition from key brands sold in the UK, Ethical Consumer magazine has just awarded the rice that they grow on their single-acre plots, and which is imported by JTS (Just Trading Scotland) to its warehouse in Paisley, the accolade of the most ethical rice you can buy. It has won Great Taste awards as well – you can enjoy the taste and feel good while eating it!

Scotland’s International Development Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Congratulations to JTS on being awarded the ‘most ethical rice in the UK’. This is a tremendous accolade and I commend everyone involved in achieving it. I am also pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support their work through the Malawi Development Programme.”

Mary Popple, the new Chairperson of JTS, welcomed the news “We are delighted that Kilombero rice has come out on top. The combination of our very strong direct link with the farmers, encouragement in sustainable working practices, and our particular support of women farmers has helped us achieve this great result. We are extremely proud of this brilliant news and hope that it will enable us to grow the market for these Great Taste Award winning products.”

Tracy Mitchell, Business Manager at JTS, said “This is fantastic news for JTS as we celebrate 10 years of providing dignity through trade. We are grateful for the support the Scottish Government has provided for our work with the farmers in Malawi through its Malawi Development Programme and are pleased that the review by the Ethical Consumer recognised the strength of our relationship with those farmers.” Operations Manager, Martin Hamilton agreed, "It is great to have this external recognition of what we have long believed to be the case!"

The investigation by Ethical Consumer thoroughly reviewed 38 rice brands from many retailers and included an interview with Howard Msukwa the chair of the farmers’ association in Malawi. On hearing the outcome of the review Howard had this to say: "Kilombero is grown and processed by the small holder farmers of Karonga. It is grown under very hot conditions, these farmers eat only once per day as Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is our cash crop, our rescuer, our hope, our wealth. Much as we thank you who enjoy the product, we sincerely and humbly request you to whisper to your friends that " Did you know that Kilombero is the best and most ethical rice on the market?" Join the team of 'fair' people by eating Kilombero rice and your only regret will be that you didn't start eating it sooner."

Martin Rhodes, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum commented: “It is great to see this fairly traded rice imported by a Scottish-based company, JTS, coming out top in the Ethical Consumer rating. It shows the results of great partnership working by JTS and the farmers’ co-operative, KASFA, in Malawi.”

Both white and brown Kilombero rice have also won Great Taste awards and being fairly traded, the rice has empowered the rice farmers to create a brighter future for their families, giving them a more sustainable livelihood allowing them to work their way out of poverty with dignity and enabling them to send their children to school. Great Taste most certainly does change lives. The rice is available from fair trade shops throughout Scotland and online at https://www.jts.co.uk/shop/

Kilombero is the Most Ethical Rice on the Market

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:13:52 GMT

Changing Lives, One Bag at a Time

The Ethical Consumer magazine has just carried out a review on the most ethical rice on the market and Kilombero Rice came out on top! Here is a link to the article.

Mary Popple, the new Chairperson of JTS, said “We are delighted that Kilombero rice has come out on top. The combination of our very strong direct link with the farmers, encouragement in sustainable working practices, and our particular support of women farmers has helped us achieve this great result. We are extremely proud of this brilliant news and hope that it will enable us to grow the market for these Great Taste Award winning products. “

Martin Hamilton, the Operations Manager of JTS also said "It is great to have this external recognition of what we have long believed to be the case!"

There was much jubilation in Karonga, Malawi when we advised the management and board members of KASFA (Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association) about the accolation of the most ethical rice. The chairman of KASFA, Howard Msukwa, whom many of our customers have met during his visits to the UK, had this to say:

"Kilombero is grown and processed by the small holder farmers of Karonga in Malawi. It is grown under very hot conditions, these farmers eat only once per day as Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is our cash crop, our rescuer, our hope, our wealth. Much as we thank you who enjoy the product, we sincerely and humbly request you to whisper to your friends that " Did you know that Kilombero is the best and most ethical rice on the market?" Join the team of 'fair' people by eating Kilombero rice and your only regret will be that you didn't start eating it sooner." Ethical Consumer magazine also undertook a Q&A session with Howard which you can read here .

Both white and brown Kilombero rice have also won Great Taste awards and because it is fairly traded, it has empowered the rice farmers to create a brighter future for their families, mainly by giving them a more sustainable livelihood allowing them to work their way out of poverty with dignity and enabling them to send their children to school. Great Taste most certainly does change lives.

BUY YOUR NEW FAVOURITE RICE BY CLICKING HERE

Offer from Ethical Consumer magazine:

To help us celebrate our rice, Ethical Consumer have kindly provided us with an offer for our customers who may wish to subscribe to the magazine .

Just Trading Scotland supporters get 14 months for the price of 12 with the offer code JTS19 - simply put the code into the "notes" field on the subscription pages.

Eswatini working hard to fulfil JTS order

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 13:49:22 GMT

Meet the sweet smiling faces of our friends from Eswatini

Our friends from Eswatini Swazi Kitchen have just sent us this message and photos which we wanted to share with you, our loyal customers and supporters:

Eswatini Kitchen staff pass their appreciation to JTS staff for their business and the partnership over the years.

We are delighted to let you know that we have now loaded the products onto the container and it is now on its way to you. Here are some photos of this happening in our warehouse. The smile and joy on the faces says it all as your support is helping to change around 30 families and over 100 dependants.

Thank you very much in Siswati our native language is Inkhosi Ibusise( God bless you)

Photos of loading products into truck to South Africa before getting loaded onto the ship.

Community Curry Night Success

Wed, 29 May 2019 13:22:00 GMT

Community Hub, based in and run by Cargill-Burrelton Church, Woodside take on the 90kg Rice Challenge.

A very successful Community Curry Night hosted by the Community Hub team took place in the kirk hall at Cargill-Burrelton, Woodside on Friday 17th May.

With almost 80 guests dining on a variety of home cooked curries to suit everyone’s tastes, the Community Hub more than met their goal of funding their purchase of Fairtrade rice for the “90kg Rice Challenge” and raising money for their next project.

The Community Hub bought 90kg of Fair Trade rice from Just Trading Scotland’s “Rice Challenge”; this is the amount of rice a farmer in Malawi has to sell to pay for a child to go to secondary school for a year. By selling on the rice, the Community Hub planned to cover their costs before embarking on their next planned project. An anonymous donor however has paid for the rice in its entirety, and the proceeds from the Community Curry Night and all rice sales will now go towards the purchase of a defibrillator for Burrelton and Woodside villages.

Ian Riches, Treasurer for the Community Hub, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the night was such a huge success. Following the recent upgrades to our kitchen, including the purchase of a new induction hob and double oven thanks to a grant from the Perth and Kinross Community Investment Fund, we can now cater for events just like these.

“With donations still coming in, and thanks to the donor who very generously paid in full for the rice we bought, we have raised over £600 to go towards funding a defibrillator which we believe is vital in our growing village.”

Lynne Mitchell, Youth and Community Worker at the Hub said: “We had a great night and there was a fabulous atmosphere; it was so lovely to see folks having the opportunity to meet, eat, and enjoy each other’s company. Our Community Café on Tuesday lunch times has been going from strength to strength and through events like these the Community Hub aims to provide a welcoming, friendly environment where old and new friends of all ages can meet.

“We regularly hear that people can feel isolated, even within small communities, perhaps because of the changes in society and in the shops and services available. The Community Hub team aim to combat loneliness and isolation whilst also encouraging a feeling of community and connection between people. We are always delighted to welcome folk to our café and events and look forward to building on the curry night’s success in the future.”

JTS Have Been Featured in the Scottish Grocer Magazine

Wed, 08 May 2019 13:10:49 GMT

Dignity Through Trade

Follow this link to find out what the Scottish Grocer had to say about JTS.

The Scottish Grocer attended our Parliamentary Reception in March and were suitably impressed with what they heard that they wanted to do a feature on us for their magazine. They came along to our warehouse in Paisley and met with Tracy Mitchell - Business Manager, and Mary Popple - Incoming Chairperson and spent some time talking about the work we have done over the past ten years and what we are hoping to achieve during the next few years.

Please read the article by clicking on this link and find out a bit more about what the Scottish Grocer found out about JTS.

John's Retirement

Fri, 03 May 2019 15:10:43 GMT

The time has come to hand over to Mary.

It was turning 80 that prompted John Riches to consider slowing down and retire as chairperson of the fair trade organisation that he set up ten years ago.

John, from Balmore, turned 80 on April 30, and he hands over the baton for Just Trading Scotland (JTS) to Mary Popple at the beginning of this month (May).

John’s wife Nena had worked as a doctor in rural South Africa where they’d witnessed terrible poverty and this was the catalyst for getting involved in fair trade.

Their first venture, the Balmore Coach House fair trade café and shop, was established in 1980 and it grew so much that they needed bigger storage premises.

They also saw an opportunity to distribute more goods so they set up Just Trading Scotland (JTS) in 2009, which operates from a warehouse in Paisley.

JTS started with a shipment of rice just in time for Fairtrade Fortnight. Since then they have developed partnerships with small producer groups across the world and gathered support across Scotland and the UK.

The JTS mission has always been twofold, to work with their partners who are smallholder farmers and producers in the developing world and create a UK market for their goods, and to educate UK consumers to sustain and grow the UK market for their products.

The Balmore Coach House closed in January 2017 and a new fair trade shop and café, which is run by different people, was set up in Gavin’s Mill, Milngavie, and opened in March 2017.

John said: “It has been an exciting and challenging ten years for JTS, with lots of great achievements and some tight corners.

“It’s been really rewarding to see partnerships develop over the years with people across Scotland, the UK, and farmers in Africa, particularly in Malawi.

“I will continue to promote those partnerships by cultivating some of the friendships and links that I've made through JTS.

“I’d also like to build a better understanding of where the fair trade movement is going and write about it.”

John added: “I’m confident that JTS is in capable hands with Mary leading the way.”

He is also looking forward to spending more time with his friends and family, including his nine grandchildren.

John and Nena also plan to convert the Coach House in Balmore into their new home.

Mary (65) from St Andrews, Fife, has put aside any ideas that she would enjoy a quiet retirement as she prepares to take Just Trading Scotland (JTS) into the future as chairperson of their board.

She first got involved with JTS in 2012 and has been a non-executive director since September 2013.

Mary, former chair of the St Andrew’s fair trade town group, successfully campaigned to get the Royal and Ancient golf course to run the Open as a fair trade event when it’s in St Andrews.

She also worked hard for many years to achieve fair trade status for St Andrews and is chair of the audit and risk committee as a non-executive member of Court at the University of St Andrews.

Mary has become so well noted for her work in fair trade that she is known in her home town as ‘the rice lady’ and it’s not unusual for people to turn up at her door asking to buy some of the company’s award winning Kilombero rice, which comes from Malawi.

Mary said: “Firstly I’d like to thank John and Nena for all their hard work over the years, without their vision none of this would have happened.

“Fifty per cent of the world’s poorest people are smallholder farmers, so the world remains clearly, an unfair and unjust place, which cannot be right.

“John’s boots are huge ones to fill and there’s still a lot more work to do.

“I want to build upon what John has already achieved by continuing to work ethically with our partners and bring JTS to an even wider group of people.”

JTS has sold over £2 million worth of fair trade products in the last ten years and they have imported 250 tonnes of Kilombero rice from Malawi.

Each sale of 90kg enables a rice farmer to send a child to secondary school for a year.

JTS runs a 90kg Rice Challenge all year and over 800 schools, churches and community groups have already taken part.

They provide an educational pack for each Challenge which covers areas of the Curriculum for Excellence including Fairtrade, Sustainability, Social Enterprise and Citizenship.

A Birthday Party for JTS

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 11:23:09 GMT

Our Parliamentary Reception

The reception to celebrate 10 years of JTS was held last Tuesday, 26 March at the Parliament in Edinburgh, hosted by Colin Smyth MSP, convener of the parliamentary cross party group for Fair Trade. It was attended by the Minister for International Development, Ben Macpherson, several MSPs, Martin Rhodes, Chief Exec of Scottish Fairtrade Forum, David Hope-Jones, Chief Exec of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, many of our volunteers and supporters and of course the staff and directors of JTS.

This was a celebration of ten years hard work for which we are very proud, but first we should thank John and Nena Riches for having the vision to start the Coach House and Balmore Trust and then create JTS. Without Nena and John’s vision none of this would have happened. The other people to thank are the staff at JTS, who work tirelessly and absolutely on a shoe-string to promote the rights and dignity of others. And then of course our volunteers, without whom we could not function.

The evening at the Parliament was one of speeches, conversations and thinking about what more we can all do. John reflected on the dignity that working for fair pay brings to people right across the world, the potential of smallholder farmers in the developing world, and the anger and sheer poverty of lives led in these conditions.

The JTS mission has always been twofold - to work with our partners who are smallholder farmers and producers in the developing world and create a UK market for their goods, as well as to educate UK consumers – adults and young people alike – in order to sustain and grow the UK market for these Fine and Fair products. These are two halves of the same circle that links us all together.

Why ten years on is this still important? Well, 50% of the world’s poorest people are smallholder farmers, the world remains clearly, an unfair and unjust place, which cannot be right. We also believe that by unlocking their potential through the dignity of fair trade and investing in their lives, there is a hope that small holder farming in Africa and Asia can become an effective force for sustainable food production for the world’s population. JTS believes in a model of trade that is fair to producers and we will continue to push the boundaries.

The second issue is the impact of gender inequality. Empowering women small holder farmers could make a real difference to their communities. It is well documented that if a woman farmer controls the family income, the outcome for the family will be much better than if she does not.

Our partners are take the challenge of gender inequality very seriously. Take Eswatini, the company in the Kingdom of Eswatini, from which we import delicious sauces and jams. They are absolutely committed to improving the conditions for women farmers through education and business support. They have started a Woman Farmer of the Year competition – KASFA in Malawi are looking at this initiative and we hope they will follow suit. This is part of a network of ideas growing between our partner farmers in different parts of Africa and Asia. Networks and their ability to spread new ideas and good practice are very important.

How do we together sustain and grow this model of dignity through trade that John and Nena started and has developed through JTS, our supplier networks and our supporter networks?

· We need working capital - The long lead-times of bringing products from land-locked countries in Africa and our ethical commitment to prepayments mean that we require more working capital than a normal business.

· We all need to expect to pay for Fair and Fine products – a fair price means that products may be more expensive than the mass-produced products from highly mechanised farming we find on the supermarket shelves.

· Unlocking the potential of women small-holder farmers is crucial. Helping KASFA to baseline and implement education in shared household management strategies requires grant funding. KASFA are ready to do this but we don’t have the funding to kick it off.

· Confidence in each other is important. As farmers get to know how committed our supporters here are, the more they are also prepared to commit themselves. The more we know of each other the better for everyone – it really is a symbiotic relationship.

Going forward we ask all our supporters help where they can:

· Continue to buy products produced by our supplier partners

· Continue to sell our products – they all tell a story of dignity for producers

· Take on the rice challenge – don’t do it once but do it annually – make sure local schools and community groups become involved.

· Donate to JTS – we can’t expand or indeed be sustained without working capital. This is an issue which has dogged JTS since the very start.

· Volunteer – run a stall, give a talk, tell your friends, have a coffee morning, invite your friends for a JTS dinner (we can supply a menu!).

· And most importantly – talk to us and talk to the world. Tell us what you think would make a difference to your involvement, to help you draw others of all ages into the supporter network. Grow the networks of people talking about JTS. Something else – new networks – Fine and Fair also means many of our products are suitable for people on restricted diets, vegan diets, as well as diets that are better for the planet as well as eating delicious foods. Help get JTS and our mission out there.

It was a great evening. Renewing friendships, putting a face to a name familiar from emails and social media. Talking about what we each might do next. It was an energising evening giving us confidence for the next decade.

Mary Popple

Incoming Chair of JTS

10 Years: Dignity through Trade

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:57:41 GMT

‘Dignity through trade’ – how a Paisley company has been helping smallholder farmers in the developing world out of poverty, helping people in the West of Scotland into long-term employment, and educating a network of tens of thousands of individual supporters on the impact that their food purchasing choices make on these farmers.

Dignity for the farmers, dignity for those employed here, and knowledge to enable school children to understand their roles as global citizens and to enable consumers to choose fine and fair foodstuffs.

JTS (Just Trading Scotland) is well known as an ethical business that imports high quality foodstuffs from smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia. Based in Paisley, they import and sell many amazing products including the delicious and Great Taste Award winning Kilombero rice from Northern Malawi, sun ripened jams and chutneys from The Kingdom of Eswatini and the first ever Fairtrade certified organic coconut milk from Sri Lanka. But have you ever considered the unexpected benefit in the UK?

Here is Martin’s story -

“Back in 2010 I was a jobseeker with no previous work experience, no School qualifications and generally an unemployable individual on paper. When I applied for the job with JTS they had no obligation to contact me never mind give me the chance of an actual job interview. You see the staff at JTS managed to look past the piece of paper in front of them and asked themselves who is the man behind the blank application form. They decided I deserved a chance of an interview because of my honest approach to job hunting. The rest as they say is history.“

“Since joining this amazing organisation, I have been trained in everything - from starting in the warehouse as a picker and packer I am now a Warehouse Manager with nine years’ experience working in the fair trade industry. I have learned so much from my time at JTS. The passion this company has for making a difference not only to the farmers whose produce we buy but also to the people who we employ is inexplicable .

In my time here, we have had 19 fulltime staff who were all jobseekers, JTS provided a way back into work for all of them. Without all our customers’ support JTS could not continue all the amazing work we do at home and abroad and for that we thank you”.

Building on successes like this and with support from Invest in Renfrewshire through SERI (Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive), JTS has recently hired a new apprentice to work in the warehouse.

JTS has now reached its 10th Anniversary. They are launching their 10 year report this week, highlighting cumulative sales of over £2m of fair and fine foods. The importance of fair trade, the continued need for gender equity and the need for sustainable development across the world fuel the ambition of JTS and its employees to make an even bigger impact in the years to come.

In line with the JTS mission to inform and educate consumers about the benefits of fair trade and sustainable, environmentally friendly farming practices we seek to engage with people through road shows, our website and social media as well as through resource packs issued with our products.

There is a close partnership between Scotland and Malawi and JTS has helped to improve education, living standards and working conditions for the smallholder rice farmers in remote northern Malawi. Particularly through the ‘90kg Rice Challenge’, we have played a part in educating the next generation and encouraging schools and community groups to get involved. Over 500 schools and 300 faith groups have taken on the challenge of selling 90 kg of rice – the amount that will enable a farmer to pay for one year of a child’s secondary education – so far.

This means that the ’90 kg Rice Challenge’ has involved more than 20,000 schoolchildren and 10,000 adults and taught the participants about global citizenship, the impact of fair trade and why supporting sustainable environmentally-friendly farming in the developing world is crucial for the future of the planet and its entire population.

Fraser Boyd a teacher at Robert Douglas Memorial School, Scone, Perth said “ We’ve taken part in the Kilombero Rice Challenge for several years now, selling the rice at a stall run by the children during Parents’ Evenings. Coupled with the excellent teaching resources we use with the children first, the stall allows the children to talk to parents and carers about the point of the challenge, the impact of fairly traded products and their own role as global citizens in helping to enact change and increase access to education. Learners in schools taking part in the challenge will gain a great sense of respect for the value of their own education when they are supported in thinking about how hard others have to work to go to secondary school in Malawi. Teachers and parents alike have noticed how enthused the children are in talking about fair trade and why Scotland’s own historic and present connections to Malawi make the challenge even more significant. I would warmly encourage schools across Scotland to take on the challenge. We are a school of 500+ pupils and we’ve regularly managed 4 x 90kg challenges in an academic year. “

JTS is looking to grow and to continue to provide sustainable incomes and wellbeing for small holder farmers and producers and in their own community. With Great Taste Award winning products, many of them made with fresh naturally grown ingredients and no additives, they are ideally placed to meet growing demand for healthy foods with clear provenance, suitable for a vegan diet and those with restricted diets. This presents an opportunity for JTS to promote their delicious foods to a wider range of customers, with a particular focus on farm shops and delicatessens, cafes and restaurants while growing the market for producers through continued promotion of the rice challenge to schools and community groups.

On 26 March 2019, JTS will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with a reception in the Scottish Parliament being organised in conjunction with Scottish Fair Trade Forum. This event is set to mark the beginning of a new era for JTS, celebrating co-operation with long term partners and inviting new customers and supporters to join the journey.

To view our 10 Years: Dignity through Trade report click the image below.

The JTS I know

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:35:30 GMT

Most of you know JTS as a Fairly Trading business who purchase food from smallholder farmers in African and Asian countries. We buy and sell many amazing products like our delicious Kilombero rice from Malawi, sun ripened jams and chutneys from The Kingdom of Eswatini or the 1st ever Fairtrade certified organic coconut milk from Sri Lanka to name a few. Your support in purchasing these products does so much more for the producers than I can put into words, but did you ever consider the benefit your work does in the UK?

08-02-2010 is the date my life changed for the better. Already a father of two, with a third on the way, securing employment was in the forefront of my mind. The Jobcentre informed me of a ‘get back to work scheme’ I was eligible for and recommended that I should apply for a position at JTS. The application form left me with some issues, as I had no previous employment history, no education and no referees. I applied with a near empty application form which I expected to get no reply from. To my surprise, I was invited for an interview and, then, bagged myself a job.

I received a six-month contract with the chance of fulltime employment. Joining with only basic computer skills and little knowledge of how to conduct myself in a working environment, JTS trained me from the bottom up. I gained many new skills, such as: forklift license, excel training, sage accounts training, 1st aid training, an NC in health and safety and many more. The passion this company has for making a difference not only to the farmer who’s produce we buy but also to the people we employ is unexplainable.

This journey started for me with the chance to gain employment to support my family. It has turned into a nine-year journey I never expected all because JTS gave me a chance.

From a picker and packer, I now oversee all warehouse duties and work directly with our suppliers, building our supply chains and keeping our warehouse stocked with the many fine products we sell. I have met with farmers from Malawi, The Kingdom of Eswatini, India and Kenya seeing 1st hand the positive effects our work has in these communities and how much our relationship is valued.

The JTS you know is one that supports smallholder farmers giving employment, empowerment and a fair price for their goods. The JTS I know is one that gives amazing chances to jobseekers, offering them employment, empowerment and a fair wage for their work in the UK.

My story is one of 19 similar staff stories JTS has written over 10 years. I hope we can write many more together in the next ten years and beyond.

Happy Birthday JTS , Martin x

Looking Back and Looking Forward - Nicola

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:45:03 GMT

Celebrate International Woman's Day

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

My name is Nicola and I have been with JTS for 2.5 years now. I started as the Admin Assistant and so if you have ever phoned our office in that time, no doubt we will have spoken at some point. I am now the Customer Relationship Manager and this is a job with many challenges but also brings much satisfaction, however I will be even more satisfied when the brown rice and organic coconut milk arrives! I love the ethos of JTS and really embrace what it stands for and what it is trying to achieve which, in a nutshell, is to work for justice and fairness for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia, empowering them to develop their farms and communities, to bring food security and prosperity to their countries and to build a safer more sustainable world.

I am particularly inspired by the stories I hear from our producers and the intense hard work they have to endure on a daily basis, it takes superhuman effort for these farmers to earn a living. As today is International Women’s Day, I would like to use my blog to highlight two of the producers we partner with who focus on empowering women in their communities – Meru Herbs of Kenya and Eswatini of The Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland – I like to think that the products are so good that they decided to name the country after them ��)

Meru Herbs

Meru Herbs produce an exceptional range of ‘all natural’ jams and sauces made from the freshest herbs and most succulent fruits in the fertile soils of Mount Kenya (is your mouth watering yet?). It is a women led organisation in rural Kenya who are dedicated to the Principles of Fair Trade with a mission to:

Empower Women
Alleviate Poverty
Improve their Standards of Living

At the moment we import two sauces (Tomato & Basil and Tomato & Chilli) and two jams (Hibiscus and Papaya & Lemon) – the Tomato and Basil Sauce is a family favourite in my house and I always have a box in the cupboard for those nights when I just don’t know what to make for dinner, it is so versatile and easy to use in a number of dishes. My sons love it with meatballs and spaghetti, guess what’s for dinner tonight!

Eswatini

You may already know quite a bit about Eswatini as we have partnered with them even before JTS was founded. Our relationship with them has grown from strength to strength over the years and they remain very close to our hearts. I’m sure you know a lot of the Eswatini products, the jams, marmalades, chutneys, atchars and sauces; so as this is International Women’s Day I want to do a special mention for Sonia Paiva who is the Managing Director of Eswatini. Sonia is a formidable business woman and has won all All-Africa award as the leading woman entrepreneur in the field of agriculture and is also the first female Managing Director in her country, so she is a real beacon of hope to other women all around the world. Sonia also founded the Woman Farmer Foundation who’s mandate is to improve women’s incomes and promote sustainable livelihoods through agriculture. The Foundation focuses on women and youth empowerment and aim to equip, promote and advance through expanding their knowledge base, information dissemination and education and training in farming techniques. Every woman trained is required to pass this knowledge onto another woman farmer thereby allowing them to set up co-operatives and new enterprises and give everyone the same opportunity to learn, improve and increase their yields.

So these are two very inspiring women led / focused organisations to think about for International Women’s Day. We would love to see them grow and develop and realise their full potential in order that they can help more women work their way out of poverty towards a more sustainable livelihood. Ultimately, we want to provide them with a brighter future and the way we do that is by providing a market here in the UK for their products.

So please continue to support them by buying their products and give them the opportunity to thrive rather than just survive.

Looking Back and Looking Forward - Malcolm

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 17:01:16 GMT

In the 10 years since the birth of JTS for many of us the world has changed dramatically with the pace of change even appearing to increase exponentially. Social media, technology and politics for example all have very different outlooks than they did in 2009. Yet for the 2 billion smallholder farmers and producers trying to eke out a living for their families the fundamentals of poverty and toil have barely changed, as I have seen for myself in Malawi.

As far as its possible for a small not-for-profit Social Enterprise, JTS has in these 10 years tried to help as many of these farmers as possible. In particular we are proud of the impact our efforts to build a UK market for Kilombero rice and the development work we have carried out in the Karonga region of Malawi has had on the nearly 9,000 rice farmers of the local farmers association. Yet it is perhaps not the direct benefit the farmers income and security that will have the greatest long-term impact. Rather it may be that by demonstrating that its possible for a small ethical company to implement and sustain a full, fairly traded supply chain from Africa to the end consumer, we inspire and set an example to others and thus help build the kind of businesses in developing world that will give farmers a sustainable and dignified lifestyle.

Certainly, a range of organisations from various sectors including commercial, academical and NGOs have studied our story and business model and we believe that may influence future thinking and policy in a number of positive ways.

JTS is now looking forward to its next 10 years when we hope to have an even greater impact on more farmers and producers, and to be a beacon for the benefits of ethical sustainable fair trade and of partnerships between the developing and developed world.

Malcolm Shannon, Director

Looking Back and Looking Forward - Tracy

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 12:07:15 GMT

Writing this on the eve of my 11th Fairtrade Fortnight with JTS, it is interesting to reflect on the variety of roles I have held in that time. Initially asked if I could do 3 days per week from January to March 2009, I started with a mixture of project management (related to getting us up and running) and marketing. Whilst the project management was well within my comfort zone, my marketing expertise was limited to having line-managed the marketing manager in my previous organisation! Faced with the imminent arrival of 18 tonnes of rice we clearly needed a plan! Very accustomed to eating up short-dated stock from my church fair trade stall, my long suffering husband commented “you had better come up with a plan, we can’t eat 18 tonnes of rice!” Thankfully Liz came up with the idea of the 90kg Rice Challenge, my role became an implementation one.

Fast forward a few years, past a few months off for maternity leave and then a spell working on grant applications (rather unsuccessfully), and you’ll find me balancing numbers and board papers in my new roles of financial controller and board secretary. These roles involved liaison with our lenders and accountants as well as juggling our day to day finances and compiling reports for the board meetings. Together the roles meant I got much more involved in JTS’s day to day operations and taught me a massive amount about the challenges of running a small business; I have learned how unbelievably hard it is to make a fair trade business sustainable, I have learned about the almost unsurmountable challenges the farmers face and about the real complexities involved in importing food products from (often land-locked) developing countries in Africa and Asia, not to mention the hard work involved in finding a sustainable market for the products.

My role changed again last autumn, and I am now the part-time business manager for JTS. I still do lots of finance work and liaison with the board but I also have more general operational management responsibility. It remains a really challenging role, where the lack of working capital impacts on our decisions on an almost daily basis. But it is also an immensely inspiring and fulfilling role. I am truly inspired by the team I work with here in UK – the whole staff team, the board and our volunteers and customers, by the energy they all put in to trying to create a sustainable market for the food products we import. And having had the privilege to meet just a few of the farmers whose lives are impacted by our purchases I am convinced this is worthwhile and significant work.

Ten years in, it is amazing to think back on the journey JTS has been on since I accepted that contract for 3 months work! With your support, I am hopeful we can make the business truly sustainable and I encourage you to join us on the journey!

KASFA helping and Supporting Woman Farmers

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 16:37:57 GMT

Yesterday saw some of the women farmers of KASFA leave their fields and gather in town for a meeting.

The aim of this meeting was to discuss the welfare of themselves and their families and also to talk about how they can find small sums of capital to enable them to start small businesses such as baking cakes to generate extra income in whatever spare time they may have.

Many of these women are widowed and are therefore the main breadwinners and sole providers for their immediate, and often extended, families.

KASFA are working closely with these women farmers to empower them and give them the skills and knowledge necessary for them to create a brighter future for their families.

We will keep you updated on the work that KASFA are doing to help and support woman farmers.