Fairtrade at St Mark's

Fight poverty through Fairtrade

Ross fairly trading

Our Fairtrade stall is open every Sunday selling goods that are fairly traded.

All profits go to help our partner Church in Madras and the ‘night school’ for village children in nearby Ammanabakkum.

In September 2000 St. Mark's opened its first stall devoted to selling Fairtrade goods. This enables members and friends to purchase guaranteed Fairtrade products each Sunday after the service while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea with biscuits (Fairtrade of course!) together with a friendly chat.

All products bear the Fairtrade mark, the consumer label that guarantees a better deal for marginalised and disadvantaged third world producers. A minimum price is paid to the producer which covers the social cost of production. This means that farmers receive enough payment to cover the price of producing the commodity and to afford a basic standard of living for their families, that includes education of their children and health care for the family. The Fairtrade mark also guarantees that no child or forced labour is used.

The Fairtrade products on sale include - tea, coffee, sugar, honey, drinking chocolate, biscuits, snack bars, chocolate, rice, muesli; with greetings cards, incense, and a few additional non-food items.

Our Fairtrade goods are bought either directly from Tradecraft plc or through a Fairtrade wholesaler which gives us a margin of between 15% to 20% while selling at the Recommended Sale Price. This margin does not simply return to our church coffers, but is sent on a regular basis to our sister Unitarian church in Madras, South India, and is used in their outreach activities. The main beneficiary is the village night school for underprivileged local children of the untouchable caste. They work during the daytime, but now receive a rudimentary education in the late afternoon and early evening. This School is funded entirely by the Madras Unitarian church, who receive regular donations from the Edinburgh and Glasgow congregations, with whom it is twinned.

Our Partner Church in India

click here

 

The Fairtrade Foundation

The photographs were supplied by the "Fairtrade Foundation"

Workers plucking tea, Tanzania Nikoa Abott checking her bananas, St Vincent
Coffee farmers children, Nicaragua Cocoa farmers, Belize

Fair Comment !

“Fairtrade means me drawing attention to the plight of the two-thirds world in my corner of the rich west”

Barbara Smith

“It is great to know that, although charity is important, fair trade is different—it is helping people to make a living in a dignified way.”

Elaine Wilmore

“Because of fair trade our beekeepers have security and are guaranteed a fair price.”

Ervis Huenopan

“So many of the conflicts I have reported on over the years have one thing in common – political instability caused in large measure by chronic poverty. Without a level playing field when it comes to trade even the best policies would come to nothing. That's why I'm delighted to support the Fairtrade Fortnight."

George Alagiaha

We buy Fairtrade products because they’re not only delicious, but extra money goes straight to the people who produce them." 

Paul Merton

“Thank you for buying traditional crafts from us. We have a job because of you.”

La-ong Kaokrue

"If you want to make sure the producers get a better deal, it’s now so simple – just look for the Fairtrade Mark."

Judi Dench

"Fair Trade is a little flash of genius: small scale farmers are paid a guaranteed price, which is always higher than the international market price and never dips below a set minimum. The producers deal directly with the buyers, and the first world consumer pays little more than 1p a cup extra. It's the closest thing to hope that there may be. With this system everyone wins".

John Vidal, The Guardian

Make a difference buy fair trade products today !