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FAIR TRADE ORIGINAL™ GRINDERS LAUNCHED

01.12.2011 - The famous ethical brand Fair Trade Original™ was launched in Woolworths stores earlier this month. The products, four exciting herb & spice grinders, contain Fairtrade certified ingredients from India and are proudly mixed and packed in South Africa.

The four grinders are traded and sold by Turqle Trading (www.turqle.com), a South African company that links South African manufacturers to fair and ethical traders worldwide with the objective to create and maintain sustainable trading partnerships and create local employment. “South Africans need to build industries and infrastructures, they need sustainable jobs so that breadwinners can provide stable homes for their families, decent education for their children and a legacy of self-worth for future generations,” comments Pieter Swart, managing director of Turqle Trading.

For every product sold, Turqle Trading pays 2,5% of the FOB price into the Fair Trade Trust, which was established in 2003. The money in the Fair Trade Trust is used for the education of the workers and their immediate families. Regular personal growth courses are organized at the factories - covering topics such as HIV/AIDS prevention, household budgets, conflict resolution, supervisor training etc., and each year people are invited to apply for funding for personal study.

Our executive director Boudewijn Goossens comments “It is great to see that local retailers are showing more interested in Fairtrade labelled products and we encourage South African consumers to try the grinders, not only to add a delicious touch to their everyday dishes, but also because they support sustainable farming and local employment”.

Established in 1997, Turqle Trading has 145 active products in the market under six different fair trading brands. They market mainly in Western Europe and Australia and these Fairtrade grinders are the first range launched in South Africa. Turqle Trading works with 12 different factories in the Western Cape – ranging from tiny to fairly large – and there are (approximately) 492 people employed at these factories. Operationally, they are self-funded and do not own production facilities. Turqle Trading is an active member of WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) and some of its products, such as these grinders, are Fairtrade certified.