Have your cake and eat it, says Co-op
organisation which guarantees fair prices for producers in some of
the world's poorest regions, is the latest own label product launch
by the UK's Co-op Group.
The UK's Co-op retail group, which is renowned for its philanthropic approach to business, has been selling a range of fairly-traded food products under its own label for some time, and just last week added another item to the range - Fair Trade Chocolate Cake.
The cake is made using Fairtrade sugar and cocoa, which means that consumers can be confident that producers in developing countries will be guaranteed a fair deal for their goods.
The moist chocolate cake, topped with chocolate flavour chips, was launched in nearly 1,200 Co-op food stores across the UK and is priced at £1.89 (€2.96). Co-op said it was ideal served with its Fair Trade instant coffee launched in September.
The sugar in the cake is supplied by Traidcraft and comes from Otisa Mill in Arroyos y Esteros, Paraguay. It is organically produced and the Fairtrade premium is shared by around 80 local farmers who make up three of the co-operatives supplying the sugar cane to the mill. The cocoa beans are sourced from Ghana from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative.
The Fairtrade organisation is dedicated to building trading relationships between consumers in the UK and producers in developing countries. Producers receive a fair and guaranteed price for their goods which means they have money to invest back into their business and their community.
Terry Hudghton of the Co-operative Group said: "The launch of the first supermarket Fairtrade cake takes Fairtrade into a new product area and will introduce many more customers to the benefits of Fairtrade."
The Co-op claims to be Britain's leading supermarket supporter of Fairtrade, whose tea, coffee and chocolate are available even in many of the smallest Co-op convenience stores. Co-op's complete range of Fairtrade products consists of chocolate cake, instant coffee granules, roast & ground coffee, milk chocolate, crispy white chocolate, Chilean Carmenere wine, Chilean Oaked Semillon wine, bananas and mangoes.
Meanwhile, the Co-op is also preparing to launch a new scheme which will help disadvantaged communities throughout the UK buy better food. The community food card will give a 10 per cent discount to groups as diverse as community cafes and food co-operatives, and will be launched nationwide this week after an 18 month pilot scheme in Scotland.
