Bewley’s to invest €5.3m to make all its fresh coffee Fairtrade Certified
Pictured at the announcement were Patrick Bewley of Bewley’s with Baristas Eileen Maher and Gary Hollywood. Photography by Shane O’Neill Photography.
Ireland’s leading fresh coffee company, Bewley’s, will further grow its direct links with coffee producers in developing countries by converting all of its branded fresh coffee products to Fairtrade Certified coffee in a new $6m (€5.3m) programme, announced today.
Bewley’s was the first to bring Fairtrade coffee into Ireland in 1996 and is today by far Ireland’s largest supplier of Fairtrade coffees, with 50% of all its coffee currently sourced through the Fairtrade certification system, in addition to other ongoing ethical and sustainable programmes supported by Bewley’s.
Jim Corbett of Bewley’s said, “With Fairtrade you have the power in your pocket to change the world every day. Our objective always is to achieve high quality for the consumer and a fair deal for the producer. Fairtrade is the only certification that guarantees a minimum price to farmers and an additional premium for social development projects in coffee producing communities.”
“Having pioneered Fairtrade in Ireland for over 20 years, we’re very proud to continue this commitment by bringing all of our branded fresh coffee products under the Fairtrade banner.”
Fairtrade Fortnight starts on Leap Day, 29th February and runs to 13th March.
Buying Fairtrade means farmers get fair returns for their products. Bewley’s is not only committed to direct trade with coffee farmers but also to building long-term direct relationships with Fairtrade coffee co-operatives. Bewley’s sources Fairtrade certified coffee from Nicaragua, Honduras, Peru, Brazil and Colombia and will expand these channels further, including sourcing Fairtrade coffee from Uganda and Tanzania.
In 1996, in partnership with the newly established Fairtrade Mark Ireland, Patrick Bewley arranged the first import of Fairtrade Certified coffee to Ireland, continuing Bewley’s heritage of sustainable and responsible practices since the establishment of the business in 1840. In 2013, Bewley’s role in sustainable trade was formally recognised by Nicaragua in the appointment of Bewley’s Master Roaster Paul O’Toole as Honorary Consul of Nicaragua in Ireland. In 2016, Bewley’s celebrates 20 Years of Fairtrade in Ireland and over 175 Years of great coffee and tea.
