1 WHAT IS FAIRTRADE

2 FAIRTRADE IN SA

WHAT WE DO
3 FAIRTRADE LABEL SOUTH AFRICA

4 SUPPORTING AFRICAN TRADE

SUPPORTING LOCAL
5 COMMUNITIES

FROM FARM TO TABLE

6 THE FAIRTRADE PRODUCT JOURNEY

7 MAKE FAIRTRADE POSSIBLE

PRODUCER STORIES
HEIVELD COOPERATIVE

8 STELLAR ORGANICS
BEAN THERE
1 FAIRTRADE

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seeks greater equity in
international trade by:
• Ensuring better prices to small-scale farmers
• Providing a Fairtrade premium for community
development projects
• Enforcing decent working conditions in farms
• Supporting sustainable production and protection of
the environment

what
FAIRTRADE is the most
internationally recognised
is
fai
and trusted social and
ethical certification
system. Spanning over FAIRTRADE actively tackles
22 consumer countries underdevelopment in
and over 900 producer

rtr
marginalised producer
groups, FAIRTRADE is groups, by enabling small-
a rapidly growing global scale farmers and farm
phenomenon. workers to take action to
Its successes are most better control their own lives,

ade
evident in the thousands improve their knowledge and
of empowered small-scale skills to create more choices
farmers and farm workers for themselves, and lay the
across the developing world foundations for a better future
as well as its wide-spread for their entire communities.
support base, mainly in
Europe and America.
 WHAT 3
FAIRTRADE LABEL SOUTH

2
WE
AFRICA (FLSA) is the official
South Africa has been Marketing Organisation for
a producer of Fairtrade FAIRTRADE in South Africa.

DO
goods, such as wine, fruits, We are a team of motivated
vegetables, rooibos tea and and diverse people, who work
nuts, for over a decade. together with local market
These were all mainly for actors in order to bring
export, with few products FAIRTRADE closer to African
being available in the local consumers.
market. This situation
changed in 2008 with the
establishment of FAIRTRADE
LABEL SOUTH AFRICA,
WHAT
To increase awareness
HOW
We participate in local
whose main objective is to
of FAIRTRADE amongst events and organise
promote Fairtrade and its
South African stakeholders promotion activities to
products to local consumers
bring FAIRTRADE to

fair
and stakeholders.
businesses and
consumers
Over the past 2 years,
FAIRTRADE has grown
To increase the We work with trading

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dramatically in South Africa,
FAIRTRADE product range businesses in South Africa
with sales reaching ZAR 5.7m
available in South Africa and Africa to encourage
in 2009. There are 15 labelled
the creation of regional
brands selling locally in the

ade
FAIRTRADE supply chains.
product categories of wine
To do that, we assist
and coffee and soon other
businesses in obtaining the
products like bananas, tea,
license to sell
oranges, chocolate and

in
FAIRTRADE labelled
cotton will be available
products
to consumers. Major
national retailers have also
To increase the availability We work with local traders,
pledged their commitment

sa
of FAIRTRADE in the local retailers and the hospitality
to FAIRTRADE and are
market industry to assure that
increasingly stocking labelled
that FAIRTRADE products
products.
are made available to
consumers.
4
SUPPORTING
AFRICAN
TRADE
FAIRTRADE has traditionally relied on
export business for many years, due
mainly to the wide support it received
from importers, retailers and consumer
groups in Northern countries. This model
has however come to a change, given that
an increasing number of businesses and
consumers in the South are demanding to
actively support FAIRTRADE in their day-
to-day activities. FLSA is the driver of this
change in Africa.

By creating all-African supply chains,

value-adding activities occur within these
countries, keeping the benefits and profits
generated by FAIRTRADE in the continent
and ultimately encouraging African
development.
At the same time, this brings local
consumers closer to those communities
that produce FAIRTRADE products,
fostering solidarity and a shared
vision of a better future.
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5 Sustainable
and equitable
development has to
focus on increasing
living standards,
apart from better income. The
FAIRTRADE premium is meant
to address the lack of services
and infrastructures faced in many
rural areas by many small-scale
farmers and farm workers.

Paid on top of the produce and

dedicated exclusively to small-

COM
farmers and farm workers, the

SUPPO
FAIRTRADE Premium is a key
tool to generate development
through investing in socio-

RTING MUN
economic projects that farming
communities feel important for
their lives.

LOCAL ITIES
In South Africa, the FAIRTRADE
premium is spent mostly on
education and training (26%)
and infrastructure improvement
(23%), followed by investments in
job creation and health services
(22%). The remaining goes mainly
to recreational programs, such
as organising spot activities o
building community halls.
Over half of the projects target
the whole community, while
the remaining are specifically
dedicated to the children and
the youth.
6 2) Labour standards
– FAIRTRADE certification

from
make sure that farms
comply with the highest
labour standards (freedom
of association, no forced
or child labour, non

farm 1) Growing without

the help of harmful
chemicals
discrimination)

to
– FAIRTRADE encourages
sustainable production for
a long-term approach to
environmental protection

table 3) Handled and

traded fairly
– FAIRTRADE audits
annually farms and
traders in order to
assure that the whole
supply chain complies
with the standards

THE 5) Giving back

to communities

FAIR
– for every FAIRTRADE
sale, small farmers and 4) Fair price
farm workers receive a – FAIRTRADE
Fairtrade premium, which guarantees that

TRADE they can invest

in projects
that benefits the wider
producers are getting
a fair price that
reflects the costs
PRODUCT community of sustainable
production
JOURNEY
7

RESTAURANTS
PRODUCERS MAKE FAIRTRADE POSSIBLE.

CONSUMERS
RETAILERS
Make your Satisfy the Offer FAIRTRADE Support Give your guests As the most
business demand for products and FAIRTRADE and the opportunity to powerful actor in
FAIRTRADE FAIRTRADE work with us our activities, choose FAIRTRADE the supply chain,
certified and products and in promoting use FAIRTRADE products from your choices can
commit to
the economic
and social
development
of your farming
TRADERS
assist us ina
establishing
commercially
viable supply
chains for
FAIRTRADE to
your consumer
segment.
Corporate social
responsibility is
products in your
offices or at your
events. We will
support you in your
communication
your menus or
find a FAIRTRADE
surprise in their
hotel rooms,
showing your
drive change
in the industry
and support the
development of
local communities.
communities as FAIRTRADE now local more around FAIRTRADE commitment to
well as to the products than ever. and we will include social development

ALLIES
protection of our you in our allies and sustainability.
environment directory for the

HOTELS
knowledge of the
wider public.
 Set in the magnificent Suid Bokkeveld area in the Northern Cape, the Heiveld Cooperative
was formed in 2001 to promote social justice and the social and economic development of
those communities that had faced discrimination as well as lack of services and widespread
poverty.

“A lot has changed. Now at the end of the week there
is still money left over after buying groceries”
KOOS PAULSEN,
Heiveld Coop member, 2009
Starting off with a group of 14 small-scale rooibos farmers, the Heiveld Cooperative now
represents 60 members and exports its rooibos tea all over the world, also thanks to the
commercial links provided by Fairtrade and organic certification, both obtained in 2003.
The founding of the Heiveld Cooperative allowed members to cut down on production costs
by establishing a collective tea processing facility. Before, they were all dependent on tea-
making facilities owned by larger farmers, which meant that most of the profits made were
spent on transport costs and rentals for use of the facilities.

The Heiveld Co-operative has since then moved steadily towards fulfilling the dreams of
its members. After renting a tea court from a neighbour for the first years, it completed
the first phase of our own tea court in 2005, and processed its first harvest in 2006 on it.
Employment was created for local community members from the Suid Bokkeveld, and
especially business initiatives of women were supported for producing packaging.

FAIRTRADE’S IMPACT ON THE HEIVELD COOPERATIVE

The economic impact of Fairtrade marketing has been very significant. By selling rooibos
tea to FAIRTRADE importers, the income of the farmers’ families tripled from circa R 10/

8
Kg to currently R 25/Kg plus a R 5/Kg for FAIRTRADE premium. “There is a huge difference
from when we sold to the large farmers. In the past the link between buyer and seller was
missing – the buyer just gave whatever price they wanted, it wasn’t related to our standard
of living,” comments Lionel Louw, board member of the Heiveld Cooperative.

Besides improving the farmers’ standard of living, the main goal from the beginning was
to make the smallholders independent from wholesalers and neighbouring commercial
farms. Due to the FAIRTRADE Premium this became possible. They were able to buy their
own equipment for tea production, such as their own tea-chopping machine, and
subsequently to build their own tea-court, a primary processing facility where
raw green tea is finely chopped, fermented and then dried. The premium is
also used to train staff and members and to support local schools as well as
disadvantaged members of the community.

HEIVELD
COOPERATIVE “We are going to complete the second phase of construction of
the tea court, including the installation of water storage tanks,
Northern Cape,
South Africa building a store/office building, and purchase a second tea
www.heiveld.co.za chopping machine. We have also developed a scheme to help
members who experienced especially bad harvests during
the 2003 – 2006 droughts as well as a training programme for
members in sustainable production of Rooibos.”

LIONEL LOUW,
Board Member of Heiveld Coop, 2008

“Because of the progressive social programmes
of Stellar Organics and the empowerment policies
and funding provided by Fairtrade I have had the
opportunity to fulfil my potential and rise through the
company to my present position”
BERTY JONES,
Stellar Organics Cellar Master, June 2010
Located in the semi-arid Namaqualand, Stellar Organics is a great
example of a FAIRTRADE pioneer in South Africa because of the extent
to which it has aligned its business with FAIRTRADE standards. The
farming operations for both table and wine grapes obtained Fairtrade
certification in 2003 and 2004 respectively, thus making it the biggest
FAIRTRADE and organic wine farm in the world, processing more than
3millions litres of Fairtrade organic wine each year.
The company opened ownership to its workers in line with the post-apartheid process
of providing economic opportunities to previously disadvantaged people: to this end the
Stellar Employees’ Trust was set up in 2006. All permanent winery and farm employees,
counting up to 150 workers, are allocated shares in the trust, which now owns a 26%
shareholding in the winery and 50% in the farming operation.

FAIRTRADE’S IMPACT AT STELLAR ORGANICS

As part of FAIRTRADE requirements, Stellar Organics meets standards based on core
ILO conventions for the protection of workers’ rights. They include the right to join a trade
union or others workers organisation, the right to collective bargaining, freedom from
discrimination, decent employment conditions, a safe working environment, and no forced
or child labour. The FAIRTRADE premium is paid into the bank account of the Joint Body
(JB), which is made up of 19 people elected democratically amongst farm workers. The JB

8
meets regularly to discuss and select which projects to fund with the FAIRTRADE premium
in order to tackle poverty and invest in their communities.

From 2006 to 2010, Stellar Employees Trust received a total of R 2.58 million in Fairtrade
premium from wine sales, and receives around R 160.000 annually from sales of table
grapes. In the past, the premium has been used to improve workers’ housing and to build a
crèche that is now open also to all the workers from the neighbouring farms. Training and
skills development projects are an ongoing commitment and this is dramatically increasing
the employment opportunities for the most talented workers in the farm. Thanks to
training in media and journalism, some workers have started publishing the Stellar Star,
the company newspaper. Other workers are climbing their way to the wine-making.
www.stellarorganics.com

ORGANICS
STELLAR

Berty Jones is a great example. He started as a handyman and was soon identified as a
fast learner. Stellar Organics’ FAIRTRADE certification in 2003 gave a financial boost to
its training programmes. This enabled Berty to be retrained as an assistant wine maker,
Western Cape

followed by promotion to cellar master and election to the vice chair of the Joint Body.
South Africa

Berty has travelled extensively in Europe, the UK and the USA, promoting Stellar Organics
at trade events and being an ambassador for FAIRTRADE . In early 2010 Berty was
appointed as a Director of Stellar Winery.

The workers have a list of upcoming projects to be funded with the FAIRTRADE the
premium, including the purchase of a bus and the establishment of a community centre
in memory of Maria Malan, a much-loved and inspirational employee and FAIRTRADE
advocate who rose from domestic worker to farm manager and who died in April 2010.
 Bean There Coffee Company is the beginning of a dream realised;
the dream to directly source African coffee, build relationships with
the producers, expertly roast this coffee, and bring top quality coffee
to the people of South Africa while making a significant difference in
peoples’ lives.

Established in 2005 and the first roaster of Certified FAIRTRADE

coffee in South Africa, Bean There is serious about establishing the practises of
trading fairly, directly, and transparently in all areas of business. For Bean There,
FAIRTRADE is not about special treatment but rather fair treatment, and it extends
beyond farmers and producers to the staff of Bean There, their suppliers, and their
customers. The company is committed to personally sourcing Fairtrade, organic African
coffee and currently purchases coffee from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Coffee produced and roasted in Africa means a low carbon footprint and minimal

8
environmental impact.

Bean There Coffee Company takes FAIRTRADE one step further through the
implementation of “direct fair trade” which involves personally and regularly visiting
their coffee farmers, thus showing its committment to long-term relationships with
the farmers and cooperatives who produce their coffee. “FAIRTRADE is not just a
label, certification, or marketing tool; it is a relationship, and we believe that direct
FAIRTRADE is the best way to build this relationship”, comments Jonathan Robinson,
the founder and father of Bean There Coffee Company.

Each cooperative (a collection of small-scale coffee farmers) uses its FAIRTRADE

premiums as needed and as democratically determined by the cooperative. Bean
There’s Ethiopian Sidamo coffee is produced by the Fero Cooperative. There are over
3100 members representing a total population of over 27,300 people. FAIRTRADE
premiums are paid directly to the farmers and are mainly used for capacity building and
training.
BEAN
THERE
In Rwanda, Bean There purchases from Coopac, located in the town of Gisenyi on the COFFEE
shores of Lake Kivu. Coopac consists of 2200 members; coffee farmers living and COMPANY
growing coffee in the green hills of this small central African country. Coopac has used
their FAIRTRADE premiums to build modern and efficient coffee processing facilities.
This has resulted in a significant increase in quality and therefore price fetched
per pound. Their FAIRTRADE premiums have also been used to build additional
classrooms at the local school.