The Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand and Fairtrade Labelling Australia and New Zealand released their 2008 Annual Report last week. 

Download the report here.(988kb, pdf)

The annual report shows that Australian and New Zealand support of Fairtrade Certified and Labelled products grew strongly for the fifth consecutive year in 2008 with retail figures exceeding AU$32 million - an increase of over 70%.

Fairtrade Certified coffee sales continued to run hot last year, reaching AU$17 million in Australia and NZ$9.5 million in NZ - making it the highest selling Fairtrade Certified product in both countries.

The number of businesses licensed to sell Fairtrade products in both countries also rose significantly with over 160 now registered with FLANZ.

Checkout Fairtrade search finds Australia’s Most Fairtrade Friendly Supermarkets

MEDIA RELEASE
10 June 2009

Victorian independent supermarket Leo’s Fine Food & Wine in Kew and Coles Belmont in New South Wales have taken top honours in the Checkout Fairtrade search to find Australia’s Most Fairtrade Friendly Supermarket, the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ) announced today.

Held as part of Fair Trade Fortnight 2009 (2-17 May), Checkout Fairtrade aimed to find the supermarket store stocking the biggest range of Fairtrade Certified and Labelled products in the country.

FTAANZ Operations Manager Cameron Neil said from the entries sent in by Aussie shoppers across the country, Leo’s Fine Food & Wine was found to be the Most Fairtrade Friendly Independent Supermarket with a total of 32 Fairtrade products on its shelves, while the Coles outlet in Belmont, just south of Newcastle, was the Most Fairtrade Friendly Major Supermarket, stocking over 25 Fairtrade products.

“We congratulate Leo’s Fine Food & Wine and Coles Belmont, for their commitment to Fairtrade by stocking and selling such a wide range of Fairtrade Certified and Labelled products,” Mr Neil said.

Fairtrade Labelling Australia and New Zealand was proud and excited to partner with the Stop the Traffik campaign to organise ‘Australia’s Largest Chocolate Fondue Party’ which took place in Melbourne on Sunday 18 January 2009 in Federation Square in Melbourne.

The fondue party sought to raise awareness of the fact that everyday, thousands of trafficked children are forced to work in the cocoa industry. The event encouraged the public to come along and learn more about the solutions available, talk to advocacy and campaign groups, sample Fairtrade Certified and other trafficking free products, and partake in the chocolate fondue!

Starbucks to Double Fairtrade Certified™ Coffee Purchases, Becoming the World’s Largest Buyer of Fairtrade Certified Coffee as Part of Starbucks™ Shared Planet™

Seattle, New Orleans; October 28, 2008 – Starbucks, TransFair USA and the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) today announced a groundbreaking initiative that builds upon the organizations’ shared history of support for small-scale coffee farmers.

Starbucks, one of the largest buyers of Fairtrade Certified coffee, will double its purchases to 40 million pounds in 2009, making the company the largest purchaser of Fairtrade Certified™ coffee in the world.

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday 28 November 2008  

Fairtrade Coffees Prove Their Golden Qualities

After one week and over 500 coffee entries from 120 coffee roasters from around Australia, the results of the 3rd annual EQUAL Golden Bean Coffee Roaster Competition held in Port Macquarie last weekend are in!

With the highest combined point score in the two main categories of “Milk Based” and “Espresso”, Fiori Coffee in WA wins the Golden Bean Award.

30 Fairtrade licensed coffee roasters took part in the event and we would like to congratulate all the winners

Special mention goes to Gigante coffee who won Gold in the organic category with their Fairtrade Blend.

Other winners with a Fairtrade brew in the organic category include Jasper Coffee who took Silver with their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe single origin coffee and Coffex Coffee who took Bronze with Global Café Direct Original Blend.