It’s been 20 years since Clipper Teas launched the first Fairtrade green tea into UK supermarkets. Back in 1996, green tea was very much an unknown; beloved by a select few, it was for many a step too far from the traditional British cuppa.
Fast forward to 2016, and Clipper now exports an extensive range of green teas to over 50 countries worldwide. Tastes have evolved with the times, and as healthy living has soared up the consumer agenda, green tea has found its way into more and more shopping baskets, with Clipper’s green tea penetration growing over 7.5% in the last year alone.
And with this increase in demand comes heightened responsibility for companies such as ours who are committed to ethical sourcing. For Fairtrade brands like Clipper, it’s essential that all involved at every level of the supply chain are treated with respect and paid a fair wage for their contribution.
Trust on both sides
We work with just a handful of partner estates, all of which place great emphasis on the quality of life of workers and their families. We believe this is right as a business, and it is also what conscious consumers expect to see from responsible brands.
Two years ago Clipper visited the Welbeck Estate in southern India to assess the impact of Fairtrade. This summer I had the opportunity to not only return to Welbeck and the Burnside tea estates, both of which we’ve worked with for over 20 years, but to also visit the Chamraj and Korakundah estates as we look to address growing consumer demand for green tea. Whilst there, I met with Fairtrade committees, to find out how investments of the Fairtrade Premium are making a huge difference to tea workers’ lives.
I had the privilege of witnessing the benefits of a retirement scheme in action at Chamraj, one of the first estates in the world to achieve Fairtrade certification, which also offers a hospital and a fantastic school to children in the local community.
I also met with a small group of retired workers who not only benefit from the housing provided, but also from a monthly pension. The scheme, which currently has 160 beneficiaries who all qualified after 25 years’ service, started as a result of the Fairtrade accreditation process and is a significant example of the Fairtrade premium in action.
The Chamraj Fairtrade committee, recognised as one of the best in the world in 2016 by Fairtrade International at its recent awards, told me that many of the second generation – that is, children born and raised on the estate – are not working there. Thanks to the Fairtrade Premium, many have been able to pursue college educations and qualifications allowing them to secure alternative employment, both locally and further afield. But some are also bringing these skills back.
Mrs. M. Kalamani, employed as a tea plucker at Burnside, said that her earnings were “enough to support my family, but to stretch myself to pay for my son’s education without this [Premium] would not have been possible without incurring debts from outsiders. Fairtrade helped me give my children their education without this pressure.”
Her son, Mr. M. Saravanan, received Fairtrade Premium support to study for a diploma in computer engineering at the NPA Centenary Polytechnic College in Kotagiri. He has now returned home, back to the estate where his mother works. He told me: “After finishing my scholarship, I returned to Burnside and secured a good job opportunity here. Everyone treated and taught me so well [throughout my studies], and now I want to shape my career in the tea industry. This estate helped me to continue my education. Now I want to give back to it.”
All of the Fairtrade Committees I met were universally focused on two areas: their children’s advancement and their own retirement. Their core desires are the same as yours and mine, and the Fairtrade Premium is helping to make this possible.
A virtuous circle
We believe it’s important to buy from known sources where we have good face-to-face relationships, and for our customers to know the difference they make with each cup of tea.
Witnessing first-hand this virtuous circle, visiting schools and crèches where teachers are funded by Fairtrade Premium and entire classrooms are sponsored, and speaking with locals about how benefits such as better schooling and healthcare has positively impacted the wider catchment area, really brought this message home to me.
A commitment to strong - and lengthy - supply chain relationships built on two-way trust means we can also ensure that processing quality standards remain high and in line with the Clipper taste profile, which we never compromise on. So our approach to green tea is to focus on quality above all else: both the quality of our tea, and the quality of life for the communities who grow it.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Fairtrade Foundation, sponsor of the spotlight on commodities series
