Truck of Fairtrade Bananas © Fairtrade Foundation

Fairtrade City Manifesto
Leicester launches a 5 year manifesto for fairtrade in the city

Just Enjoy
See the video here!

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010
22nd February to 7th March
February 2010

LaFT; Leicester Advocating Fair Trade in collaboration with Divine Chocolate, is delighted to announce a special programme of events on 24th, 25th and 27th February to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight.

Two cocoa farmers are travelling over from Ghana and visiting the people of Leicester in honour of the occasion. The farmers belong to a co-operative called Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana which consists of 45,000 cocoa farmers and which supplies cocoa to the leading Fairtrade chocolate company, Divine Chocolate. The two farmers are visiting Leicester to talk to a range of audiences about how fairer trading is helping to change lives in Ghana. They will also be explaining how the farmers’ co-operative actually owns 45% of Divine itself – and how this pioneering business model means an even better deal for farmers.

Our Main Event is...

Saturday 27th February 11am till 2pm - St Martins Square join the National Fairtrade Fortnight Big Swap

Retailers in St Martins are swapping the tea and coffee they normally drink for Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and they invite you to swap too.
Come down to St Martins in Leicester city centre between 11am and 2pm and find out about swapping your usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff; how it’s a brilliant small step that is making the world a fairer place. Try swapping your basics like tea, coffee, bananas, chocolate, rice and sugar.
Come and try samples of yummy Divine Fairtrade chocolate, and get free samples of Fairtrade tea and other goodies from Midlands Co-op and Traidcraft. Swapping doesn’t stop with just food.
You can explore the whole Fairtrade range by going into Leicester’s very own Fairtrade shop, Just, the Fair Trade Shop in St Martins at 36 Silver Street.
Local band Sambando will also be bringing the samba rhythms of Brazilian-style street-music salsa into St Martins so come and join in the Fairtrade celebration; There’s something for everyone!

But also there is...

Wednesday 24th February - Oadby students welcome the farmers

Students from Gartree High School, Brockshill Primary School and Beachamp College will enjoy farmer presentations, Fairtrade activities and tasting yummy Divine chocolate as they hear first hand about life as a Fairtrade cocoa farmer in Ghana.

Wednesday 24th February - Oakham Co-op meets the farmers

The Co-op store in Oakham is hosting the farmers to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight. All the Co-op’s own-brand chocolate is grown by Kuapa Kokoo farmers like Comfort Kumeah. Following a tour of the shop, at 2.00pm the farmers will give a presentation to the gathered audience. Representatives from Rutland Fairtrade Steering Group, Student Force and Langham School will also give presentations. Tastings of delicious Divine chocolate and other Fairtrade products will also be on offer.

Wednesday 24th February - De Montfort University hosts the farmers

Venue: De Montfort University Campus Centre, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH Time: 5.30-6.30pm
The two farmers will share with staff and students the benefits of Fairtrade and of owning their own chocolate company. If you want to go along email sarah@justfairtrade.com.

Thursday 25th February - Whitehall Primary School and Abbey Primary School

The schools will be hosting the farmers for the morning. One farmer will go to each school, demonstrating what life is like as a cocoa farmer belonging to a Fairtrade co-operative. Pupils will watch videos on life on the farm and will be able to ask the farmers questions.

Thursday 25th February - Business Lunch

Venue: Courtyard Room, Leicester Creative Business Depot, 31 Rutland Street, LE1 Time: 12.00-1.30pm
An invited audience of city councillors, business & community leaders and interested groups from across the city. An opportunity to hear first hand how fair trading and owning a chocolate company has impacted on the lives of cocoa growers in Ghana.
The two farmers belong to a co-operative of 45,000 members which collectively owns 45% of Divine Chocolate Ltd. Company ownership gives farmers like Comfort Kumeah a stronger voice in the international cocoa industry as well as shares of Divine’s profits. That’s good business! If you want an invitation email sarah@justfairtrade.com

Thursday 25th February - Ghana night in Loughborough

Venue: The Dog House, 69 Nottingham Road, Loughborough LE11 1ES Time: 7.30pm till 9.pm
Hosted by Charnwood Action For Fairtrade (CAFF) there will be stalls and live Ghanian music played by Ghananian students from Loughborough University.
Two cocoa farmers from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative will share the impact Fairtrade has had on them and their community. The Farmers slogan is ‘Pa pa paa’ (which means ‘Best of the best’) and they take it very seriously and are pleased and proud to be telling people in the UK the Divine story, as well as sharing out their very special chocolate. Open invitation to anyone interested, just turn up.

Saturday May 16th 7pm for 7.30pm at Martyrs Church Hall, Westcotes Drive, LE3 OQT sees a new kind of Just Event

It involves food and drink tasting, mini-makeovers, a fairtrade market place, live music and lively chat - a taster for all tastes.

Here is the poster. Try exotic jams & chutneys, sample snacks, cakes & biccies with recipes to take away. Sample fairtrade beer, wine and soft drinks (for a donation). Breathe fresh life into your clothes with fairtrade accessorising.

All for only £3 per person (£1.50 concessions)! Tickets from the shop or on the door on the night.

It’s not too late to join in! Call the shop and we can provide all you need to hold ‘Just a Do’ at home or work, an easy, fun way of introducing family, friends and work colleagues to the joys of Just and Fairtrade. Good to do at any time of year but Fairtrade Fortnight is perfect!

Or why not join us and Go Bananas for Fairtrade from noon on Friday 6 March to noon on Saturday 7 March as part of the Fairtrade banana eating world record attempt. Could you get your colleagues at work, or your neighbours to eat a Fairtrade banana in those 24 hours (– if a banana sounds a bit healthy it could be banana cake or a banana fruit smoothy!) Then go onto the Go bananas website to be added to the mass banana eat or tell us in the shop and we’ll add the numbers for you.

Listen to Rupal Rajani during Fairtrade Fortnight. Rupal presents the Lunchtime Show from 12:00-14:00, Mon to Fri on BBC Radio Leicester. On Mon 2nd March through to Friday 6th she is being challenged to only eat fair trade and locally produced food. Listen out to hear how she gets on.

Skeptics in the Pub Tuesday 17th Feb 7.30pm The Park, 5-9 Hotel Street Leicester LE1 5AW

Last February the Adam Smith Institute published a report by Marc Sidwell called 'Unfair Trade', critical of Fairtrade which got a lot of media coverage. Dr Pirie was one of the 3 founders of the institute in 1977. Prior to that, Dr Pirie worked for the House of Representatives in Washington DC, and was visiting Professor of Logic and Philosophy at Hillsdale College in Michigan. At the Institute, Dr Pirie was part of the influential team which pioneered privatization and the extension of market choices and incentives.

A few of us went along for what turned out to be one of their more lively discussions. Not many minds were changed and sometimes more heat was felt than light generated. Given time we may have found more common ground as many were gratified by Dr Pirie's personal choice of free range eggs over factory farming - now transfer that preference to humans...

In October 2008 LaFT launched the Leicester Fairtrade City 5 year manifesto. LaFT wants to work with others to drive forward Leicester as a Fairtrade City with actions for all and achievable ambitions for different areas of the city and city life. The overall aim is to increase awareness of and therefore use of Fairtrade products and resources across as wide a group of organisations and individuals as possible to ensure that not only does Leicester retain its Fairtrade City status, but also that it is seen as an ethical leader. In support of this Leicester city council agreed a Fairtrade Pledge showing their commitment to Leicester as a Fairtrade City and to promoting the use and awareness of fair trade. They pledged to work towards10 goals.

We would like to invite all Just supporters to our annual general meeting to be held on Thursday 30th October at 7.30pm at The Council of Faiths room above the shop on Bishop Street, followed by refreshments and shopping in Just.

There are 3 places on the board of directors to be voted on and the directors would be delighted to have a 4th member join them. If you want to find out more about co-op membership and the AGM give us a call!

As part of The Shires environment weekend Just had a presence in the shopping centre. We made a good number of contacts with folk who support fair trade but amazingly had not heard of us.

The stand was professional (as ever!) and inviting. The Shires management liked the way we presented things and we look forward to working with them again.

on the catwalk: just enjoy 2007 © just

The Just Enjoy Festival June 2007

We've now got some video and stills for you

The festival was held in June 2007 at the Peepul Centre. It was regarded by all who came as a great showcase for fair trade. Again made possible by our fantastic volunteers.

See the video highlights here...

Launch in external player

Just Fair Trade Challenge
31st January 2008



Just is currently working with 7 city and county secondary schools; Judgemeadow, Rushey Mead, Hamilton, Guthlaxton, Maplewell Hall, English Martyrs and City of Leicester who have entered the Just fair trade challenge, one of the Excellence in Enterprise challenges run by LEBC each year.

A group of 6 students from each school came to the shop for a visit and to be informed and enthused about fair trade. They are now back in their schools mounting a fair trade awareness raising campaign. Their ideas range from completions, assemblies, and tuck shops to lobbying their catering staff to include one fair trade item on the canteen menu every day.

They return in the spring to give a presentation about their campaign, its success and lessons learnt and then the winners will receive their awards at a glamorous presentation evening in the summer.

This is the second year we have been part of this scheme, last year over 70 students from 10 schools were at the celebration evening along with 11 diverse businesses including HSBC, Asda, the Army, Connexions and British Gas.