Divine and Fair Deal, to global
brands, such as Starbucks and Tesco,
companies have stepped up and are
now acknowledging the importance of
Fairtrade chocolate - a legacy Fairley
and Sams are most proud of.
Could Green & Black's have produced
this kind of step-change in the
confectionary industry had it not made
the deal with Cadbury's? Fairley is quite
adamant that scalability is best achieved
when the multi-nationals get on board.
"I'd love to think that we could make as
much of an impact on developing world
farmers as taking Cadbury's Fairtrade
has but we're still a tiny player relatively
compared with a Cadbury's", she says.
Looking at the figures, Cadbury's
Dairy Milk sales from September 2012
to September 2013 reached almost
£500m, while G&B's annual sales
are approximately £60m-£70m. "If
[Cadbury's Dairy Milk] chocolate is
sourced through Fairtrade relationships
then that is transformative on an
absolutely massive scale".
"If a multinational wants to take your
brand global and you've seen with your
very own eyes that the knock-on effect
of the deal is enabling more children to
go to school in the developing world
in the villages you trade with, who
wouldn't agree?
"Secondary education for the children
of the cocoa-growing villages of Belize
has risen from around 10% to roughly
80%. Who am I to say 'no, I want to
keep this small and I don't want that to
happen'" adds Fairley.
Though often met with cynicism,
these deals have become an industry
norm. Coca-Cola took a majority stake
in ethical smoothie business Innocent
early last year, while Fairley's "mentor
Interview Jo Fairley, Green & Black's 4/5 Speaking at
Secondary education in cocoa-
growing villages in Belize has
increased from 10% to 80%
