Pick The Ultimate Gift for Father’s Day From The Ever Expanding Fairtrade Range!

How better to celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday June 17 than by treating Dad to an extra special gift from the growing Fairtrade range? Look for crisp cotton shirts from many of the impressive collections made from Fairtrade cotton, raise a glass of Fairtrade beer or wine to Dad or add spirit to a special day with a fruity Fairtrade rum cocktail. With over 2,500 retail and catering products to choose from, you’ll see the FAIRTADE Mark in shops, supermarkets, online, at work and also when eating out.

Dad will appreciate your gift all the more for the fact that the farmers at the end of the supply chain has been paid a fair price and an additional social premium to invest in their community. Fairtrade creates a special connection between shoppers and producers, linking them to the provenance of the product they have enjoyed. Luis Dario Ruiz Diaz from sugar cane co-operative Manduvirá in Paraguay says: “Thanks to Fairtrade, the farmers have more motivation and they are returning to caring for their land. They can now improve the standard of living for their families and the community, and ensure more education for their sons and daughters. They feel useful – that they can help their family and community and co-operative. That’s why Fairtrade is so exciting for them.”

Cocktail celebrations with Fairtrade rum
Support the Manduvirá co-operative by looking for rum made from Fairtrade sugar - As well as Sainsbury's SO Organic Fairtrade White Rum and Co-op Fair Trade Premium White Rum, Utkins Fair Trade Premium White Rum is available from Asda, Tesco, health food shops and independents. For a tropical flavour, mix with chunks of fresh Fairtrade mango, pineapple and bananas, widely available from most supermarkets – see www.fairtrade.org.uk for a full list of stockists.

Get Father fit with Fairtrade sportsballs
Whether he’s a sports fanatic or just wanting to get fit, there’s a whole range of Fairtrade footballs, rugby balls and basketballs – to make the ideal Fathers’ Day gift. Various sizes and qualities, available online at www.fairdealtrading.com and from selected Oxfam shops, Blackwells bookshops, and Save the Children shops.

Have a Fairtrade pint
Celebrate Fathers Day with a Fairtrade beer at the local. Publicans and pub managers can now stock the first Fairtrade cask beers, Fairplay Ale from Freeminer Ltd or William Wilberforce Freedom Ale from the Westerham brewery. If your local pub is not already stocking them, speak to the manager and challenge them to offer it as a guest beer! A growing number of pubs also offer Fairtrade tea, coffee and other products. If you prefer to enjoy a pint of beer at home, check out Fairtrade Bumble Bee Ale from the Co-op

Smarten up his wardrobe with Fairtrade Cotton
Cotton on to the growing range of men’s clothes made from Fairtrade certified cotton grown in India, Mali, Cameroon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Peru and Egypt. Look for men’s boxers from People Tree, shirts and shorts from M&S, hoodies from Epona, T-shirts from Monsoon, polo shirts from Sainsbury’s Tu range and shirts and jeans from Bishopston Trading. For the full range, see www.fairtrade.org.uk .

Wine and Dine your Dad
Raise a glass of Fairtrade wine! There are now 12 different grape varieties used in Fairtrade wine: Cabernet Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Malbec/Syrah, Merlot, Merlot Pinotage, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir Shiraz, Riesling and Torrontes. With more than 100 different wines to choose from, ask at your nearest supermarket or Threshers for a wine to suit your taste.

If you take Dad out to dinner, don’t forget to finish off with a Fairtrade coffee. Some of the many restaurants now offering Fairtrade coffee and other products on their menu are Leon, Michael Caines at Abode, or any of the Conran restaurants including Orrery, LePont de la Tour, Coq d'Argent, Bluebird and Plateau, London or Malmaison Hotel du Vin chain.

Go Nuts for Father’s Day
Treat Dad to some high energy Fairtrade nibbles to go with his party drinks. Some great varieties to look out for include Fairtrade brazil nuts from the Coinacapa co-operative in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, peanuts from Malawi, or cashews from El Salvador and Burkina Faso. Tesco stores stock own-brand Fairtrade Peanut and Raisin mix and Fairtrade Peanut, Cashew and Dried Mango mix. Co-op stores across the country stock own-brand Fairtrade salted peanuts. Also visit Essential Trading, Traidcraft, Suma and Equal Exchange for an exciting array of Fairtrade nuts.

Notes to Editors
1. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body that awards the FAIRTRADE Mark to products which meet international Fairtrade standards set by Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) the umbrella organisation that unites national Fairtrade initiatives across Europe, Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than five million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 58 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
2. The full range of Fairtrade products is: coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, apples, pears, grapes, plums, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, lychees, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, fruit juices, smoothies, quinoa, peppers, green beans, coconuts, dried fruit, rooibos tea, green tea, herbal teas, ice cream, cakes, biscuits, honey, muesli, cereal bars, jams, chutney, sauces, herbs, spices, nuts, nut oil, wine, beer, rum, flowers, sports balls, rice, yoghurt, babyfood, sugar body scrub, cotton wool and cotton products.

For further information, phone 020 7440 7686/7695 or mobile 07770 957 451 or email eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk or martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk.

The Fairtrade Foundation,
Room 204, 16 Baldwin’s Gardens,
London EC1N 7RJ.

Tel: 020 7405 5942
Fax: 020 7405 5943
Web: www.fairtrade.org.uk