Greggs Fairtrade coffee

Greggs boosts Fairtrade offer with new winter drinks

In addition to its existing range of Fairtrade coffees, green and peppermint teas, the new limited edition selection includes Mint Hot Chocolate, Mint Mocha and Salted Caramel Latte – all using Fairtrade ingredients.

In the last five years, Greggs’ coffee has seen double-digit growth which the high-street eatery has frequently attributed to its Fairtrade offer of quality coffees.   

This latest announcement comes just weeks after a high-profile conference where Malcolm Copland, Commercial Director at Greggs, hailed the company’s long-term relationship with Fairtrade as being key to its strategic aims of making good food, accessible to everyone.

Speaking at the ‘Future of Trade’ event in London on 10 October 2018, Malcolm Copland, Commercial Director for Greggs, said: We are committed to responsible sourcing and Fairtrade has an invaluable role to play in helping us to offer great tasting coffee with good credentials. Our Fairtrade products, which include coffee, tea and fresh bananas, are all selling well , and we want to show our thanks to the growers who contributed to that success, that’s why we’re keen to work ever closely with these communities.”

At a speech to the conference, Copland showed a film of the Greggs team visiting coffee growers in Peru, where thanks to the security of the Fairtrade Price and Premium, communities have been able to invest in their livelihoods, organic farming production and education. In the film, Fairtrade farmer Zozima Rimachi Valenzuela, says: “Fairtrade helps us to improve our health, our homes, our plants. In every aspect Fairtrade is helpful.”

Euan Venters, Fairtrade Foundation, Commercial Director said: “Greggs is a great example of how a business can both grow with Fairtrade and improve its sustainability – we fit its model and its ethos which strives to support the communities where it sells coffee and where it sources coffee from. That’s why we’re delighted with these new flavours because every time you buy a Fairtrade drink this Festive season, you are helping farmers to invest in their livelihoods, for example, many are now able to access environmental training so they can improve soils, plant trees and conserve water.”

Notes to Editors

Greggs Fairtrade story:

Greggs first began serving Fairtrade coffee in 2007. In the past five years Greggs has seen year on year growth in its coffee offer, having worked with its suppliers to continuously develop great tasting drinks, as through Fairtrade, farmers can invest in improving the quality of their coffee.

In 2016, as part of a range of new products for Greggs, for the first time it offered customers Fairtrade bananas and teas as part of its widening product focus. The same year, the Greggs team visited Peru and interviewed farmers for a film which has been used to connect their customers and staff to Fairtrade coffee farmers. 

Most recently Greggs has supported the annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign and the newly launched Fairtrade Friday digital initiatives, by telling its customers about the difference they make every time they buy a coffee, banana or cuppa as part of their “Proud to be Fairtrade” campaign. In recent years, Greggs has opened more and more shops across the UK and is continuously bringing new products, such as this range of drinks, to thousands of communities.