As we enter Fairtrade Fortnight, Cafédirect has commissioned a survey to find out just what the British public thinks of Fairtrade products.

With Fairtrade, as with many things, it’s very much about companies following the “minimum standard”. Some companies choose to do more, but that can’t be relied upon as the average.

For example, four out of five consumers surveyed thought that brands carrying the Fairtrade logo work directly with growers, build long-term partnerships, and reinvest in grower training and development, whereas that’s not a requirement.

The Fairtrade mark guarantees a fair and stable price for farmers and an extra premium to help improve their lives, but only a few companies do more than that. That doesn’t make it bad, but is worth being aware of.

Similarly, nearly half of shoppers believe that the same amount of money goes back to, say, coffee growers regardless of which Fairtrade coffee product they buy. In reality, companies that buy raw materials from the Fairtrade register are required to pay the minimum Fairtrade price, which covers growersÂ’ costs of production and provides a social premium for investment in community projects.

Zachary Dominitz, Head of Corporate Affairs, Cafédirect said, ““We are proud of, and guided by, the direct, personal, long-term relationships weÂ’ve nurtured with our grower partners over the last 17 years. In addition to paying above market prices, over the last three years we have invested on average 60% of our profits into training and development programmes for our growers, to help build their expertise. Fairtrade gives millions of small-scale farmers disadvantaged by the conventional trading system an opportunity to earn a decent living, but that is just a starting point, not an answer. We believe that we have raised the bar for Fairtrade, and urge other brands to follow our lead and help guarantee a sustainable future for growers and communities around the world.””

87% of those surveyed said that they bought Fairtrade products each week or month. The Fairtrade Foundation reports that sales of Fairtrade products have increased by 40% or more each year, to an estimated £430 million in 2007.

86% said they’d be happy to pay a few pence more for Fairtrade products.