Partners in Better-Than-Fair

Date Posted:17 March 2016 |   Author: Fiona Morrison |  

This time last year, Tradewinds was in the midst of finalising our product and brand update. As Customer Experience Manager, I was nervously anticipating how you, our loyal customers and supporters, would take to a slightly changed product range, a radically different packaging design, a new website, and a new take on what we’re on about. I’m thrilled to say that just one year off our 40^th Anniversary, you’re as committed and supportive as ever. And the work that we’ve done has created new relationships and opportunities so we can spread the word even further about changing trade for the better.

Better-Than-Fair

Usually when we talk Better-Than-Fair our focus is on the tea and coffee growers and how we're supporting improvements to their lives. But today I thought it was time to shine a spotlight on you, the passionate people who are making a significant difference, through the simple act of purchasing and promoting ethical tea and coffee.

From Torquay to Nhulunbuy,  Bidgeemia to Punchbowl there are thousands of individuals, fair traders, community groups, businesses large and small, who support Tradewinds' vision for a Better-Than-Fair future. Captured in the "Wordle" below is a visual representation of where you come from, with the larger font indictating the most customers in that suburb. A pretty impressive spread across Australia!

So, What does Better-Than-Fair mean to our customers? 

It's hard to condense it down to just a few things, but I've given it a go. It means:

1. Long term commitments - Most weeks I have a phone conversation with customers who have been enjoying our teas for 30+ years.
2. Better trade relationships - Many many of you volunteer your time through a local community organisation, church or co-operative to order and distribute Tradewinds tea and coffee amongst your community. To you it just makes sense to minimise the costs of distributing the tea and coffee so that we can maximise the price to the farmer producers.
3. Fairer pricing - This is not business as usual where the larger you are the bigger your discount. We aim to keep our pricing as low as possible for everyone while returning profits to farmer projects. We know, doing business in Australia is expensive, so we support our business customers with discounts which mean they can offer a reasonable price to their customers. 
4. Empowerment through Education - The fairtrade logo is all well and good, but what does it actually mean. We give you as much information as possible about our products, projects and partnerships. Our focus is on transparency and authenticity, not marketing spin. If you can't find the information you're looking for, just ask. If we know the answer we tell you, if we don't we'll try to find out.

A few of the Many Faces & Names

Vik from Coffee Chakra in Myrtleford, Marcus from Charisma Coffee in Ballarat, and Tim from Gypsy Part of Town have all got their hands on some of our amazing Timor-Leste green beans, to roast up for their customers.

     

The good folk from Maple Street Co-op, in Maleny, the team at Sassafras Café, and the young guys and gals from Thoughtful Foods at UNSW all love our teas.

    

And our roasted coffee is finding it's way into Coffee Scrubs by Tahi & Rose, Heartfelt's Cafe in Kaniva in far Western Victoria, and from next week, delivered fresh roasted to customers through the Ceres Fair Food Network.

    

Want to share what you love about Tradewinds or give a shout out to a business you know who has our products? Head over to our Facebook page and share a photo or a story: facebook.com/tradewindsaust