Aldi aims to double Fairtrade tea sale

Farming families in Kenya will directly benefit from Aldi's increased investment in Fairtrade products

Aldi’s new McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve tea will double Fairtrade tea sales in Ireland, the company has said, with 20% of Aldi’s black tea sales to be Fairtrade by the end of 2018

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Fairtrade tea sales in Ireland are set to double with Aldi’s recent introduction of a new Fairtrade private label tea to its 133 Irish stores. The supermarket retailer is targeting sales of 500,000 packs of its new McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve Tea annually, and expects 20% of its black tea sales to be generated by the new Fairtrade product by the end of 2018.

McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve Tea is grown and harvested in Kenya by members of the Kenyan Tea Development Association, which currently has a membership of more than half a million small-scale farmers.  The extra premium generated by supplying Aldi’s McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve will amount to over €50,000 (US$60,000) per year, much of which will be invested by small farmers into community development projects.

John Curtin, Aldi’s group buying director, said the company is delighted to introduce McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve to its stores across Ireland. “Fairtrade is hugely important to Aldi,” Curtin said, “as it enables us to deliver great value in a sustainable way that benefits suppliers and their communities. We know that our customers will welcome the addition of McGrath’s Fairtrade Reserve Tea to our shelves.

“We have been sourcing Fairtrade products for a number of years and already offer Fairtrade organic bananas, Fairtrade chocolate, Fairtrade coffee and Fairtrade roses at the very best prices possible,” Curtin added.

In 2016 Aldi became the first retailer in Ireland to buy 100% of its bananas from sustainable sources. Aldi has also pledged to buy all cocoa used in its own brand products from sustainable sources by the end of 2018.

Peter Gaynor, executive director, Fairtrade Ireland welcomed the announcement, calling it a real breakthrough for Fairtrade in Ireland. “This Aldi initiative shows that big business in Ireland can support small-scale farmers in Africa better,” Gaynor said, “and is a great example for other tea businesses in Ireland to follow.”

Read More: Aldi Fairtrade

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