Sodexo hosts Foncho and Enrique to promote Fairtrade message

To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight 2014 Sodexo, the world’s largest services company, has welcomed coffee farmer, Enrique and banana farmer Foncho at a number of its client sites over the two-week campaign period.

Sodexo is committed to increasing the purchase of products from fairly traded certified sources as a key part of its sustainability strategy to 2020, the Better Tomorrow Plan. For the 2014 Fairtrade Fortnight (24 Feb – 9 March) Sodexo has welcomed two farmers to help communicate the importance of buying Fairtrade.

On Friday 28 February, Enrique Calderon, from Coopeagi, a large co-operative located in the Perez Celedon region in the south of Costa Rica where coffee is its main cash crop visited Southampton Solent University. Enrique spent a couple of hours at the university talking to staff, students and Sodexo’s baristas about the social impact that the Fairtrade initiative has on his community.

Wednesday March 5 saw Albeiro Alfonso Cantillo, known as Foncho, a 44-year-old banana farmer from Cienaga, in the banana growing region of Magdalena, northern Colombia, visit Sodexo’s contracts at ING and Birkbeck College.

The Fairtrade Foundation has chosen Foncho to front its big campaign, make bananas fair, which launched to coincide with the 2014 Fairtrade Fortnight.

Foncho has been a banana farmer for many years, starting when he was 10 years old and helping his father on their small one hectare farm, which he has now inherited.

Foncho met with Sodexo’s clients, customers and staff and spoke about the effects of the supermarket price wars on banana farmers.

Michelle Hanson, commercial director, Sodexo UK & Ireland said, “We are proud to serve Fairtrade products and are always working to make it as easy as possible for our clients and consumers to buy ethical and sustainable food and drinks.

At Sodexo we always promote Fairtrade Fortnight and we were delighted to be able to host visits from Enrique and Foncho, who brought to life the impact fairtrade has on their communities.”

Sodexo currently offers clients the option of over 160 Fairtrade products purchased by us under Fairtrade agreements. This includes coffee, tea, drinking chocolate, fruit juices, fresh and dried fruit, confectionery, wine, sugar, spices and snacks. Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight Sodexo has been promoting fairtrade products as its restaurants across the UK.

Since 2009, Sodexo has been serving its ethical hot beverage offering, Aspretto.

The brand’s products are sourced from markets accredited by the Fairtrade Foundation, Rainforest Alliance and the Soil Association.