Presents with Purpose: An Ethical Gifting Inspiration Guide for Christmas
In this blog, we share an eclectic compilation of ethical gift ideas to help you discover perfect presents with a positive purpose: a gift that keeps on giving.
Blog
Investigating the European Union Deforestation Regulation and its Impact on Producers
The EU is the world's second largest contributor to deforestation as a result of its imports. In this blog, find out more about the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and how producers are working to comply with the fundamental legislation.
Appointing our Finance Director Designate
We are delighted to announce that we have appointed a new Finance Director Designate to replace our long-serving Finance Director and Company Secretary, Tim Morgan.
A Climate Emergency in East Africa: Supporting producers as they face the ongoing effects of climate change
In this blog, we investigate the impacts of the climate emergency for farming communities in East Africa, as the region grapples with rising temperatures and an increasing risk of pests and diseases.
Diversifying our Portfolio in Peru: Meet brown sugar and quinoa producers CAES Piura and Quality Supplier
Find out more about how we are extending our impact in Peru by diversifying our portfolio and supporting a wider range of producers, including chia seeds and quinoa producer Quality Supplier and brown sugar producer CAES Piura.
Supporting the Ethical Consumer Conference 2024
We are supporting this year’s Ethical Consumer conference in London on Friday, 8th November 2024. Come along and connect with ethical businesses, people and campaign groups in the UK to harness the change we can ignite in our communities.
Bees for Business in Uganda with Banyankole Coffee Services: Project Update
This 12-month project, delivered in partnership with Banyankole Coffee Services (BCS), is supporting 210 coffee farmers to diversify into beekeeping, providing a vital second source of income.
Working Together Towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint for the future we want, and the role of finance in achieving the goals is widely acknowledged. From fighting poverty to taking climate action, learn how our work supports the SDGs.
Reflecting on the Launch of Shared Interest Foundation's Pioneering Biopesticide Project
Shared Interest Foundation’s latest pilot project will research, develop, produce and deliver an innovative biopesticide designed to strengthen the cocoa supply chain in Côte d'Ivoire by increasing production through enhanced pest and disease management.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2024: Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Fairtrade
Shared Interest is proud to have worked at the heart of Fairtrade since 1990, supporting sustainability and social justice by working with farmers to improve living standards, invest in communities and grow businesses.
Building the Resilience of Coffee Farmers in western Uganda through Agroforestry: End of Project report
This one-year project, launched in April 2023 in partnership with Ugandan coffee co-operative Banyankole Coffee Services (BCS), supported 300 coffee farmers to increase their climate resilience through implementing agroforestry activities.
Welcoming supporters in Bristol
We were delighted to welcome Liberation Managing Director Dan Binks at our final event in Bristol on 14 June.
Welcoming supporters in Manchester
Our first event during the year took place in Manchester, and we were pleased to welcome Emily Pearce, Senior Sustainable Sourcing & International Development Manager at Co-op UK as our guest speaker.
Coops Fortnight 2024: How ECOOKIM and EDUCE Represent the Spirit of a Co-operative
On Coops Fortnight 2024, celebrate the stories of ECOOKIM and EDUCE, two co-operatives we are proud to support with fair finance, and discover how they do things differently.
Fairtrade at 30: How Fairtrade has Impacted CAYAT
Fairtrade represents the voices of two million small-scale farmers and workers. As we celebrate it's 30th anniversary, discover how Fairtrade has impacted one of our customers in West Africa.
Fairtrade at 30: How Fairtrade has Impacted Cafescor
Fairtrade represents the voices of two million small-scale farmers and workers. As we celebrate it's 30th anniversary, discover how Fairtrade has impacted one of our customers in Central America.
Fairtrade at 30: How Fairtrade has Impacted ECOOKIM
Fairtrade represents the voices of two million small-scale farmers and workers. As we celebrate it's 30th anniversary, discover how Fairtrade has impacted one of our customers in West Africa.
Make the Swap to Fairtrade and Do Something Great Every Day
From the 8th to the 16th of June, the Great Big Green Week celebrates climate action throughout our communities. Find out how you can join the action and take part in The Big Swap challenge by taking inspiration from our Feed Me Fairtrade YouTube series.
Coffee Cupping with Cafédirect for World Fairtrade Day
In the run up to World Fairtrade Day, Shared Interest colleagues met with Arran Stein, Coffee Programme Manager at Cafédirect, for a unique coffee cupping experience at our head office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Exploring Fair Trade Networks and the Future of Fair Trade
Joanna Abena Fianu, eBay for Change project lead and BAFTS Fair Trade Network representative, joined us in the beautiful setting of Durham’s Town Hall to explore the journey, principles and proponents of Fairtrade with Shared Interest supporters.
Earth Day 2024: Five Ways you can put People and the Planet First
From global corporations to communities of consumers, each of us has a part to play in progressing climate action and sustainability: so, for Earth Day, we have put together a small but mighty list of actions you can take to put the planet first.
Attending RICE and Aceli 2024
From 18th to the 23rd March, our colleagues from West and East Africa attended a series of fair trade events and conferences in Uganda and Ivory Coast to meet producers, share knowledge and raise awareness of Shared Interest.
Visiting our Customers in West Africa: SOCODD and Socak Katana
Our colleague Grace has shared an exciting update from her recent monitoring visits in Ivory Coast, where she met with several cocoa co-operatives we are supporting with fair finance.
International Women's Day: Celebrating the Empowerment of Women through our Projects
This Friday marks #internationalwomensday, and we want to share with you some of the ways our projects are involving and empowering women across the globe.
International Women's Day: Celebrating the Women Producers of the World
From Rwanda to Nicaragua, there are many powerful examples of women leading the way in agricultural and craft sectors which have long been dominated by men. Learn about the women who have overcome barriers to pave the way for a new generation of leaders.
Celebrating 20 Years of Shared Interest Foundation
To celebrate two decades of building a fairer world, Shared Interest Foundation is proud to present a special anniversary film, chronicling the growth and various, vital impacts of its work across the globe.
Attending AFCA 2024
Last week, our Lending Officer for East Africa, Kennedy, was in Ethiopia to attend AFCA (African Fine Coffees Association), Africa’s largest coffee trade platform, where he met with several Shared Interest customers.
12 Days of Christmas: 12 Ways of Having Eco-friendly Festive Fun
For our very own 12 Days of Christmas, from December 1st to December 12th, we want to share with you 12 unique ways of having festive fun in easy and eco-friendly ways.
Bees for Business: Solar Panel end of project report
Over 12 months, this project enabled the Benkadi de Dakoro Women’s Beekeeping Group to connect their honey processing centre to electricity, supporting them to increase their production volume and their income from sales.
Learning with Liberation on National Nut Day
On Sunday 22nd October, we celebrated National Nut Day, which was developed in 2015 by Liberation Foods to celebrate and support nut farmers from disadvantaged communities across the globe.
Chocolate Week: Exploring the Cocoa Supply Chain
For each day of Chocolate Week 2023, we will be sharing an insight into each stage of the cocoa supply chain, shining a light on the people and the process behind our favourite product.
Chocolate Week: Celebrating Cocoa Producers Across the Globe
Join us as we celebrate Chocolate Week, a nationwide event held each October, bringing us together to explore the world of chocolate and the craftsmanship and effort that helps bring the famous cocoa bean from the tree to the tastebuds.
Seed to Stall: Soilless Production Enterprise End of Project Report
From September 2022 to August 2023, Shared Interest Foundation led a transformative farming project in Burkina Faso called 'Seed to Stall: Increasing Self-sustainability through Soilless Vegetable Farming'. Learn more about the impacts of the project.
Visiting our Customers in West and East Africa: CAYAT, ECOOKIM
On the 26th of September, our lending team travelled throughout Ivory Coast to visit CAYAT, ECOOKIM and Socak Katana, cocoa producers and Shared Interest customers whom we continue to support with fair finance.
Visiting Our Customers in South America: COOPBAM, COOPARM and COOPAGRO.
Our lending team for South America, including lending manager Bruno Biaggi Vidal and Customer Representatives Santiago Ramos and Marcelo Cordova, travelled across Peru last week to visit several Shared Interest customers.
Attending the World Coffee Summit 2023
Our Partnerships Manager Sally Seddon arrived at the World Coffee Summit in London’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre on Wednesday the 13th of September for a day of networking, learning and engaging on all things coffee, climate and impact.
Attending the Africa Food Systems Summit 2023
On the 5th of September, our Lending Manager for the East African region was in attendance at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF), Tanzania. This year’s theme was ‘Recover, Regenerate, Act’. Learn more.
Convening for Conversation
During June, our Head of Lending Paul Sablich and Partnership Manager Sally Seddon attended the annual CSAF convening which took place over two days in London. In this article, Sally explains what the event was about and why Shared Interest went along.
Welcoming Supporters from Across the UK
During May and June, we were delighted to welcome 181 supporters to our first in-person events since 2019. Held in Edinburgh, York and London, we hosted some fantastic guest speakers from Just Trading Scotland, Zaytoun CIC and Inka Moss.
Why Fairtrade? Speaking on Certifications
In this blog, we share the value of Fairtrade certifications through the lens of our customers, before exploring our own Fairtrade certification system which aims to support smaller producers who meet ethical standards but have not pursued certification.
Coffee Pricing: Paying a Fair Share to Farmers
In August 2023, Fairtrade will raise its Minimum Price for coffee amid escalating impacts of climate change and growing global economic volatility. We explore what this means for the Fairtrade coffee sector and two of our customers.
Volunteers Week 2023
We are thankful for the skills, expertise, energy, and passion that our volunteer community brings to Shared Interest. Volunteers’ Week gives us a great opportunity to show our appreciation.
Visiting the WFTO Europe AGM
This week, our Business Development Manager France Villeneuve was at the World Fair Trade Organization (Europe) AGM & gathering.
Meet ECOOKIM: The Enterprise Supporting a Coast Dependent on Cocoa
A key player in Ivory Coast's quintessential cocoa value chain is ECOOKIM. Established in 2004, ECOOKIM are currently Shared Interest's largest customer in West Africa, with 30 co-operatives and 32,253 individual producers growing cocoa on family farms.
Find Us within the Heart of COOPARM: And in the Capital of Ecological Coffee
Founded in 1991 by 100 farmers, COOPARM is a coffee co-operative in the heart of the Amazon. In 2010, COOPARM joined us as a customer and today, they have 542 farmer members who put people and the planet at the forefront of high quality coffee production.
A Change of Chairs
At our AGM on the 17th of March, Mary Coyle - our longest serving Chair - bid farewell to Shared Interest. Meanwhile, we welcomed incoming chair Yvonne Gale, a specialist in improving access to finance for small businesses to address economic inequality.
Remembering Roger: The Shared Interest Supporter Who Steered a Fairtrade Movement
Aged 95, Roger Sawtell was a member of the Traidcraft steering group, a longterm supporter of Shared Interest and one of our founder members, serving on our Council from 1990 to 1997.
COFFEE AND COMMUNITY AT SCA
We are looking forward to returning to SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) conference - North America’s largest specialty coffee trade show.
OUR AFCA EXPERIENCE
It was great to be part of AFCA, Africa’s largest coffee trade conference. We packed a lot into three days - including a bit of coffee tasting. Here's what we got up to...
OFF TO AFCA - AFRICA'S LARGEST COFFEE TRADE SHOW
From 15 – 17 February, Shared Interest will be join in Africa’s largest coffee trade event.
BACK AT BIOFACH
From 14 -17 February, Shared Interest will join in the largest international fair of organic food and agriculture in BioFach in Nuremberg, Germany.
Inspiring Action through SDGs
Colleagues and volunteers recently came together to learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during a ‘Coffee + Learn’ session led by Jenny Foster of the Global Goals Centre.
Wake Up – We are going to Greenbelt
Our application to return to Greenbelt Festival was successful. We will be setting up our stall in the Takeaway area from 26-29 August. We cannot wait to join in the beautifully welcoming atmosphere we experienced a few years ago.
Being Vocal about Volunteering
Volunteers’ Week (1st - 7th June) is a great opportunity for us to get vocal about volunteering at Shared Interest.
MAKING COFFEE CONNECTIONS AT SCA
This April, North America’s largest gathering of specialty coffee professionals, the Specialty Coffee Expo (SCAA) took place in Boston, Massachusetts.
Reflecting on Climate Justice this World Fair Trade Day
World Fair Trade Day falls on Saturday 14th May 2022 and focuses on the theme of climate justice. An annual campaign founded by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), this year’s message is ‘let's do it fair'.
Invest in our Planet this Earth Day
Friday 22nd April is Earth Day and this year the theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’. We are being urged 'to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably).' One co-operative in the Amazonas region of Peru is fulfilling all three of these goals.
Help us 'Get to Greenbelt'
As we begin our return to outdoor events, we hope that Greenbelt Festival will be the first, following a successful visit in August 2019. Here, Volunteer Engagement Manager Sally Seddon explains how we can make this possible.
BUILD BACK FAIRER
This year, Good Money Week (2nd - 8th October) focuses on how we can ‘build back better’ as we continue to navigate the pandemic. Managing Director Patricia Alexander explains how we can make consumer choices to build back fairer.
Taking on a challenge for Shared Interest Foundation
One of our lovely supporters, Anne, is taking on the 874 mile John O’Groats to Land’s End cycle challenge with her daughter raising funds for Shared Interest Foundation and two other charities; Peer Talk and Carers Worldwide.
Connection through Shared Purpose
As a membership organisation, a feeling of shared purpose has always been at our heart. Head of Member Engagement Kerrey Baker explains how we have kept connected with our members when we have had varying degrees of contact with the outside world.
A VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK
We celebrate the contribution of our fantastic volunteers this Volunteers' Week.
BRINGING HOME THE MESSAGE OF WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY
Saturday 8th May is World Fair Trade Day, with the theme ‘Build Back Fairer’. We are taking the opportunity to encourage families to pause - and consider the role that fair trade plays in building a better world.
Women of the world deserve an equal future
The theme for IWD 2021 is ‘achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world. MD Patricia Alexander shares with us the challenges facing communities, and how women across the world have been impacted.
MAKING CHANGE FOR GOOD IN A TIME OF DISRUPTION
This Fairtrade Fortnight takes place in a very different world. Managing Director, Patricia Alexander shares how the organisation is making positive change in a time of disruption as Shared Interest prepares for its very first online AGM.
What is an Ethical Investment? Transform Lives with your Money
Last year, we made payments totalling £49.2m to 173 organisations in 45 countries. This wouldn't be possible without our dedicated members, volunteers and staff. Explore how we reach customers with our finance using ethical investments of our members.
WISE Ways to Lead a Social Enterprise
Our MD, Patricia Alexander, has been recognised for exceptional leadership. The NatWest WISE100 Awards were replaced this year with a search for women leaders in social enterprise and impact investing, ‘who have been showing Covid-19 who's boss.’
WHY CHOOSE FAIRTRADE HONEY?
By continuing to buy Fairtrade honey, ethically driven consumers can be sure that their product proves to be as sweet as it tastes.
CHOOSE FAIRTRADE
As co-operatives use our finance to pay their farmers as promised and the Fairtrade Premium helps them support their communities.
We want to be part of the people supporting those in need
In direct response to the pandemic, our charity, Shared Interest Foundation, has relaunched its Livelihood Security Fund. Here, Programme Manager, Kodzo Korkortsi, based in Ghana, shares with us his thoughts on announcing the first beneficiary.
UNDERSTANDING THE DEEPER IMPACT OF NESTLÉ’S DECISION
Shared Interest Managing Director, Patricia Alexander, shares her thoughts on Nestlé’s announcement that as of October, KitKat bars in the UK and Ireland will no longer be certified Fairtrade.
Why our Livelihood Security Fund is now more relevant than ever
As the global impact of Covid-19 continues to unfold, it remains unclear how developing world communities will cope with the health, economic, and social hardship caused. Our Livelihood Security Fund can help.
How do we help supply chains survive Covid-19?
Cristina Talens joined the Shared Interest Board of Directors earlier this year, and has provided the following insight into the challenges faced by producers and buyers in light of the current pandemic.
How much difference can be made by supporting communities
This Volunteers' Week gives us further opportunity to thank our volunteers for all that they do. Here, we hear from Gosia, who tells us about her motivations for getting involved.
Saying thank you to our Volunteers
Our Volunteer Engagement Manager, Sally Seddon, explains why we appreciate what our volunteers do every single day, and how we say an extra special thank you during Volunteer’s Week (1-7 June) each year.
What it means to be a NatWest Impact Management Champion
We have been discussing with the NatWest SE100 team about what it means to be chosen as a 2020 Impact Management Champion, especially in light of current circumstances.
MY DISPLAY OF SHARED INTEREST THROUGH THE YEARS
We were delighted with the responses received from our recent knolling project. Our UK-wide network of volunteers were invited to create a photographic display of items that have inspired them. Here, Kathryn explains her own personal selection.
A SHARING SPIRIT
As the world faces disruption due to Covid-19, we have been keeping in touch with our customers. We are hearing so many inspiring stories about how they are working through these times of hardship.
SPARKING SHARED INTEREST MEMORIES
This is the second in a series of blog posts about our volunteer knolling project. Knolling is a photographic method, sometimes referred to as a 'flat lay'. It is basically a birds-eye view of items grouped together to tell a story.
PIECING TOGETHER MY SHARED INTEREST MEMORIES
This year, we invited our volunteers to mark our 30th anniversary photographing items that represent what Shared Interest means to them. See some of the results here.
“AWARD SHOWS OUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMERS”
Internationally, we have a team on the ground in Costa Rica, Kenya, Ghana, and Peru. With the first overseas office opened in Kenya in 2006 and the latest in Ghana in 2012. This means that our Africa offices have each experienced winning a Queen’s Award.
Award confirms the need to continue our solidarity efforts
Shared Interest’s Regional Manager for Latin America has been helping customers in his region for over a decade, and so has seen the organisation recognised in the Sustainable Development category twice before.
SHARED INTEREST CELEBRATES ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL
We are delighted to share the news that Shared Interest has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development.
WOMEN IN THE COFFEE INDUSTRY
Gender equality is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations in 2015 as ways of building a better world by 2030.
THE IMPORTANCE OF INCREASING INVESTMENT
As Shared Interest Society reaches 10,000 Share Accounts, our organisation’s growth can be a source of pride in work well done. It ensures that our reach is greater as we increase our assets and so our potential to influence events around the world.
FROM BANANA TO GEBANA
Before the term ‘fair trade’ even came into existence, there was a woman called Ursula Brunner who was a true pioneer for workers’ rights in the developing world. Read more about her story here.
PAYING THE PRICE FOR COCOA IN AFRICA
If you bite into a bar of chocolate today, it is highly likely that the cocoa beans used to make it were grown in West Africa. This is because two thirds of chocolate consumed worldwide include beans from this region.