Celebrating 30 years of Fairtrade this Easter

We were the first UK retailer to stock Fairtrade-certified products back in 1994, and from cocoa to coffee, we’ve been pioneering Fairtrade for 30 years.

Co-op Members made a difference

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members, not big investors. They have a say on how Co-op is run and have used their voices to make a real difference from the very beginning. More than 30 years ago, Co-op Members first told us to support Fairtrade, and we’ve been championing fairer trade for farmers and their communities ever since.

How far we’ve come

In 2000, Fairtrade cocoa simply wasn’t widely available, but we changed this when we launched the world’s first own-label Fairtrade product, the Co-operative Milk Chocolate bar.

In 2017, we went one big step further and became the first UK retailer to source all of our cocoa in our own brand products on Fairtrade terms. This means that every spoonful of cocoa we use, from the chocolate sprinkles on our doughnuts to the chocolate chips in our Irresistible cookies, benefits Fairtrade cocoa farmers.

Our pioneering Fairtrade milestones aren’t limited to just cocoa. 2024 also marks 20 years since we launched the world’s first Fairtrade certified wine, Co-op’s Chilean Carmenere. Plus, 100% of our own-brand tea, coffee, bananas, bagged sugar and African roses are Fairtrade. Thirty years later, we’re proud to be the world’s biggest convenience seller of Fairtrade and the second biggest seller of Fairtrade products globally.

Delicious and Fairtrade: What a Good Egg

From 2016, all our Co-op brand of Easter eggs have used Fairtrade cocoa, and this year, we’re celebrating Easter with our all-new Good Egg. This Irresistible Honeycomb Chocolate Easter egg is made with a delicious blend of intense dark and creamy blonde Fairtrade chocolate studded with crunchy honeycomb and sea salt. Plus, each egg has a unique finish, so no two eggs are the same. The Good Egg is what Co-op is all about – it’s where delicious taste, premium ingredients and positive change meet. Indulging in Fairtrade sourced chocolate this Easter has never felt so good.

Explore our entire Easter range and discover how you can make a difference as a Co-op Member.

Find out more about how your purchases of Co-op Fairtrade cocoa benefits Fairtrade farmers around the world here – Fairtrade cocoa producers – Co-op (coop.co.uk)