Fairtrade producer visits Maltby

At 11.30 am on Tuesday February 23 Francisco Herrero will be visiting the new Maltby Leisure Centre cafe to see for himself where his coffee ends up.   

Francisco is an accredited Fairtrade coffee producer from Columbia and is visiting Britain as part of Fairtrade Fortnight. He is the guest of Brian Unkles, the proprietor of Cafeology, a Sheffield-based Fairtrade supplier.

Cafeology is an exclusively Fairtrade beverage company specialising in the supply of tea, coffee, chocolate and sugar to the out of home sector. Established in 2003, it is now one of the leading suppliers in the UK and works with many big companies, including DC Leisure Ltd, who run the Council's four new leisure centre.

Francisco will have the opportunity to see the outlet where his coffee is served -at the cafe within Maltby's new Leisure Centre - and talk to staff from DC Leisure as well as staff and members from the Council.

The group will include the Deputy Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Rose McNeely, who is a big Fairtrade supporter, and Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Ken Wyatt, who is Chair of the Fairtrade Steering Group.

Cllr Wyatt added: "Fairtrade makes a real difference to the lives of people right across the world by giving producers a fair deal for their products. Rotherham became a Fairtrade town in 2006 and this year, has once again celebrated the culture of Fairtrade through Fairtrade Fortnight.

"So we will be delighted to welcome one of the actual sources of the coffee that we serve throughout many council buildings."

• The Council promotes Fairtrade through its procurement policy with RBT including an increasing number of Fairtrade items on its procurement catalogue. Rotherham Town Hall and RCAT now serve Fairtrade coffee and tea.
• Fairtrade seeks to ensure that disadvantaged producers in Third World countries get a better deal from international trade.
• Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.