The Fair Trade movement has had a lot of publicity recently and is now gathering momentum as consumers and companies alike realise they can positively contribute to the lives of the people who grow, process, manufacture and supply their goods. At Suma we have always acknowledged our responsibility to those farmers and workers, which is why we are a licensee of the Fairtrade Foundation. At Suma, commitment to fair trade is not a commercial decision, it is one based on a deeply held belief in a universal right to economic justice, self-empowerment and freedom from exploitation.

We've been supplying fair trade goods now for some twenty years, whether from our own range or from other ethical companies, and we're always on the look out for new entries to the fair trade market, which we'll stock - if they measure up.

Here's an example of fair trade in practice. We source our fair trade adukis and black beans from the Mato Grosso region of southern Brazil, where beans, maize and sugar have been grown for centuries. More than 700 producers in the region have formed a cooperative so now profits from the sale of produce are fed back into the region that produced the goods, and into the pockets of the people whose hard work produced them. A simple principle that makes a real difference.