About

The Mid-Formartine Fairtrade group promotes Fairtrade in our area. We formed in July 2007 after “Cook for Change”, a cookery demonstration and “Ready, Steady Cook” using fairly traded ingredients. Since then, we have surveyed businesses and shops and taught in schools. We have shown the film “Black Gold” to community councils and hosted a fair-trade farmers lunch. We organised a fair-trade Acoustic Café with the singer Gareth Davies Jones and ran a fair-trade bar at the Balmedie Gala.

This work enabled us to gain Fairtrade status in April 2009.  To celebrate we held a fair trade festival on the Green at Udny Green with live music, food and activities.

Since then we have renewed our Fairtrade status – twice.  On each occasion we have demonstrated more activity and awareness raising.

We have held a second Music and Wine event in Udny Green, held coffee mornings, tastings, and lobbied local business.  Mid Formartine fairtrade Group ran a Fairtrade Bar at the two day Pitmedden Music Festival.

The Formartine group made headlines in running a pop up Christmas shop in Tarves with all Fairtrade and tradicraft goods, selling thousands of pounds of goods.

The group have hosted meetings of other Fairtrade groups to share our experiences across Aberdeenshire.  We have started a Baking competition using Fairtrade ingredients to capitalise on the interest in the ‘Great British Bake Off’

For 2013/4 we are building a larger baking event and campaigning for Fairtrade School Uniforms.  Recentlly, we have invested money in Shared Interest, a micro finance group to help Fairtrade producers.