JTS Blog

Just Fair Trade Rice Challenge Takeover

2014-10-03T15:43:00.000+01:00

JustFair Trade has been part of the city centre community in Leicester for almost fifteen years and Kilmobero rice is one of the products we always have in stock – we love its winning combination of great taste and compelling story!

The UK's first ..

2014-08-22T11:44:00.000+01:00

JTS has had great success with the mustards that we currently stock from Cape Treasures. We are always looking for new Fairtrade products, so when we discovered the Cape Treasures Red Wine Vinegar which carries the Fairtrade logo we knew we had to bring it to the UK!

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Schools are back !!

2014-08-18T13:55:00.004+01:00

It can't be ! Is it ? Yes it's that time of year again when the summer is over and the schools are back ! If you listen closely you can hear the teachers sigh of disappointment and the parents sigh of relief. That isn't even taking into consideration what the pupils are saying about going back. However its not all bad! JTS have the 90kg Rice Challenge just in time for harvest which will give everyone something to look forward to when going back to school.
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Athletes, Threshing Machine and a Giant Zebra

2014-08-07T09:57:00.000+01:00

When our two friends from Malawi visited last year, Howard and Henry, they had the chance to meet with Paul Tofield who runs an agricultural supplies business in Dumfries. Paul has a keen interest in the history of agricultural mechanisation and suggested that he could make a rice threshing machine that would be driven by pedals. Both Howard and Henry were happy to accept the offer and intrigued to what the outcome may be!
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JTS Welcomes the Games!

2014-07-23T18:19:00.000+01:00

The world cup is over, but luckily at JTS we still have a summer filled with sporting excitement! We're sure you will all be aware that the Commonwealth Games start today, with the opening ceremony being held in Glasgow's east end at Celtic Park. Things are even more exciting for JTS, not only is Glasgow hosting the Games but most of our products come from commonwealth countries. Sixty six of our products come from commonwealth countries; including Malawi, Sri Lanka, Kenya, South Africa and Swaziland.
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A Glimpse into the JTS Crystal Ball

2014-07-10T15:24:00.000+01:00

Some big changes are happening here at JTS. Don’t worry though. We’re still selling a lot of the same unique fairly traded products and we still believe in supporting smallholder farmers and small producers through fair trade. However, we’ve recently had a Strategy Day with both staff and board members, and we’ve even taken on a completely different kind of product.

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What We Learned from Anisia

2014-06-26T15:01:00.000+01:00

During one week in May, our team was lucky enough to spend time with Anisia Wanja. Anisia works for Meru Herbs in Kenya, who make our delicious fairly traded Tomato & Basil and Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauces. While we had a lot of fun with Anisia, we also learned a lot about fair trade and life in another country and we thought that we would share these moments with all of you.
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Football and a Fair Trade Feast!

2014-06-12T10:20:00.001+01:00

The FIFA World Cup is finally here! If you’re new to the game, the World Cup is tournament which involves 32 teams from all over the world competing within the host nation over a period of about a month. This year, the host nation is Brazil and since the World Cup is among the world's most widely viewed sporting events, all eyes will be on the largest country in South America. With all of those games to watch, you’re going to need to fuel up. To help you out, we’ve listed a few fair trade snacks using JTS products which are perfect for passing around at the next game.

How to Have an Ethical Father's Day

2014-06-05T11:05:00.000+01:00

June is finally here! You know what that means? It’s time to start wracking your brain to think of a good Father’s Day gift. Dads are notoriously difficult when it comes to presents, so we’ve tried to make things a bit easier. We’ve put our heads together and compiled a list of the best fair trade gift ideas which are sure to make your old man smile.

1. Unique Cards
You might as well start with the card, since this is probably the easiest task. If you want to give your dad more than just a piece of paper, try keeping an eye out for ethical offerings. We love this Dad’s Shed Card from Traidcraft, for example. These cards are handmade by a family-owned business in the Philippines with the objective of providing a sustainable livelihood for people in the local area. Sounds good to us!

Four Tips for Your Best Fair Trade BBQ

2014-05-29T10:41:00.001+01:00

Who doesn’t love a good summer BBQ? Juicy burgers, perfectly grilled veg and ripe strawberries…yum! Since its National BBQ Week, we’ve decided to pass on our best tips for having a fair trade BBQ.

Snack Time
No BQQ would be complete without a few packets of crisps. What else are you supposed to nibble on while the flames are dying down? This is where our Zamora Plantain Chips come in! These are the first and only Fairtrade crisps in the UK and are available in Naturally Sweet, Spicy and the award-winning Lightly Salted flavour. You might want to grab a few bags because they’ll be gone before you know it!

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JTS Celebrates with a Birthday Bash!

2014-05-22T16:22:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to us! Not to brag or anything, but we just turned five years old! We wanted to celebrate and thank all of our fair trade supporters so we decided to throw a party.

Just as the team finished decorating St. Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow with balloons, photos, students' fair trade artwork and Eswatini Kitchen jars, the guests started to arrive. We were so thankful that all of these people took time out of their busy days to help us celebrate.

BAFTS, WFTO, SFTF, FLO???

2014-05-16T15:34:00.001+01:00

If you’re new to the fair trade circuit, one of the first things that you might notice is the amount of acronyms and confusing terminology. To help you out a bit, we’ve decided to use this week’s blog post to clear things up (for both newbies and old-timers).

Fair Trade or Fairtrade?
This is probably one of the most confusing aspects of fair trade at the start, and a lot of people who have been involved in the movement for years will still get mixed up. To try and put it simply:

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Sausages, Tomatoes, Brie and...Fair Trade

2014-05-09T15:13:00.000+01:00

We’re always going to love a good fair trade shop. They’re full of a combination of unique and familiar products, and you’re always going to walk away feeling good about your purchases. However, as customers are increasingly seeing fair trade as necessity, rather than a bonus, these ethical products are becoming more commonplace in deli, farm shops and cheese shops. If the product is good quality, after all, why wouldn't you want it to be ethical as well?

Teachings from Turqle

2014-05-02T12:48:00.001+01:00

Last week, our friends from Turqle Trading stopped by the JTS warehouse to pay us a visit. The founders, Rain and Pieter, are so friendly and we loved catching up with them. A lot of their work is really inspiring, so we thought that it would be nice to share it with all of you.

Sanday Community School Experiences Life in Malawi

2014-04-25T16:49:00.001+01:00

There are few things that brighten up our day more than hearing about how groups have gotten on with our 90kg Rice Challenge. This week, we received a special treat when Sanday Community School in Orkney went above and beyond and gave us all the details of their inspiring event, including tastings and an entire classroom transformation!

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Top Tips for an Ethical Easter

2014-04-17T11:54:00.000+01:00

The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and I think I’ve actually seen the sun this week! You know what that means? Easter is here! Regardless of how you acknowledge the holiday, it is important to remember that everyone deserves a fair wage for their hard work, right?

Every Bag Counts

2014-04-09T16:03:00.002+01:00

How would you get from Malawi to Scotland? Would you fly? Take a boat? Drive as far as you could? Ever thought about making the trip in grains of rice? Crazy, right? Well, we’re doing it and we’re over halfway there!

And the Award Goes to....

2014-04-04T15:23:00.000+01:00

We’ve always known that John Riches, founder of JTS, was a pretty hardworking person and now he has an actual trophy to prove it!

On Saturday 29 March, our Warehouse and Logistics Manager, Liam McLaughlin, travelled down to Leicester to attend the Malawi Achievers Awards on John’s behalf. The awards gala, which was held in the four star Marriot Hotel, presented an opportunity to bring together the Malawian community and celebrate their achievements.

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Top Five Mothering Sunday Gift Ideas

2014-03-26T13:42:00.000+00:00

Maybe she sang lullabies as you fell asleep. She probably put a few plasters over your scraped knees. Later on, she might have held your hand as you walked to school for the first time. Did she make your favourite dinner when you had been through a bad day? Maybe she showed you how to do laundry, cheered you on at your football games and taught you how to drive. And even though you've left home, she probably still welcomes you back with the kind of hug that only a mother can give.

Five Foods to Make You Smile

2014-03-20T14:22:00.001+00:00

Everyone has something that makes them smile. If we asked you what made you happy, you might say it is cute animals, a lazy morning, your favourite sitcom, good weekend plans or maybe even the first signs of spring. Well, did you know that you can feel good about what you eat too? We thought that we would share some of our producer stories; just to make you smile.

Whiskey, Curry and Some Fierce Competition in the Office

2014-03-13T15:49:00.000+00:00

You may already be aware that our 90kg Rice Challenge has been taken up by over 700 groups over the last five years, but did you know that that it’s not just been schools and churches? You and your colleagues can get in on the action too! Most recently, Glasgow City Council had a bit of fun and got stuck into their own version of the Challenge.

Members from Glasgow City Council, such as Glasgow Life and Cordia Services, competed within their departments to see who could sell the most rice over a two week period. They started off with the aim of selling enough rice to enable Malawian farmers to send 12 children to secondary school for a year, but by the time that the Challenge came to an end, they had sold enough bags to allow the farmers to send 24 children to school!

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Life After Fairtrade Fortnight

2014-03-07T11:21:00.000+00:00

Now that the excitement of BANANA EVERYTHING is dying down, it’s time to think about the next steps. Fair trade cannot be contained within two weeks each year. But what can you do when there isn't a bunch of events, tastings and lectures to attend?

Well, did you stop by an event held by your local fair trade shop? A lot of fair trade shops, such as the One World Shop in Edinburgh, are run by wonderful people known as volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, develop your skills and learn something new! Just get in touch with your local shop to see if there are any available opportunities.

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fairandfunky Takes Over!

2014-02-27T14:04:00.001+00:00

To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, fairandfunky invited us to guest blog for them. We love getting involved in the fair trade community, so we asked them to do the same. They do a lot of great work and we hope you enjoy their post! - The JTS Team

"Each Fairtrade Fortnight fairandfunky hosts a guest blog, inviting people to share the ways in which they #changetheworld through Fairtrade. This year is no exception, with 14 inspirational bloggers sharing why they #GoBananas for Fairtrade. And we were thrilled when Just Trading Scotland, invited us to guest blog for them on the same theme.

Looking to Achieve Fairtrade Status?

2014-02-19T13:42:00.001+00:00

We have always known that our 90kg Rice Challenge supports farmers in Malawi, but we now have an official quote from the Fairtrade Foundation! If your town, church or school is looking to achieve Fairtrade status, the Challenge can help you reach this goal. You can read the full quote here:

Top 5 Resources for Fairtrade Fortnight 2014

2014-02-14T14:05:00.001+00:00

We’re already halfway through February, which means that Fairtrade Fortnight will be here before we know it! So if you’re hoping to put together an event, session or lesson, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of the best resources, in no particular order, to help you prepare for Fairtrade Fortnight 2014. Just click on the name of the organisation to be taken through to their resources page!