Source: Waitrose
Proving that Fairtrade isn’t just about bananas and coffee, Waitrose is proud to be the first supermarket to stock Ubuntu Cola from today, Monday 1st March. As a leading ethical retailer, Waitrose is supporting the makers of the first Fairtrade pop, by exclusively stocking it in fifty branches nationwide.
‘Ubuntu’ is a South African term for humanity and kindness. The company, The Ubuntu Trading Comapny, which sources sugar from Malawi, will donate at least 15% of their annual profits to the Ubuntu Africa Program. ‘Ubuntu’ is about sharing, and the people behind the pop believe in investing their profits back into the soul of the company: the farmers and their families growing the sugar cane, and the people of Malawi.
Ubuntu Cola was the first cola to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark in the UK and it fizzes with Fairtrade sugar from the Kasinthula Cooperative in Malawi and from the Kaleya Cooperative in Zambia.
James Hodgson, Waitrose drinks buyer says: ‘We’re always looking for great tasting drinks, and every so often a product really shines because of its story and its ethical contribution. Ubuntu Cola is an example of the great things we can do with Fairtrade, and it is a pleasure to be able to stock a drink which is playing such a positive role in the industry.’
Miranda Walker from Ubuntu says: ‘Every time you drink an Ubuntu Cola you are directly taking part in the Fairtrade movement – contributing to long term development and real opportunities for African producer communities. Additionally, as a company we will to continue to encourage and support projects showing entrepreneurship and creative ways to tackle poverty. We want to make Fairtrade accessible to more people, we know people love the taste of Ubuntu Cola and being stocked in Waitrose stores is a great step forward for us.’
Ubuntu Cola will be available in 50 Waitrose stores from 1st March. 59p for a 330ml can.
Branches stocking the cola are: Abingdon, Ampthill, Beaconsfield, Beckenham, Billericay, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Chichester, Christchurch, Colchester, Comely Bank, Daventry Droitwich, East Grinstead, Farnham, Finchley, Great Malvern, Hersham, Hitchin, John Lewis Foodhall Bluewater, John Lewis Foodhall Oxford Street, Kensington, Lichfield, Lincoln, Lymington, Maidenhead, Newark, Newbury, Paddock Wood, Parkstone, Pontprennau, Reading, Rickmansworth, Romsey, Rushden, Salisbury, Saltash, Sandbach, Sheffield, Southampton, Southend, St Albans, Stroud, Sudbury, Swaffham, Tonbridge, Twickenham, Willerby, Witney, Wolverhampton, Worcester Park.
The Ubuntu Trading Company sponsors Elod Kafaukoma (right), a young farmer from the Kasinthula Sugar Cane Growers’ Cooperative, by paying for his agricultural studies. Ubuntu also supplies him with a laptop and camera which he uses to write and illustrate a daily blog on the Ubuntu website. The blog allows people all over the world to understand the challenges and dramas of daily life in rural Malawi, and is actively used by students to help inform their international development and social science studies.
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Waitrose Limited
Address: Southern Industrial Area Bracknell, RG12 8YA GBR
Telephone: +44-1344-424-680
Fax: +44-20-7592-6333
About Waitrose Limited
Waitrose Limited operates about 200 Waitrose supermarkets in London, southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, and Scotland. Founded in 1904 by Wallace Wait and Arthur Rose, it was acquired in 1937 by John Lewis Partnership, one of the UK's largest retailers. The grocer plans to upgrade more than 75% of its stores over the next couple of years. Improvements will include new checkout and self-checkout counters, refrigeration equipment, and more space for fresh foods. Outside the food aisle, Waitrose plans to strengthen its non-food offering of clothing and housewares in its Food & Home store. A partnership with Internet grocer Ocado delivers Waitrose groceries to homes in London and Hertfordshire.