MATT JOHNSON is chairman of Mando Group

COFFEE and cocoa have long been the focus of Fairtrade campaigners seeking a better deal for farmers and their workers.

Their efforts are succeeding, according to research released to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight. Sales of Fairtrade products soared by 40% in 2010, to an estimated retail value of £1.17bn, compared with £836m in 2009.

The numbers suggest that, despite tough economic conditions, many British shoppers continue to embrace Fairtrade ethics.

Our supermarkets and high streets are not the easiest places to gain a foothold. All credit then to the Fairtrade Foundation. Its efforts have brought about two significant achievements: raised awareness of Fairtrade issues in developed world retail markets and improved conditions in producing countries.

Every day in the UK, we consume 9.3m cups of Fairtrade tea, 6.4m cups of Fairtrade coffee, 2.3m chocolate bars, 530,000 cups of Fairtrade drinking chocolate and 3.1m Fairtrade bananas. New categories are also growing, with over 1m Fairtrade cosmetic products sold in 2010. Fairtrade campaigners are increasingly pushing against open doors.

The public want it, and, for many suppliers and retailers, that degree of endorsement from consumers means it makes business sense. It’s that success that actually allows the Fairtrade Foundation to achieve what it sets out to do – help farmers, their workers and their families all over the world.

As Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 draws to a close, it may well be that the Foundation is facing renewed challenges brought about by circumstances out of its direct control.

Quite how recent uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East will alter trade and economic policies remains to be seen. The availability and cost of one commodity in particular will, as ever, have a direct bearing on the global economy. So, too, in some areas, will changes in the political landscape brought about by the mass protests we have witnessed.

For now, though, it’s clear Fairtrade has established a very strong presence in a world where many of us are increasingly thinking about sustainability. And that applies as much to consumers spending money as it does to farmers being able to re-invest in their businesses and communities.