Building Better Business

In this Fairtrade 30th special, John Steel talks with Cathryn Higgs from the Co-op, Bob Doherty from the University of York, and Silvia Herrera from Mexico’s Ejidos San Fernando coffee cooperative. They discuss the future of our food, how ethical sourcing is shifting, and why a fair food system is the only way forward.

Sahil Kher, Good Law Project; Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party; Becky Annison, Chancery Lane Project; Mhairi Littlewood, Better Business Act Our panel of expert guests reveal the how the Government and the law can tackle the climate crisis with business. Sahil gives his insights on why Good Law Project won a landmark victory against the Government’s unlawfully inadequate Net Zero st...

Martin Ndegwa, Mutira Coffee Farmers Association; Emily Pearce, Co-op & Hans Perk, Okiocredit “Everyone needs to come onboard, and we fight this giant that is called climate change.” We risk losing our food supply if we don't take global collective action together with farmers, says Martin from Fairtrade Kenyan coffee cooperative, Mutira Coffee Farmers Association. This Fairtrade Fortnight special...

Helen Bird, Business Lead Head, WRAP; Lucy Reynolds, CSR Communications VP, Boots; Lee Man, Head of Community Fairtrade and Regenerative Sourcing, The Body Shop. How can we move towards a sustainable use of plastic? Plastic plays a big part in our daily lives, but its detrimental effect on the environment regularly makes the headlines. Our guests share how this is being tackled by business alongsi...

Alex Maitland, Oxfam International; James Ghaffari, B Lab & Lebi Hudson, General Manager of RSTGA cooperative in Tanzania + Cafédirect Director Good business governance means its stakeholders - like staff, the environment and farmers - are considered in company decisions. In this episode we talk about why this leads to real positive change – and how this had led to the criticism of Nespresso becom...

Dorothy Shaver, Global Food Sustainability Director Unilever; Nick Hoskyns, Peanut & sesame farmer & ETICO Director; + Beatrix Richards Senior Corporate Engagement Manager, Solidaridad Despite small-scale farmers contributing a third of the global food supply, their work is often undervalued and under paid. Our three guests explain the failings of a commodity market which leaves farmers very often...

Sarah Wakefield, Head of Food Transformation, WWF-UK & Steven Ripley, Group Responsible Sourcing Manager (Forests), Tesco Did you know the food we eat is the main driver of deforestation? We hear from WWF and Tesco about why preserving our precious forests is vital to our existence. Find out what’s being done to preserve them, and how we can all help. For more information head to: www.cafedirect.c...

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic & Sam Fulton, Group Director of Corporate Affairs, Nomad Foods (Birds Eye) “Our food system accounts for 50% plus of biodiversity loss and 25% of climate change.” Guy and Sam unpick how our food system urgently needs to change. Hear how big agriculture has produced cheap food on mass but now 'threatens life on earth'. Learn what companies are doing to...

Mike Barry, Director of Mike Barry Eco Ltd (former Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer) Mike Berners-Lee, author of ‘There is No Planet B’, ‘How Bad Are Bananas?’ and ‘The carbon footprint of everything’, professor and consultant. “The food industry is a huge part of the climate problem.” With predictions of dangerous global temperatures and failing government policies, two leading...

Guests: Jane Aldrige Managing Director of Coffee Nestlé UK&I + Erinch Sahan, Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) Jane and Erinch discuss their different approaches to tackling the issues facing the coffee industry. Jane provides an overview of the Nescafé Plan 2030 while Erinch argues that more significant change is needed to address the poverty that coffee farmers experience despite growing comp...

We all want a healthier planet and fairer future to look forward to. Building Better Business explores how business has a huge impact - and how, as informed customers, we can become part of a positive movement for change through our consumer choice. The podcast features straight talking conversations with global thought leaders and professionals, asking: ‘What are businesses doing to protect our f...

Claire Rhodes (CEO, Producers Direct), Ed Gillespie (the Futurenauts podcast, Greenpeace Director) and Sir Tim Smit (founder of the Eden Project) join John for a live recording of this Fairtrade Fortnight special edition. Our guests delve into how climate change is affecting the farmers that grow our food, what that means for all of us and how we can all help. We cover: - The reliance on small-sca...

Mike Brehme took a leading role bringing good quality, ethical tea to the UK market and Clipper Teas is now the world’s largest Fairtrade tea brand. Mike established Clipper in the mid 1980’s and as Managing Director, he ran the business for 25 years until 2008. Mike worked with the Fairtrade Foundation in their early days and defined what Fairtrade looked like in the tea industry. He shares how h...

Erinch’s career at Oxfam and then CEO of the World Fair Trade Organisation has led him to his latest endeavour at Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL). Erinch tells us about doughnut economics – the theory by British economist Kate Raworth, which argues that 20th century economic thinking is not equipped to deal with the 21st century reality of a planet teetering on the edge of climate breakdown....

Peter joins us from the UK body for social enterprise, which is a business with a social or environmental mission. From building markets for social enterprises to public facing campaigns, they amplify the voice of their members and influence decision makers. Peter has had a fascinating career working at Oxfam, Greenpeace and other charities, and now campaigns for economic change by advocating busi...

Most of our valued commodities, including coffee, are produced by people in some of the poorest conditions in the world. Albert Tucker’s career has been dedicated to working to create equal partnerships with producer cooperatives and community leaders to change the way trade is done. Albert was instrumental in pushing for farmers to take leadership roles at Fairtrade and Cafédirect and he tells us...

Kresse Wesling is an environmental entrepreneur that set up Elvis & Kresse – a company that makes gorgeous luxury accessories from reclaimed materials. Kresse inspires us to think about the huge potential of the waste that normally goes into landfill, and how we can make something truly special out of it. We get Kresse’s thoughts on what solutions are needed to tackle waste, one of the biggest env...

Child-labour and slavery in the cocoa industry is rife but Tony’s Chocolonely uses its delicious tasting chocolate and its different business model to make change across the industry. Ben Greensmith started his career in food and drink over 20 years ago, and he has grown brands including Innocent and Proper Snacks and now as UK Country Manager at the sixth biggest chocolate brand in the UK, Tony’s...

Jenny Costa founder of Rubies in the Rubble, a sustainable condiments brand that uses surplus fruit and vegetables, joins John this week. Jenny started the business through her passion for avoiding food waste and desire to tackle the enormous problem that it poses globally. Food production and waste is a huge contributor to climate change, and Jenny saw a situation so wrong that she wanted to make...

Fairtrade works to provide worker’s rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay to farmers and workers who are marginalised from trade in various ways. Trade on favourable terms strengthens economies by improving livelihoods and communities, and helps farmers adapt to and mitigate against climate change. Mike explains how working closely with producers and leveraging these relationships has in...

COOK is a hugely impressive company. Caring about people is in their DNA and they’re always coming up with new ways to help the people in their communities and see the potential in their staff. The hand-made frozen food company has been ranked in the top 100 Best Companies To Work For every year since 2013 and Chief Creative Officer, James Rutter, shares how being people focused has been their rec...

Andrew Ethuru, Kenyan tea farmer and former Cafédirect Board Director Andrew gives us insights into where our tea comes from and why buying ethical tea that pays a fair price to farmers is vital in ensuring its future. We discuss how tea prices and climate change are the biggest challenges faced by tea farmers, which can only be combated collectively. Andrew recalls his time as a Director on the C...

The power of enterprise, Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO Oxfam GB Oxfam sees enterprise as a hugely powerful tool to tackle poverty, improve lives and livelihoods where it’s needed most. CEO Danny Sriskandarajah notes how current levels of global consumerism are deeply unsustainable and that business as usual must change urgently so that resources are shared more fairly and to live safely within the pla...

Kate Sandle Director of Programmes and Engagement, B Corp UK. Kate Sandle Director of Programmes and Engagement at B Lab tells us about B Corps who are leading the way in transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet. Kate explains how business is the key to tackling the climate emergency, racial injustice and social inequality and offers insights into what supp...

Claire Rhodes is CEO of Producers Direct, a charity set up by Cafedirect in 2009 to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Producers Direct is led by farmers and runs programmes to turn smallholder farms into sustainable businesses. Claire talks about the advantages of a charity led by international smallholder farmers and how its seen huge entrepreneurial successes by harnessing their kn...