Category Archives: Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Amazing Grains

Food Industry, Organic stuff, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade, Uncategorized, , , ,

We recently embroidered some of our Fairtrade Organic aprons for a local bakery in Olney called Amazing-Grains.  Knowing that Olney was the home of the hymn Amazing Grace we were interested to know more about the bakery and its name.

Gareth the owner was made redundant after a 30 year career in IT, he realised that his heart no longer belonged in the corporate world.

Over the years, extensive travel had opened his eyes to the fact that most other countries held bread in high esteem unlike the industrialised products passed on as bread for the lowest possible price in the UK. So after dabbling in food distribution, Gareth decided to address this issue by learning to bake “real bread”, using good quality ingredients, and an honest approach. Sales began with friends, then from the local pub, to deliveries 5 days a week, all produced from a 30 Sq ft kitchen in a tiny 2 bed cottage in Emberton, just outside Olney in North Buckinghamshire.

Now baking 4 days a week from a converted workshop in East St in Olney, Amazing-Grains produces around 300 loaves a week, using only natural ingredients, time and no processing aids, to produce breads with a flavour, second to none.

The name of the bakery was based on the hymn Amazing Grace written by the curate of Olney, John Newton and published in 1779. It is one of the most recognisable songs in the English-speaking world.

We love supplying aprons to local businesses and particularly to one that has such an interesting story. You can find about more about Amazing Grains HERE

Fairtrade Fortnight 2019

Ethical & Sustainable Garment Certification, Fairtrade Clothing, Organic stuff, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 25th Feb – 10th March 2019

Fairtrade fortnight is run for two weeks each year when campaigners, businesses, schools and groups show their support for the farmers and workers who grow our food, crops and manufacture our clothes in developing countries, people who live in some of the poorest countries in the world and who are often exploited and badly paid.

At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we supply many businesses and groups with Fairtrade Organic clothing and have a wide range of colours in t shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies as well as children’s clothing. 

We also supply beautiful heavyweight Fairtrade, Organic cotton Aprons. 

All of these products can be printed and embroidered with your branding or supplied plain.

For more information please visit:

www.cottonroots.co.uk
www.impacttrading.co.uk

University of Portsmouth Fairtrade Status and Cafe Direct

Food Industry, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

The university of Portsmouth are a Fairtrade University and we were pleased to supply them with aprons and polo shirts made with Fairtrade certified cotton all embroidered with their logo.

The university is supported by Cafe Direct so we also needed to add their logo which in bright orange was very effective.

Our range expands and interest grows exciting times at Cotton Roots!

Christian Aid

Charities, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Christian Aid

Another new customer to be proud of.  We have been working with Christian Aid and supplied them with Fairtrade cotton hoodies and Fairtrade and organic T shirts.

  All in bright red.

If you click on their logo above and look at their web site you will see all the wonderful work that they do.

The great thing about the organisations we work with, they may have different faiths, or live with slightly different approaches, but they all strive to care for others and our planet.  I have also found another reason to love building this business……..the customers are a pleasure to deal with.  They are interested, patient and warm.  Oh happy days.

Wearing our Fairtrade & organic polo shirt

Here we have a Christian Aid worker wearing one of the polo shirts which we have embroidered with their logo.

City Eco Hotel – Naturally Dyed Uniforms

Hotel Industry, Natural Dyeing & Customers, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Fairtrade organic aprons embroidered

The grand open of the new, swish, really, really green, City Eco Hotel takes place on Friday 9th of April in Bournemouth.

We have supplied the hotel with  their catering staff aprons which are not only organic, made with Fairtrade cotton, but also dyed organically using plants.  The shipment from India arrived today so we are burning the midnight oil to embroider  the aprons with “The green room” or  The green house”  and make sure we deliver them on time.

Burning the midnight oil is part of running a company and the enjoyment comes when customers are pleased with us and the garments.

We opened the parcels excitedly – as this was the first batch of aprons that we have made especially for our customers – City Eco Hotel and the Eden Project.  It was a nervous few days as the aprons were “Stuck in customs”.  “Stuck in customs” is a phrase that always gives me the collywobbles. It could mean weeks waiting………. I was worried.  But lots of phone calls later and helpful assistance and they were “unstuck” and arrived today.  Hooray!

The hotel staff will also be wearing Fairtrade polo shirts which are unbleached.  This means that the colour is a beautiful oatmeal hue.  We have embroidered the polo shirts with the hotel emblem, a leaf.   They polo shirts are organic and very soft to touch – so of course scrummy to wear.

I am excited and proud that the director of the hotel Sarah Burrows decided to use our uniforms.  We are trying to expand Fairtrade and organic options for customers all the time.  Their hotel motto is “Luxury doesn’t have to cost the earth”. I like it.

So look out for the hotel  if you stay in Bournemouth. MUST get back work embroidering their aprons…….off I go.

Embroidery machine showing “The Green Room” embroidery

Blackwoood Golf Club – Groundsmen are really green!

Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Groundsmen wearing recycled fleece jackets

Blackwood golfclub is beautiful course in the hills of South Wales and my brother in law John, is the secretary.   We thought that this was a great opportunity for a golf club to be “really green” by their groundsmen wearing ethically soursed uniform.  The two groundsmen are a father and son team of Alan and Owain Hughes who look after the course all year round. 

We supplied them with jackets made from recycled plasic bottles and polshirts which are cerified as both organic and Fairtrade.   Here they are in the photographs wearing their new “green” uniform.

Wearing the fairtrade certified polo shirts

I enjoyed this project, I think it’s great that a golf club decided to choose ethical clothing for their uniform.  I hope more clubs follow suit……thank you Owain, Alan and  of course John.

Solstice – The band

Music Industry, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

The Band

The wonderful band Solstice performed at The Pitz in Milton Keynes on Saturday.  They have reformed after many years of branching out individually as musicians.  I had seen a DVD of them performing at the Cropredy Festival many years ago and thought they were superb.  Last weekend something made me dig it out and play it to a friend – and then of course rave about it.  Hey presto two days later a get an e-mail from Andy telling me all about the re launch and their new CD Spirit.  Synchronicity or what!

A chance to link a wonderful band full of talented people with Fairtrade t shirts to help promote the band.   Next the design they wanted – a Indian mandala based design – how fitting.  So there we were Fairtrade t shirts in hand, printed, and watching a great band.  The crowd loved them.