15
Chocca with taste
Wilde about Fairtrade
Patricia and Con Farrell of Wilde Tadgh (aged nine) and Laoise
Irish Chocolates started making (aged four) led them down the
chocolate by hand 10 years ago path towards organic and, later,
from their home in Tuamgraney, Co Fairtrade.
Clare on the shores of Lough Derg. “Having children makes you
Now with four employees, they think about the impact you’re hav-
have the capacity to produce thou- ing on the planet — you want a
sands of Fairtrade chocolate bars a better life for them. Nobody else in
week in their dedicated factory. Ireland is making chocolate bars by
There are five Wilde Irish blends: hand using Fairtrade and organic-
milk chocolate (made with 38pc certified ingredients. We got offi-
cocoa solids); dark chocolate; cial Fairtrade certification last year
cherry and vanilla; latte and cinna- and our latte and cinnamon bar
mon; white with a shot of dark; won a Great Taste award – this
and chilli, dark chocolate and means organic and Fairtrade food
nutmeg. is up there and beating the general
The Farrells were prompted to competition,” says Farrell.
set up the business as they had Wilde Irish Chocolates are sold
previously worked in tourism and in farmers’ markets in Limerick,
observed a shortage of heritage- Killaloe and Nenagh as well as in
related food products. Patricia health food shops all over
Farrell says having her children Ireland.
Photograph by Kennet Havgaard Patricia Farrell of Wilde Irish Chocolates
Luxury goods made fair
Ethical ingredients are a core part of the Blakes
Organic philosophy. Eithne Dunne reports
100g 5 pack
Chocolate Bananas
* *
49 29
1. 1.
BLAKES Organic is a young Irish company very disappointing,” she says.
that takes organic, Fairtrade ingredients Gleeson’s dedication was commended
and uses them to create a range of choco- last year when she was named Business-
late bars. Founded by Denise Gleeson in woman of the Year by Galway Enterprise
100g 500g
Brown Cane SugarHighland Coffee
2005, the company has supported Board. “It was fabulous to be recognised. It *
*
29 99
Fairtrade from day one. was a great platform for me, for Fairtrade
3. 1.
“I had taken over the family farm a few and for highlighting the fact you can eat
years previously and was looking for chocolate with a clear conscience.”
something I could do in the food arena. I Gleeson pays slightly above the odds
wanted it to be organic and really differ- for her Fairtrade ingredients and also
ent,” she says. passes 1.8pc of sales on to Fairtrade Mark
Gleeson chose chocolate as her product, Ireland every quarter. (The running costs
and when she came across Fairtrade, she of Fairtrade Mark Ireland are paid from
knew it was the only option for her. All this licence fee.)
her principal ingredients are now “The extra I pay for cocoa is not exorbi-
Fairtrade. The cocoa comes from the tant and I think people are changing their
Dominican Republic, the sugar from attitudes. They are more conscious of the
Peru and the vanilla from Madagascar. issues now and are happy to pay a bit A fair price for allone
She works with a Swiss agent and extra. Fairtrade is a different way of look-
manufacturer. ing at things. It is not a charity; it’s just a
Gleeson says organic and Fairtrade are way of giving people the right to produce
natural bedfellows, and the fact hers is a food without being exploited. And the
luxury product made Fairtrade seem all point is that Fairtrade produce is of a very
the more appropriate. “There is a huge high quality: it’s not your conventional,
amount of child slavery attached to cocoa quick-fix bar of chocolate. People who
farming — when you’re talking about a buy it see those things as a distinct
luxury product such as chocolate, that’s advantage.”
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