Herne Hill is the hub for pioneering Fair Trade Success
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
A
pioneering company, which has helped changed the lives of thousands
of smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia, owes much of its success
to its local roots in Herne Hill. Kate
Sebag, Marketing Director of Tropical Wholefoods, is marking World
Fairtrade Day (May 9 2009) by paying tribute to the support she has
received from local companies and businesses in the Herne Hill and
Dulwich areas.
Tropical
Wholefoods, which is based in Herne Hill, is an importer and
distributor of fair trade dried fruits, dried mushrooms, nuts and
fruit bars. It supplies health food, delicatessens, farm shops,
Oxfam, Morrisons and Boots with its produce. The company
pioneered sun dried fruit which it first brought to the UK over 15
years ago. Then the company had a
turnover of £15,000 but this has now reached £2.5million and Kate
is hopeful of a flourishing year despite these difficult economic
times. She says: “The support and
help we have received from local businesses and people has been
wonderful. This has really helped us in lots of ways not least in
getting our products well known in our community.” One
example is when she called on local businesses to help when she
wanted to set up a photoshoot to show off new recipes using her
products. She says: “I decided to
make up several recipes to show the range and versatility of the
products I sell. I am quite a good cook but I asked my local baker
for help with a batch of hot cross buns with a twist – using our
Fairtrade dried apricot and mango instead of currants. The baker made
them for me free of charge – and they were delicious!” As
well as the buns, Kate needed to source plates and dishes to display
the freshly cooked dishes, plus she needed extra ingredients and
‘props’ such as flowers. Again,
local businesses triumphed. The list
of helpful businesses includes: - Hot
Cross Buns were cooked by Kindred Bakery, 23 Half Moon Lane, London
SE24 9JU- Lamb for a tagine recipe was supplied by local butcher,
Walters on 321 Railton Road London SE24 OJN- Fruit and Vegetables
were bought from The Fruit Garden, 315 Railton Road.- Spices, flour,
sugar and other products came from Londis at 14 Half Moon Lane,
London SE24 9HU- Moroccan Crockery lent by Mimosa, 16 Half Moon Lane,
London SE24 9HU- Ribbons were supplied by The Art Stationers, 31
Dulwich Village, London SE21 7BN- Flowers came from The Flower Lady,
297 Railton Road, next to Herne Hill Station- Even the light bulb for
the lighting came from RJ Electrical Supplies, 165 Herne Hill, London
SE24 9LR Kate adds: “It all goes to
show what a fantastic area Herne Hill and Dulwich is – everything is
within walking distance and everything was provided with local
friendliness and helpfulness. “My
husband, Adam, and I have lived and worked in Southwark for more than
10 years and have lived and worked in neighbouring Lambeth for more
than 15 years. We brought up our children here. We always knew it was
a great area and this just goes to show how brilliant local community
can be.” Tropical Wholefoods
products are also popular in the local area. The
local Oxfam store 20 Half Moon Lane stocks
Tropical Wholefoods products, local school Rosendale Primary has run
healthy eating days and days on Fairtrade when all the kids have
scoffed dried mango from the company and invited Kate in to talk
about her visits to Burkina Faso. The
fresh fruit and veg shop, the Fruit Garden on Railton Road, stocks
Tropical Wholefoods bars, as does the local chemist Fourways Pharmacy
on 12 Half Moon Lane. Londis on Half Moon Lane also stock Tropical
Wholefoods fruits and bars. And every
summer the company takes a stall at Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell
Park. Kate adds: “We’re
always reading about the lack of neighbourly spirit in the UK today
and how unfriendly Londoners are but down here we are proof that the
opposite is true.”
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