Wooden has recently launched a unique range of Fairtrade preserves that combine locally sourced fruit with Fairtrade sugar. Aimed at the premium and gift markets, this range initially available in John Lewis stores and for export, but will be rolled out in 2009 in the independent network.

‘Our aim is to source as much fruit locally as possible, and in the past the idea of a Fairtrade range was not compatible with our ethos’ explains the owner Jeff Higgins. ‘Very few fruits currently used in our jams are available Fairtrade, so we are able to combine the best of British and European fruit with Fairtrade sugar which surely makes it a ‘fair’ Fairtrade range! He adds.

The company is committed to sourcing fairtrade products, and is presently looking at switching its entire range to using Fairtrade sugar which will benefit small scale sugar farmers in Malawi. We will not however seek to source Fairtrade products if an alternative is available locally.

Wooden Spoon was founded 30 years ago in Wye, Kent, with the aim of producing preserves using traditional methods and only natural ingredients. Today the company produces a range of jams and marmalades that the ‘home made’ connoisseur would be proud of. We are also a leader in the Fruits in Liqueur market, and provide a growing range of chutneys, sauces, jellies, compotes and mustards. The company is based in an idyllic setting below the Wye Crown, and visitors can view production from a gallery situated in our small shop.