Treating people fairly

The Waitrose way

We believe in treating our customers, Partners, farmers and suppliers fairly as well as supporting local charities and community groups through our Community Matters scheme.

Our relationships with suppliers are based on integrity, fairness and respect; working with them as partners is fundamental to delivering high-quality goods and services to our customers. For example, our farmers are paid fair prices which include a significant premium to cover the cost of additional work required to achieve and maintain our high standards and to allow them to reinvest in their farms. Read more about our relationships with suppliers in Trading responsibly.

Fairly traded products

We are working with the Fairtrade Foundation, the Rainforest Alliance and our own Waitrose Foundation (below) to enhance our range of fairly traded products – products that help the communities in which they were produced. Looking forward, we will develop our Fairly Traded policy further and expand both our range of Waitrose Foundation lines and Fairtrade, both in branded and own-brand products.

Waitrose Foundation

The Waitrose Foundation is a supply chain partnership that returns a percentage of profits from the sale of produce to fund projects chosen by the farm workers and smallholders who grew it.

In 2010/11, we had more than 200 projects in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana. For example:

• in Kenya, in the Rift Valley where many of our roses are grown, the Foundation equipped a resource centre with internet-enabled computers for the entire community to use

• in Ghana, we funded the building of one school and the refurbishment of two others, and provided the first sanitation facilities for a village of over 2,000 people.

Promoting trade with Africa

The UK government Department for International Development set up the Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH), which gives grants to retailers or food manufacturers to fund projects promoting trade with smaller-scale farmers in Africa, thereby reducing poverty.

Waitrose, supported by a FRICH grant, is working with Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) to help Kenyan farmers learn about sustainable agriculture and how to improve crop yields and quality. This will help them to achieve the standards required to get their produce onto UK shelves in Waitrose shops.

“ The Waitrose Foundation is an extension of the morals we hold close to us. The branch is very community focused, almost like a family, and it’s important that we can make a difference in Africa too. As well as sourcing our products there, we’re giving something back.”

Sophie Ah-Ya ve, Section Manager,

Waitrose Croydon

“ With the support we are getting from Waitrose and FRICH and the new LEAF demonstration farm that has been set up nearby, we are confident that we will make it. There is no other industry here – farming for export and for the local market can bring great development opportunities.”

Anthony Mucheke, Kenyan farmer