Brewgooder claims UK Fairtrade first with latest fonio grain NPD

Brewgooder has launched what it claims is the UK’s first Fairtrade beer.

Called Fonio Session IPA, the tipple – which is the latest from Brewgooder to experiment using the sustainable African fonio grain – has landed in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Co-op stores (rsp: £6.50/4x330ml).

Unlike in last year’s collaboration of the same name with Brooklyn Brewery, all of the fonio grain used in the beer had been Fairtrade certified, Brewgooder said.

Despite growing demand for Fairtrade products in the UK, the beer category was failing to offer more ethical choices for drinkers, Brewgooder founder and MD Alan Mahon said.

The launch could be worth up to worth £2m per year to the Fairtrade economy, he predicted.

“There’s a huge appetite for Fairtrade products in the UK, and it’s absent in the beer category at present,” he said. “People care about fair and just trade, and if they can achieve it through the products they buy, then they will make that choice.”

Fonio Session IPA is also the first beer produced from grain supplied through a new ‘open grain’ supply chain pioneered by Brewgooder.

The supply chain network has been set up between the brewer and fonio farming co-operatives in Guinea.

Accessible to any brewer wanting to brew with fonio, the network would ensure “farmers are paid a fairer price for their work and grain, while fostering sustainable and equitable economic growth for their nearby communities”, Brewgooder said.

So far, 67 farmers in Guinea have signed up, with two-thirds of these joining since the Fairtrade certification.

Brewgooder was not “adopting Fairtrade fonio to give ourselves a USP but to show what can be achieved when you collaborate with farming communities for a fairer deal”, Mahon said.

“Fairtrade fonio can support communities in Guinea to thrive,” he added. “It means fairer practices and a fairer deal for farmers.”

Grown primarily in west Africa, fonio is a climate-resilient grain that is quick to harvest, does not require fertilisers, and uses much less water to grow than barley.

In April, Brooklyn Brewery announced a new series of global collaborations based around demonstrating the grain’s potential use in brewing.

The ‘Brewing for Impact’ initiative has so far seen brewers – including Denmark’s Carlsberg, England’s Thornbridge Brewery and Senegal’s Maison Kalao – team up with Brooklyn to release limited-edition beers featuring the grain.