Manufacturers are tapping soaring demand for ethically traded products with the development of new Fairtrade lines, including the launch of the UK's first Fairtrade cheese and a move by Divine Chocolate into supermarket bakery.

Fairtrade confectionery supplier Divine and Wensleydale Creamery will both launch Fairtrade products in the next few months designed to cash in on what they describe as the huge potential for more interesting Fairtrade lines.

According to TNS Worldpanel, the market for Fairtrade food and drink has almost doubled in the past year to £225m.

Wensleydale Creamery's cheese will hit shelves in time for next month's Fairtrade Fortnight and can carry the Fairtrade Foundation's logo because of the inclusion of ethically sourced ingredients such as bananas, honey, mangoes and chocolate. Three products are being launched - Wensleydale with mango & honey, Wensleydale with banana & honey and Wensleydale with banana & chocolate - packed in 125g wedges with an rsp of £1.49.

Cheese is the next big opportunity for Fairtrade products, according to marketing manager Sandra Bell. However, she said it would not be easy, as the cheeses are the first products of their kind, meaning retailers may be confused about where to stock them.

"While the range is new and relatively small there is a question about where retailers will display the products - either among the current blended cheese or in new areas specifically set aside for Fairtrade."

Divine Chocolate, meanwhile, is developing a range of bakery products for the major multiples. The company recently expanded its portfolio to include chocolate muffins, cookies and brownies for foodservice, but is now working on bags of smaller versions specifically for the retailers. The company is set to open talks with the retailers in the next couple of weeks with the aim of having products on shelf within the first quarter.

Divine is also expanding its Easter portfolio, with three new products - a milk chocolate egg that contains mini chocolate eggs, a 150g handbag pack of mini milk chocolate eggs and a 200g bag of individually wrapped dark chocolate eggs.

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