Italian discounter iN’s Mercato is adding new Fairtrade-certified products to its assortment, according to media reports.
The Venice-based company has been working for years with certification organisation Fairtrade Italia, which aims to improve conditions for farmers in developing countries.
Since the start of 2021, iN’s introduced several new Fairtrade products, including fruity and sweet arabica capsule coffee, spelt and organic chocolate chip shortbread, dark chocolates, dark pralines, gianduja and hazelnut bar, and 72% dark chocolate egg.
They will be soon joined by brown sugar, bitter cocoa, chocolate muesli, organic bananas and the pandoro festive cake with chocolate chips, marketed under private label brand Selezione Più, reports Gdo News.
The company is also offering a recently redesigned Fairtrade shopper cotton bag in its stores, which is more sustainable for both workers and the environment.
However, iN’s Mercato is not the only player in the Italian large-scale retail trade working closely with Fairtrade Italia.
Earlier this year, the discounter announced plans to consolidate its brand identity and expand market penetration in 2021.
Fairtrade Partnership
Fairtrade has a long-standing relationship in place with Coop Italia, which doubled its assortment in 2020 compared to the previous two years.
Two other discounters, Lidl and Aldi, are also working together with Fairtrade Italia, both adding dozens of new products.
Other retail players, such as Carrefour, Gruppo Selex and PAM Panorama, are working to extend their offerings, broadening the range of products and the purchasing possibilities for consumers.
According to Fairtrade Italia’s annual report, in 2020 Italians spent over €400 million on Fairtrade-certified products, such as coffee, cocoa, bananas, chocolate, and sugar.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
