Fairtrade fortnight: Lake Street coffee roasters celebrates 40th birthday

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight, local MP Alex Mayer helped a much-loved, and big-hearted, coffee roasters in Leighton Buzzard celebrate 40 years of trading.

House of Coffee, on Lake Street, and a registered Fairtrade producer, opened to the public in 1984. The team have a selection of both Fairtrade and open market Arabica beans from over 20 countries, supplying local homes and business and further afield from a charming 16th Century shop, and roasting around 20 tonnes of coffee every year - roughly the weight of three elephants. Their ethically sourced blends are available for one-off purchases, subscriptions or wholesale. Ms Mayer, who met Director Nick Stagg discussed House of Coffee’s Fairtrade-certified beans, understanding their journey from global growers to customers’ cups. Mr Stagg explained how since they opened their doors, they have always sought established and ethically minded and trusted importers who pay farmers a fair price for their beans. This Fairtrade Fortnight (which starts today Monday 9 September to Tuesday 24 September), the kind-hearted roasters are even giving people 10% off all their products – both online, and in store – giving more locals the chance to make sure the coffee they drink doesn’t do harm to others. Ms Mayer said: “With Fairtrade Fortnight upon us, now is the time to think about just how fair our morning fix is. What is impressive about House of Coffee is they have been making an effort to be socially responsible with their brews for four decades. “Thank you to Nick and the team for teaching me all about coffee making. It was great to celebrate their coffee-roasting success - it certainly perked me up. I want local businesses of all shapes and sizes to thrive. Here’s to the next 40 years at House of Coffee.” Nick Stagg added: "We are very pleased to be able to offer the coffee roasting service to the Town and in a way that is little changed from the business as it was 40 years ago. "Thank you Alex for your enthusiasm and please drop in again anytime!" Ms Mayer also met up with Liz Bagshaw from the Leighton Buzzard Fairtrade Association and heard all about their plans for a Fairtrade Coffee Morning at the end of the two-week Fairtrade celebration (on Saturday 21 September from 10am to 1pm) at Trinity Methodist Church (North Street, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1ES). Leighton-Linslade become Bedfordshire's first certified “Fairtrade Town” in 2006.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1861
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice