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Fairtrade Fortnight by Willard Clarke, 02/09 The Co-operative is celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight (23 February - 8 March) with a price promotion across its range of own-brand Fairtrade certified bottled beers, brewed by UK brewery, Freeminer. Both The Co-operative's Bumble Bee Fairtrade Honey Ale (4.6% ABV) and Organic Fairtrade Premium Ale (5% ABV) will be on sale at 20% off the RSP. Organic Fairtrade Premium Ale, launched in 2007, was the first ever nationally-listed bottled beer that was both organic and carried the FAIRTRADE Mark. It uses organic, floor malted hand-made malt and traditional organic hops from Germany which are blended with Fairtrade Demerara to give an exceedingly quaffable ale. Organic Ale has achieved impressive year-on-year growth of 70% as a result of greater consumer increase in Fairtrade and organic products. Bumble Bee, the biggest selling Fairtrade certified beer in the UK and a former 'Beer of the Month' here on beer-pages, uses honey from Fairtrade producers in Chile to give it a unique point of difference.    Vicky Wood, Category Marketing Manager for Beverages at The Co-operative, comments: "The strong performance of our Fairtrade bottled beers reflects not only the quality of the beer but the strength of the Fairtrade Mark that ensures disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Fairtrade sales at The Co-operative continue to grow from strength to strength and were up 44 per cent in 2008. In the current economic climate consumers are more aware than ever of their spending and the fact that products like our Fairtrade bottled beers are bucking the trend proves that consumers are still comfortable buying quality Fairtrade products.� The Co-operative's own-brand bottled beer range is brewed exclusively by Freeminer, based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The beers will be on promotion in store until 8th March 2009 (Bumble Bee - 500ml: �1.44, Organic Ale - 500ml: �1.32) There are savings of up to 20 per cent on other Fairtrade products.

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