More Fairtrade products sold in 2020

The volume of Fairtrade products in the Netherlands increased by 7 percent in 2020. The category of bananas is the largest in volume; 37.9 million kilograms of Fairtrade bananas were sold in 2020 (+4% compared to 2019). The category that showed the largest increase in 2020 is cocoa. Cocoa volume in the Netherlands increased by 16 percent to 20.7 million kilograms. The sale of Fairtrade products in the Netherlands resulted in a total Fairtrade premium contribution of €7.7 million. This appears from the annual figures of Fairtrade Netherlands. 

Shift of volumes from out of home to supermarkets 

Fairtrade has experienced a positive development despite the lockdown in 2020 compared to 2019. Working from home and the closing of the catering industry led to lower sales of Fairtrade coffee (-19%) and tea (-1%). On the other hand, sales of categories such as cocoa, desserts and cooking products rose sharply.  

Strong growth of cocoa on the Dutch market 

Fairtrade cocoa experienced another strong growth of 16% in 2020. Partly due to the lobbying and campaigns to put a liveable income in cocoa on the agenda, Fairtrade cocoa is gaining more and more visibility in the market. After three years PLUS has succeeded in converting all private label products containing cocoa to Fairtrade cocoa. The company Chocolatemakers also opts for Fairtrade certification on their products. Another strong grower is Lidl with its successful WAY TO GO! concept, among others. 

Read the Annual report ‘Jaarverslag 2020 van Fairtrade Nederland’
fairtradenederland.nl