Working with legend’s family

Peterborough coffee roaster, Masteroast, is not only helping farmers across the globe through its support for the Fairtrade movement, its international reach also includes working hand-in-hand with the family of reggae legend Bob Marley.

The Fengate-based firm produces the award-winning Marley Coffee, a past winner of the Soil Association’s best organic coffee award.

Masteroast managing director Andy Fawkes told the Peterborough Telegraph: “We now produce and distribute Marley Coffee throughout the whole of the EU, most of which is certified Fairtrade and organic.

“Marley Coffee is now selling very strongly in Europe, particularly in France, Holland and Poland, and is finding new fans in Germany and Scandanavia.”

Masteroast s support for Fairtrade ploughs between £3 million to £4 million a year into the hands of small farmers in areas such as central America, Africa and India every year, with some of its growers visiting Peterborough as part of reciprocal visits which were carried out pre-Covid.

“In recent years we’ve hosted farmers from Colombia,

India and Nicaragua,” Andy added.

“The growers put so much care into producing quality coffee that it’s important for them to see that it’s not all taken for granted at our level of the industry, and that we understand and appreciate quality and treat it with the respect that it deserves.

“We also had a little group of Costa Rican farmers who had never been out of Costa Rica who we treated to a cathedral visit and a chance to try the local beer and Stilton cheese. It was not to their taste but it made for a very entertaining evening!”

Bob Marley