BACKGROUND

TURQLE TRADING was started by Rain Morgan and Pieter Swart in 1997 as a link between the European market and South African producers who provide good working conditions and decent wages for their employees. Turqle Trading's commitment to fair trade and empowerment of local workers has led the company to seek Fairtrade accreditation and therefore be able to label some of their products with the internationally recognised Fairtrade Certification Mark, which ensures that high environmental and labour standards are followed throughout the supply chain from producers to traders. The company is also member of the World Fair Trade Organisation, principally working with their African branch called COFTA (Cooperation for Fairness in Trade).

Both Pieter and Rain come from a background of community work. They both worked at another trading company before starting their own business 13 years ago. Their core motivation was to create jobs through ethical trade, therefore supporting and encouraging social growth from the suppliers to the customers. The name 'Turqle' came about spontaneously, says Rain. She and Pieter were looking for an original name for their company and in a moment of exasperation, she ask Pieter what his favourite colour was. He answer 'Turquoise'. "Mine was purple. We put it together and came up with the name Turqle, and it stuck."

ABOUT TURQLE'S PRODUCTS

Thanks to the dual certification as well as the core business ideology of improving lives through trade, Turqle Trading has grown from a small business to a successful ethical trading company. When they started out in 1997, they only knew a couple of producers. Today, they work with 12 different factories who collectively employ almost 500 people. They also added two more staff members, Linda Buckle and Sarah Withey, who focus on quality systems, social management and product development.

Currently, Turqle has 145 active products on the market under eight different 'house brands'. By 2007 they had shipped out over 1.3 million units.

Turqle's products include a variety of condiments that are sold at 'world shops' (shops specialised in fair trade goods), specialty stores and supermarkets in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Australia.