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Global Citizen Fairtrading ...... was set up in the early 1990's, before Fair Trade became fashionable. The goal being of operating an ethical business successfully, supplying quality fair trade products and playing an active part in the generation and cycle of goodwill. We aim to ensure that producers and customers alike are happy in, and benefit from, dealing with us. Founded by Guy Williams in the early 1990's, this is now a family business run with wife Rose, from our cottage in Gloucestershire. Also under our roof live our 5 children so please do not be alarmed if a young voice answers the 'phone; We would recommend liberal use of the phrase, "fetch mummy or Daddy" in such an instance. During travels in South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent Guy was able to see it is possible to make a real difference to the lives of craftspeople & artisans and their families. Paying a fair price to those involved in producing such wonderful items and duly recognising the value of their work, can ensure that the craftspeople can properly feed, clothe, house & educate their families. Dealing directly with craftspeople and their cooperatives has resulted in savings being made as middle - men are not involved. Thus we are able to provide excellent value - for - money to our customers. We have operated this as a wholesale as well as retail operation. Global Citizen Fairtrading exhibited at the Autumn Trade Fairs at the NEC, Birmingham in 1994 and 1993. The wholesale section has always sold predominantly through the mail, from shows & occasional adverts in the Trade press. Also by supplying to shops in the area, often through word - of - mouth referrals. Retailing began at craft fairs and markets in
1991, initially and briefly under the name of 'Shiny Happy People Trading
Co.' The name - change came about after the realisation that
financial institutions wouldn't take such a name seriously. From
1993 to 2005 Guy ran a stall from an ornate Victorian style handcart in
Gloucester's Eastgate Street. [Excepting 2003 where this was done in the
illustruous City of Bath's (a World Heritage site) Union Street.
However the commuting distance to Bath always felt too far for comfort in terms of
environmental sensitivity.] We traded April - December in
Hereford from 2008 to 2010, and Christmas 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014 and 2015 beside the historic Old House, near the Bull Statue A toe
in the water period on the eBay site, where the shop - named Global
Citizen - picked up some excellent online trading experience (and
feedback), You can take a look here - stores.ebay.co.uk/Global-Citizen.
As we have always strived to achieve & maintain a
reputation for honest, prompt & careful service, it is good to see
that this can be verified in a few clicks using the Feedback system.
To do this, you can click the link above to our ebay shop. Viewing our
unedited feedback
can be done by a single click on the feedback score (currently close approaching
12,000 ) - the number in brackets after the 'Maintained by ...' username, 'lartsdad'.
Our customers do say some nice things about us, we are happy that you can check
this in raw & unedited form - straight from other people's experiences of
trading with us. You can also click the link below to access
directly all ebay feedback comments we have received.
We hope this has prepared
us for this next venture - the one you are reading now:-
Our first website, here at; Thank you for taking interest in us and I hope you will enjoy playing your part in influencing for the better, through your custom, the history of our ethical trading operation.
All GCF - imported goods offered for sale on this site have been checked thoroughly by
ourselves to justify their ethical status & description as "Fair
Trade"
evolutions of the Global Citizen Fairtrading stall, in
Gloucester Eastgate St. (1990's)...
Gloucester Eastgate Street (1993-2005)... to Hereford, (2008 - 2013)
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