MICHAEL O’LEARY’s popular image is of a swashbuckling, foul-mouthed, penny-pinching corporate titan. But the hard-nosed chief executive of Ryanair has now become an unlikely poster boy for impoverished Latin American coffee growers.

The notoriously niggardly airline chief has ordered his entire fleet to serve only Fairtrade tea and coffee, which are generally regarded as more expensive than rival brands.

After a successful trial period, the budget airline has switched from Kraft’s Carte Noir to a little-known brand with the Fairtrade stamp of approval, a certification that guarantees farmers and producers in the developing world are paid a fair price for their crops. The airline’s updated menu card now bears the distinctive blue and green Fairtrade logo alongside its new supplier, Saile & Sabga.

O’Leary insists that the switch is designed to save money. “The fact that our new tea and coffee supplier is a Fairtrade brand is a welcome bonus, but the decision was based on lowering costs. We’d change to a non-Fairtrade brand in the morning if it was cheaper,” he insisted.

Ryanair’s swerve is the latest example of the move by Irish business to embrace the Fairtrade concept.

In recent weeks, Dunnes Stores has agreed to stock 35 Fairtrade products in 20 stores. Alan Clayton, who liaised with the retailer on behalf of Fairtrade Ireland, said: “Supervalu has also agreed to stock in six of its stores and Tesco launched a pilot scheme in Clearwater in Dublin last week, with 70 Fairtrade products. The pressure is coming from consumers.”

Aldi, a discount retailer, now sells Fairtrade tea, while Marks & Spencer recently launched 38 own-brand Fairtrade products. O’Brien’s Irish Sandwich Bars has also joined up, switching to Fairtrade tea in March.

Supporters of the Fairtrade system insist Ryanair’s conversion is proof that buying Fairtrade is not only principled, but also prudent. “It’s all about the bottom line with O’Leary, so it demonstrates to other businesses that buying Fairtrade is not just an act of generosity by the well- intentioned,” said Peter Gaynor, executive director of Fairtrade Ireland. “It can also make sound financial sense.”

A consumer survey last April found that half of respondents in Ireland were aware of the brand, compared to just 16% in 2002.

“Some 36% of people said they had bought a Fairtrade product at some stage, but more encouraging was the statistic that 30% had bought Fairtrade in the preceding four weeks,” Gaynor said. “That shows that Fairtrade is becoming part of the shopping basket.”

Dublin is also aiming to become a European Fairtrade city. The city council is conducting an audit of food suppliers to determine whether Dublin meets the criteria.

“We’re working towards providing Fairtrade products in all public-sector institutions and as many private businesses as possible,” said Eric Byrne, a Labour councillor and chairman of the Fairtrade steering committee.

“We’re also targeting schools and universities. Trinity College has switched to Fairtrade wherever possible. We’ll have the results of the audit at the end of this month and that will show where we need to focus resources.”

Last year, Irish sales of Fairtrade products — ranging from tea and coffee to rice, wine, fruit, sugar, roses and cotton clothing — increased by 30% to €6.5m.

The Insomnia coffee chain, with 24 stores and outlets in 40 Spar stores, recently switched its €10m business to Fairtrade, importing beans from Ethiopia, Peru and Indonesia. Bobby Kerr, the chief executive, said the move would cost the company an extra 7% to 8%. “Once we established the quality would not be affected, it was a no-brainer,” he said.

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