We have been so happy to have Jasmine become part of our team. When she is not busy studying you’ll often find her friendly face behind the counter ready to welcome you!
She is a true champion of fair trade and ethical living. If you are on Instagram, we highly recommend giving her a follow (@jasminea.french) as she shares thoughts on ethical consumerism and social justice.
How did you get involved with helping at Good Taste?
As a first year uni of Sheffield I walked past the shop every day and kept thinking that I needed to pop in and see what it was like because I can’t remember a point in my life where I didn’t know about fairtrade and think that it was really important. Finally, around Christmas I popped in to do some Christmas shopping and it’s been my go-to shop for gifts in Sheffield ever since! Over the summer I was looking for some volunteering and got in touch with Jenny and have been volunteering and working at the shop since September.
Why do you think Fairtrade is important?
I think that fairtrade is important because how we spend our money matters. Where we spend our money and what we spend it on doesn’t just affect us but also the growers, pickers, packers, shippers and sellers and buying fairtrade means that we can be confident our money is ensuring that everyone in the supply chain is benefiting from our purchase. I spent time in Tanzania and Kenya growing up and that really opened my eyes to the inequality that is embedded in so many of our global systems including trade. I really like the ethos of fairtrade because it offers long term solutions to poverty, tackles inequality at every level of the supply change and is committed to investing in communities through the fairtrade premium. By choosing to buy fairtrade and encouraging others to do the same we can use our consumer power to influence global trade for the better.
What is your favourite Fairtrade product?
I’m a big coffee drinker and I have loved trying all the different coffees that we stock! My favourite coffee at the moment is the Ethiopia Oromiya Coffee.
What do you do when you are not in the shop?
I’m studying History and Sociology at the University of Sheffield, so I spend most of my time reading and writing essays either in the library or coffee shops.
What do you like most about living in Sheffield?
I absolutely love living in Sheffield so it’s hard to pick a favourite thing, but the top two are the independent shops and coffee shops in Broomhill and Crookes which give them both a unique character. And being so close the peaks, I love the way a walk in the peaks can put everything into perspective.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
I’m normally hanging out with my friends, painting or reading.