The incense sticks sold at Good Taste are made by the company Greater Goods, a guaranteed World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) who plant a tree for every order placed. All the incense sticks are made by hand using the ‘masala method’ where the paste is made and applied to the sticks one at a time. The mixtures are different for each scent of incense and no chemicals are used. This makes the scent purer and cleaner for burning and means they can have an extremely large range of scents. Due to the fact that most floral scents are more subtle, the sticks are charcoal as it burns without masking the smell of the flowers. For other scents, brown sticks are used which contain wood powders and herbs to give a woody undertone. This method is labour intensive but traditional.The incense sticks sold at Good Taste are made by the company Greater Goods, a guaranteed World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) who plant a tree for every order placed.
A woman called Maria weighs out all the ingredients for the different scents from a notebook containing all the recipes. Maria has a helper to kneed the dough together which is then handed to the women who roll it onto the sticks. All the paper packaging is marbled by hand in the workshop by expert women and is then cut to size before the information is printed on. It is then folded into shape and glued together. The women then pack the sticks into the signature packaging.
As part of their aim of being an ‘impact company’, Greater Goods give 5p for every pack of incense sticks bought. Over the years, this has allowed them to create 12 wells in Mali, providing clean water for the villages. With less distance to travel to get water, the women can take up activities such as growing vegetables or starting a small business. On top of this, it prevents diseases caused by dirty water, reducing child mortality. Greater goods also fund schemes to plant trees in Mali and have contributed to the planting of 50,000 trees so far. This isn’t only good for the environment, but also allows for a more diverse ecosystem and for the women to begin small businesses harvesting products like Shea butter and honey.
As part of the WFTO, Greater Goods ensure they follow the 10 principles of Fair Trade meaning that their suppliers get a fair deal. These include a comfortable working environment with no discrimination or child labour as basics. The organisation also helps people improve their skills and support local charity organisations. Wages are also significantly above minimum and the hours are limited. This included during Covid when all wages were paid despite work not continuing. During October and November, workers receive a bonus the equivalent of a month’s wages. They maximise the number of people they can employ by dying their packaging by hand and ensuring their incense sticks are all handmade too.
