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Muslim Aid has opened the first ever flagship Muslim charity coffee shop in heart of the East End. The Fair Factory coffee shop, the first of its kind to be setup and run by a Muslim charity was launched on the 21st August and will be open to serve customers on the 28th August. 

The coffee shop will provide a healthier range of foods and drinks as well as organic and fair trade products. It will also be selling goods sourced locally as Muslim Aid wants to support British farmers and reduce the shop’s carbon footprint.

“Muslim Aid was looking for an innovative way of introducing the idea of fair trade to ordinary shoppers. Many large chain coffee shops have a negative impact on the lives of people in producing countries. Often those who are growing the coffee beans receive little compared to the millions of pounds the coffee chains receive in profits. The Fair Factory gives people the chance to consume with care” said Isa Abdul Jolil, Fundraising Manager of Muslim Aid.

Working in more than 70 countries around the world, Muslim Aid provides emergency relief and long term projects such as education, livelihood, healthcare and nutrition. Profits from the Fair factory will go towards our projects to empower and assist those in need.

“The Fair Factory represents a brilliant fundraising and campaigning initiative of Muslim Aid that has excited us. It is great to have a leading UK charity support Fairtrade and we are sure that The Fair Factory will benefit producers of certified Fairtrade products and also poor communities that Muslim Aid supports”, said Veronica Pasteur, Campaigns Manager of the Fairtrade Foundation.

The idea behind the Fair Factory is to encourage people to make a conscious decision to choose products that have a positive impact on people’s livelihoods. For only a few pence more than your average chain, suppliers get a fair price for the goods they produce and all profits will be put into Muslim Aid development projects across the world.

 “The Fair Factory aims at creating a ‘factory floor’, which was not exploiting people to produce cheap fabrics or coffee beans, instead a ‘fair’ space, where people are treated fairly”, said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Chairman, Muslim Aid Board of Trustees.

Deputy Mayor of London officially opens The Fair Factory