The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell is calling on congregations to support the Real Easter Egg 2012 campaign after supermarkets failed to order sufficient quantities of the UK’s only faith Easter egg, despite overwhelming demand from their Christian customers last Easter.
The Real Easter Egg is the first and only Fairtrade Easter egg to explain the Easter story on the box and give money to charity. It was launched last year as a mail order gift after the supermarkets turned it down. Churches and schools joined a campaign to establish the egg by placing orders through mail order for many for hundreds of eggs at a time.
Morrison’s, Booths, Coop and Waitrose later changed their mind and decided to trial The Real Easter Egg just before Easter 2011. They all sold out within days with people walking past Cadbury’s two-for-one offers. Waitrose was inundated with online orders for hundreds of eggs as millions of Christians searched for the only remaining supplies.
With such demand and quick sell outs Manchester based Meaningful Chocolate Company, who manufacture The Real Easter Egg, expected a significant increase in the numbers ordered by supermarkets. However, one major retailer has decided to reduce their order and will only have 24 eggs in stores serving our biggest towns.
Unlike other faiths, which are catered for by the biggest chains, Christians will struggle to find anything connecting Jesus with the major Festival of Easter on the supermarket shelves. Out of the 80 million Easter eggs on sale this year 99.99% will be secular made from non Fairtrade chocolate and with no charitable donation.
The Bishop of Chelmsford said: “We though we had proven that people were not afraid to buy an Easter egg which mentions Jesus, gives money to charity and which helps in communicating the true meaning of Easter. It seems incredible that the only Easter egg gift on the market, which caters for the Christian community, is rejected or marginalised by our biggest retailers. If we have to continue to campaign, by placing orders online to establish The Real Easter Egg, then so be it.”
A spokesperson, from the Meaningful Chocolate Company said: “There seems to be a clear cut agenda to keep credible products, with any connection to Christianity, off the shelves. Last year churches and schools campaigned with their wallets and ordered tens of thousands online and complained to supermarkets which were not stocking. This year the campaign continues.”
Egg with a brighter faith message The Real Easter Egg is breaking new ground this year and has had a make-over with brighter colours. The Easter story on the outside of the box is a colourful visual and there are three crosses on the front. For the first time ever on an Easter Egg there is a bible quote under the lid and a free copy of the Easer story included inside every box. These new features make the egg even more attractive.
How to buy a Real Easter Egg
There are limited supplies so early ordering is advised. The official Real Easter Egg online shop is at www.realeasteregg.co.uk . To ensure supply, churches are advised to place a bulk order by the end of February. The site has sign-up form, posters and other resources. Online ordering will be open for as long as supplies last or until the middle of March but check the official online shop of Facebook for details.
Traidcraft will also have major stocks available through its online shop and its network of church re-sellers. A number of Independent retailers, including Cathedrals, are expected to stock. The Real Easter Egg online shop will include details of all retailers as they start selling.
The recommended retail price is £3.99. The Real Easter Egg is made from 125g of high quality Fairtrade chocolate and 15 pence from every sale is donated to Traidcraft Exchange.
More information
Charitable donation
15p from each Real Easter Egg sale is donated to Traidcraft Exchange. The cocoa and sugar farmers also earn a Fairtrade Premium of $60 a tonne from sales to invest in community projects that they choose, from buying chickens to securing fresh water supplies. A fee is also paid to The Fairtrade Foundation to support their work including its education programme. Last year over £26,000 was been donated to charity from sales.
Christian demand
With 7 million people attending church at least once a month, another 7 million supporting the ethos behind Fairtrade products, and nearly 8,000 Church Schools, demand is high for The Real Easter Egg. Logistics and delivery are managed through Traidcraft.
About Traidcraft
Traidcraft Exchange is a development charity which helps small-scale farmers and producers gain the confidence, knowledge and opportunities to work together effectively, find markets for their products, and trade successfully – resulting directly in increased incomes and improved livelihoods. It also lobbies and campaigns for trade policies and practices that help – rather than harm – people in the developing world, and encourage those who feel powerless to speak up for their rights.
Development
The Real Easter Egg was developed by Manchester-based The Meaningful Chocolate Company, following a two year development programme. There was consistently strong interest from all levels of the faith sector. Research included a taste test with 120 bishops from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Sales facts 2011
The Real Easter Egg became the biggest mail order egg in 2011. More then 70,000 eggs were sold and it was bought by thousands of people and a significant number of schools. Bulk orders ranged from 48 to 600 eggs at a time. A number of supermarkets, Traidcraft and independent stores had decided to stock the Egg as a trial product. It sold out quickly.