7-Eleven - Celebrates fairtrade coffee partnership with ‘Fair Ground’ in Melbourne CBD via TABOO

With over 80 million cups of coffee sold each year, 7-Eleven is one of Australia’s biggest coffee retailers. As part of its ongoing commitment to reducing its societal and environmental impact, 7-Eleven has partnered with Fairtrade, becoming the first mass-scale coffee retailer with the certification in Australia.

To celebrate the partnership, 7-Eleven unveiled a purpose built, multi-sensory, pop-up ‘Fair Ground’ carnival, conceptualised by TABOO, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, helping patrons understand and experience the benefits of Fairtrade.

The experience was brought to life in collaboration with The Art Line and Illusions, who re-imagined a Lonsdale St carpark to bring the wonder and energy of a carnival to life for the public. The ‘Fair Ground’ featured a 15m ‘Fairest Wheel’ and classic carnival games each highlighting the benefits of Fairtrade. Local artist Beci Orpin was also commissioned to create art installations, while all the elements were produced using recycled and sustainable materials and will be repurposed post-event.  

Over the 2 days, more than 3,500 people streamed in to learn about the benefits of Fairtrade while enjoying free games, rides, performances, food and plenty of Fairtrade coffee. Queues to get into the Fair Ground started gathering one hour before opening and extended for two blocks throughout the activation.

Last week 7-Eleven also launched its new ‘packaging made with plants’, along with a continued commitment to divert cups from landfill with the continued expansion of its cup recycling program and by offering a discount to customers bringing their reusable coffee cup instore.

Says Julie Laycock, GM of Customer & Insights, 7-Eleven: “This Fairtrade announcement is part of our broader commitment to the environment and a key pillar of the launch of our most sustainable coffee ever. It’s important now more than ever to know where your coffee comes from, and to know it’s traded on fair terms with fair working conditions. This means a more sustainable future for coffee farmers, their communities, and our customers.”

Says Mike Briers, CEO, Fairtrade: “Millions of Australians can now enjoy their coffee from 7-Eleven stores across the country knowing that the beans in every cup are bought on Fairtrade terms, helping many thousands of farmers, workers and their communities benefit. When choosing Fairtrade coffee, you’re supporting farmers earn a fair income with fair working conditions for a better quality of life. Every coffee purchase also supports farmers to invest in initiatives that benefit their communities, such as growing better quality beans, confronting environmental challenges, and building community infrastructure.”

On creating the Fair Ground, TABOO managing director, James Mackinnon says: “Making the world a fairer place is an important and serious endeavour, but that doesn’t mean that learning about it shouldn’t be fun. Creatively, we needed to ensure that every interaction at the Fair Ground was ‘education wrapped in entertainment’, so that each guest walked away understanding the benefits of this partnership, while having some good old-fashioned fun. As a B-Corp, we love working on initiatives like 7-Eleven’s Fair Ground, which highlight the power that big corporates have in making a positive impact.”