Cristina Talens is preparing for a trip to Guatemala.

As ethical trading manager for Harrogate-based Bettys & Taylors, she travels the world meeting growers at coffee and tea plantations.

Her work involves looking at the living and working conditions of the farmers, their pay, hours of work, and also the methods of production - ensuring that their practices are not carried out at the expense of the environment.

During her three years in the job, Cristina has built up good relationships with the farmers.

"It is great to be able to meet the growers, to be able to work with them on the ground to improve conditions. It is also helpful to be able to pass on information about best practice from other growers and talk about how to address problems or introduce new techniques that are practical and sustainable."

Cristina recalls how, a few years ago, Zimbabwe saw a rapid rise in inflation, so much so that growers were not earning enough to cover the cost of production.

"We started to apply a cost matrix'", she explains. "Which means that the cost of production is covered, so the grower will make a profit."

The concept of ethical trading is not new to the company. For the past five years buyers have been trained to standards laid down by the Ethical Trading Initiative - an alliance of companies, trade unions, development agencies and other non-governmental organisations.

She adds: "Because of the quality of our products, we have always paid high prices, as well as making sure that the production conditions are good."

Bettys & Taylors sources coffee and tea from around 22 countries worldwide. Around 40 per cent of coffee suppliers, from Central and South American countries including Gualemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia and Brazil, operate the Fairtrade system as well as the producers of breakfast tea in Kenya.

"They are small family-run farms. With the other, larger farms, we have developed long-term relationships and work together to maintain standards," says Cristina.

Tea is generally bought through auction, so is more difficult to monitor, she says, but checks are made on tea plantations to ensure that the Ethical Trading Initiative base code of conduct is being met. "We are looking at how we can drive improvements on the ground with all the growers."

Cristina is also involved in an Environmental Benchmarks' scheme. While in Guatemala she is to meet members of the Rainforest Alliance - a New York-based organisation that works to conserve biodiversity and guarantee sustainability - to look at good farming practice in terms of the preservation of eco systems, forests and wildlife.

"For instance, we would check the filtration of water into river systems - we would make sure it is properly filtered and water courses are not being contaminated.

"We want to know whether trees are being pulled down - we don't want indigenous forests cleared to make way for more crops, and we look at other environmental areas such as how waste is being disposed.

Adherence to the benchmarks is now to be a key area of Bettys and Taylors company audit, whereas previously the standards were monitored by the Ethical Trading Initiative.

Bettys and Taylors also operates a Trees for Life project. Since its launch in 1990, almost three million trees have been planted across the globe. By buying coffee or tea from the company, shoppers are helping to fund this work.

Other projects that have benefited from ethical and fair trading include road networks, schools and hospitals.

"I've seen change on the ground, that benefits the whole community through increased investment in the right places," adds Cristina.

As more and more green, ethically-minded customers choose to take factors other than price into consideration when making decisions on buying goods, both initiatives are being widely adopted. In common with Taylors and Bettys, many companies now employ staff to work specifically in these areas, giving the customer further confidence in their products.