LORNA YOUNG
Lorna wasn’t expected to survive from birth – maybe that’s what drove her. Born in Dumfrieshire in 1952, she skipped university for a job in a bookshop and then marketing. She soon earned a reputation as the hard woman of sales - “I like to persuade people to buy what I’m selling”.
As Cafédirect’s first Sales & Marketing Manager, Lorna faced a tough challenge; supermarkets had no comprehension of fair trade. But Cafédirect was a good idea and Lorna wasn’t going to let go…. It’s more than a good idea, it’s a great product. Lorna educated and Safeway capitulated.
Lorna was passionate about the rights of growers to develop sustainable livelihoods, not through aid, but through fair trade. As a marketing specialist, she believed growers could develop marketing and business skills and start to cut out buyers, exporters and middle-men who suck the profit out of crops.
Her family remembers: the bit between her teeth, the long hard struggle, the determination and the grit. The absurdity of it all made her laugh, the ethics and moral fight made it all worthwhile – she loved it. In 1996, Lorna died of a congenital heart condition but growers in Latin America and Africa now face the future with confidence and hope because of her success in opening up new markets for their coffee.
Cheers just now.