UK firm Bart Spices has launched a range of Fairtrade organic herbs, the company has revealed.

Four products – basil, marjoram, thyme and mint – have gone on sale at Tesco stores in the UK. Five more lines, including parsley, fennel seed and rosemary, will follow in Novermber.

CEO David Collard said: “This is a very exciting launch for us, as it marks another first for Bart Spices as well as the herbs and spices category.”

Bart Spices, owned by private-equity firm Langholm Capital, claims it was the first to launch Fairtrade-certified spices to the UK in 2005.

Harriet Lamb, executive director for The Fairtrade Foundation, said: “This is great news for the growers in Egypt, while here the public will be delighted to brighten up their cooking with Fairtrade herbs.”