By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Online

Such was the media attention at Oxfam's first coffee shop in Covent Garden, one passer-by remarked: "Are they shooting EastEnders?"

A taste of things to come - Oxfam converted a shop for one day

The image of the famous charity competing with the likes of Starbucks certainly captured the imagination of journalists who filled a former retro-clothes shop refurbished for the day into a cafe called Progreso.

This was an attempt to replicate what the charity hopes to launch fully under the new name in the coming months at undisclosed sites in the South East and Glasgow.

And first impressions from the customers who fought their way past the media scrum were very positive.

Heather French, a 36-year-old singer from south-east London, said: "I just had a massage and was on my way to Cafe Nero, where I usually go, but stopped here.

It's not about saying 'Come and feel worthy' but 'come and have a super time' Wyndham James Oxfam managing director Oxfam enters coffee shop market

"This is such a fantastic idea and the least we can do. I've just started buying fair trade coffee and I'm prepared to pay a bit more for it, but the prices here are fairly competitive. And it looks good, very clean and modern."

There is a wide range of coffees and tea, with a regular cappuccino costing a penny above the UK average at �1.80.

The food is fair trade wherever possible, so fruit, cereal bars and chocolate are "ethical" but pastries are not.

Ethical clues

Overall there is quite a hip feel to the place, with a stylish design emphasising the bright and light, and high stools lining a breakfast bar inside.

The UK's fair trade market is worth �100m

Tellingly, there is no mention of Oxfam anywhere - an attempt to make Progreso a stand-alone company in every respect.

As I supped a tasty cappuccino and home-made chocolate brownie, I put this to Oxfam's managing director Wyndham James.

He said: "The cafes are about people enjoying classy coffee in a classy place. If they want to find out about the coffee and the issues they can make that discovery. It's not about saying 'Come and feel worthy' but 'come and have a super time'. The values are extra."

The clues to the ethics which govern the business are plain to see. A slogan behind the counter says in Spanish: "Without coffee, there's no morning" above a list of what Progreso stands for.

As the word "morning" can also mean "tomorrow", there's also a double-meaning which hints at the social implications of buying fair trade.

The media took a keen interest

There are photographs on the walls showing the people who matter most in the venture - the farmers from Honduras, Ethiopia and Indonesia.

Collectively, they share 25% of the profits, community projects in those areas get another 25% and Oxfam has a 50% share.

As well as price security not available with other companies, the farmers also get the chance to showcase their products in the British market.

Bill Roberts, 44, holidaying in London from Connecticut in the US, said: "I'd come back. Of course the coffee and the place have to be good and they are.

"But all these things being equal, you can feel like you're doing your bit, the customer gets good value and the producers share in that."