FAIRTRADE & LA RIOJANA
La Riojana co-operative is the largest producer of certified Fairtrade wine in the world, and we were Argentina’s first winery to be Fairtrade certified in 2006.
Fairtrade is central to our company’s values
Since the very outset, our co-operative has always incorporated high ethical standards into our core values.
We have always been and continue to remain strongly committed to operating in a way that is fair and offers an equal way of doing business for our members.
These values are closely aligned to those of the Fairtrade movement and we feel proud that we were one of the first wineries to be certified Fairtrade in the world.
The Fairtrade Premium is benefiting many of our growers, workers and their families, and is making a real difference to their lives.
In recognition of our achievements in carrying out the best ethical practices, La Riojana was awarded the Drinks Business Green Awards Ethical Award in 2010.
Fairtrade has made a real difference to people’s lives
Our winery and many of our co-operative growers are situated in the agriculturally rich La Rioja province, but there are many remote rural communities within the region which lacked basic needs such as access to regular clean drinking water, a good education and healthcare.
Fairtrade was introduced to ensure a better deal for growers and workers, and it has enabled our co-operative to make a real difference to the quality of local people’s lives, by investing money raised through the Fairtrade Premium into local community projects.
Additional Fairtrade commitment
In 2013 we took a further step to show our commitment to Fairtrade by becoming certified as an organisation of small producers under the OPP (Organización de Pequeños Productores) scheme.
This means at least half of our members have to be small-scale producers and at least half of the wine volume sold needs to come from these members.
But it also requires us to use our Fairtrade Premium to invest in projects that benefit the economic and social development of our small producers.
The OPP certification signifies 100% of La Riojana’s production and growers are Fairtrade certified, making us the largest producer of Fairtrade certified wines in the world.
How La Riojana invests the Fairtrade Premium
We have been able to use money raised through the Fairtrade Premium scheme to invest in key healthcare, educational, social and community projects, not just for benefiting our own members and workers but also for the surrounding community.
All the projects are approved democratically by the co-operative’s members and employees.
To date, we have invested over ARS $11 million (Argentinean pesos) of Fairtrade Premium in over 30 different projects to benefit our members, workers and their families as well as our local communities.
