The free fertiliser programme for La Riojana’s members, which is funded through sales of our Fairtrade wine, has been invaluable for many of our 500 plus winegrowers as it allows them to keep their vines and vineyards healthy throughout the year and from one vintage to the next.

Luis is one of the longest standing workers within the La Riojana co-operative having first started working for the winery in 1978. He lives close to the main production facility in Chilecito, La Rioja province and works within our maintenance department.

Before 2008 the 300-strong population of the small village of Tilimuqui did not have access to a consistent supply of fresh running water. They often had to live in what were desperate conditions with summer temperatures reaching 45°C.

Martín Ignacio Larraín is a 15-year-old pupil at La Riojana’s new Fairtrade funded secondary school in Tiimuqui, where he is in his third year. He has two older sisters and a younger brother, and before the new school was opened, attended the Joaquin V Gonzalez primary school in Chilecito.