For Good Reasons

I’m on a mission and am driving all over the country, but where am I going and what for?

Fair Trade Wines- my passion and love. Finding distribution across the USA- my mission.

For me this is a journey that brings so much joy. Not only does Fair Trade help alleviate poverty, it unites us. Fair Traders across the United States and the world share a common viewpoint. We know that our consumption behavior has a large impact on the lives of the people responsible for making the products we purchase. We know that diving down into the depths of the bottom line can lead to economic hardships and we are tired of playing that game.

I love to be inspired. One of the very first Fair Trade wineries I visited was in Chile. The story behind the Cooperative de Curicó still motivates me today.

In 1939, an earthquake shattered small grape farms in central Chile. Houses, barns and winemaking facilities toppled. All that remained were vines.

Farmers worked together to help overcome the tragic events and a cooperative resulted. Building the community was their common goal. Over time the cooperative grew, through good times and bad. Through the Pinochet era, through financial crisis, through drought and through rain, the farmers united.

The Cooperativa is located in the picturesque town of Curicó (Hence the name.) I love it there. The people, the wine festival, the Andes, the food! I love the slower pace and the fact that wine is part of your daily experience.

The Cooperativa de Curicó is a unique anomaly in Chile, and in the world for that matter! A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. (I love Wikipedia).

The members of the Cooperativa also own their cellar- where their grapes are turned into wine and thus sent out into this brave world to be consumed by all those that love wine. Good wine at least.

Although cooperatives are interesting in themselves, the Cooperativa’s efforts toward community development are worthy of attention and definitely respect. A long time ago someone really smart figured out that when workers and farmers are sustainable, productivity increases and the community’s stability is affected favorably. Too bad there are a lot of people that have still not figured this out.

Through the Cooperativa’s Social and Economic Fund, the farmers have been able to assist workers reach their own goals of economic advancement. By paying fair wages, providing educational assistance, opportunities for advancement, access to medical insurance, health and retirement care, and access to loans for improving housing conditions, the Cooperativa has helped hundreds of families.

There are no handouts, just opportunities. For customers the result of technical improvements in the fields, more productive yields, better quality grapes, and a great new winemaker, Paula Bottero, means that the Cooperatva is now selling award-winning wines.

In the US we sell the wines under the brand name Calesa. My personal attachment to Calesa is beyond words. I feel like an ambassador and I am trying to share my love for the wine, the culture, the farmers, the workers, and all their families with everyone I meet.

My mission right now is to open up distribution in Texas and Louisiana. And I am not leaving until the job is done!

To be continued …