Taking the fairer route with uniWines Vineyards and Fairtrade
While South African wines produced with the endorsement of the Fairtrade stamp of socially responsible production are increasing in popularity in European, American and Asian markets, local wine consumers are also increasingly moving to Fairtrade products as awareness of this initiative grows.
According to Ferdinand Appel, general manager of uniWines Vineyards in the Breedekloof Region which produces its Palesa wine brand under Fairtrade certification, South African consumers and retailers are showing a growing interest in Fairtrade wines.
Speaking on the eve of South Africa’s first Fairtrade Week to be held from 14 to 20 November, Appel said: “Recent research shows that over 80% of South African consumers make their purchases on socially conscious decisions and over 75% of these consumers are willing to pay a premium for a product or service that was ethical in its social, environmental and general business practices,” says Appel.
“This presents a tremendous opportunity for uniWines Vineyards and other Fairtrade-certified South African producers to grow market share in a competitive local and international wine market. The Fairtrade initiative complements the South African wine industry’s Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, making the local wine industry arguably the most holistically ethical wine industry in the world.”
South Africa is currently the world’s leading producer of Fairtrade certified wines. uniWines Vineyards, a wine company near the town of Rawsonville, sources grapes for its Fairtrade wines from producers conforming to the international Fairtrade standards which – inter alia – ensure workers on these farms reside in approved living conditions, have access to social-services such as crèches and are also part of BEE farming practices. A percentage of sales of uniWines’s Fairtrade Palesa wine range also goes back to the community to be used for projects identified by its people.
“Popularity of the Fairtrade brand is growing exponentially as various high-profile international brands, such as Cadbury, promote their association with Fairtrade,” says Appel. “This is leading to greater focus on uniWines Vineyards and other Fairtrade wineries.
“The general awareness of the certification and Fairtrade ethos is spilling over onto the international marketplace where demand for Fairtrade is growing. This is definitely giving Fairtrade brands from uniWines Vineyards and other producers an advantage – not only due to demands from consumers, but also from retailers who are committed to stock products produced ethically.”
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