Fair Trade Certified™
Wine
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fair Trade wine grown?
Wine from estates and/or small farmers
organized in cooperatives in Argentina, Chile, and
South Africa can be certified as Fair Trade.
Twenty new producer groups gained Fair Trade
certification in 2009, increasing the number of
certified wine estates and cooperatives in the Fair
Trade system to more than 60. Plentiful supply of
conventional and organically grown Fair Trade
grape varietals are available, including Cabernet
Sauvignon, Carmenère, Chenin, Chardonnay,
Malbec, Merlot, Muscat, Pinotage, Sauvignon
Blanc, Syrah and more. The growers sell to
registered wine cellars that produce high-quality
wines, all under the Fair Trade standards. For a
list of registered wine producers and importers in
the Fair Trade system please email wine@
fairtradeusa.org.
How can I sell Fair Trade
Certified wine?
Companies that wish to trade and manufacture
Fair Trade Certified products must enter into a
formal relationship with Fair Trade USA and/or
the Fair Trade Labeling Organization:
•Producers and importers sign a certification
and licensing agreement with FLO and/or Fair
Trade USA, purchase wine from a FLO
registered producer, submit all packaging and
marketing materials for approval, and submit
quarterly reports on imports and sales.
•Importers registered with TransFair USA pay a
licensing fee of $0.10/750ml bottle imported.
Why should my company offer Fair Trade Certified wine?
There are thousands of vineyards and wineries
around the world that produce uniquely flavorful
wines. Developing origins such as Argentina,
Chile and South Africa produce unique grape
varieties and blends, yet farmers and workers in
those wine producing countries also face economic, social and political challenges. It is difficult for
producers to meet the market demand for highquality wine, and ensure safe and fair working
conditions, when grape prices cannot cover the
most basic costs of living.
Small winegrowers in countries such as Argentina
and Chile are often unable to compete with large
estates and are susceptible to low market prices
that do not generate enough income to meet their
family’s basic needs. This limits their opportunity to
improve farming systems, lowers productivity and
threatens their livelihood. Hired workers on large
wine plantations in developing countries are often
not protected from labor abuses. For vineyard
workers in South Africa, the legacy of apartheid
has meant limited opportunities for economic
advancement.
The fundamentals of Fair Trade are economic,
social and environmental sustainability. Fair Trade
provides the protection of a floor price, so that
producers do not have to sell their crop below
their cost of sustainable production. The Fair Trade
premium gives farmer or worker organizations the
opportunity to invest in the future of their farms
and communities. And Fair Trade standards
provide a framework for farms to increase their
environmental sustainability.
How will Fair Trade Certified wine help my business?
Consumer demand for socially responsible goods
is rising. According to the Hartman Group, 76
percent of consumers consider environmental
and social aspects when they make purchasing
decisions. More than 50 percent of “ethical
consumers” (who total 33 percent of Americans)
are aware of and familiar with the Fair Trade
certification. Fair Trade USA works with more
than 800 corporate partners to audit and certify
more than 6,000 products. Fair Trade products
are offered at over 50,000 U.S. retail locations
and involve key partners such as Sam’s Club and
Whole Foods Market.
Since 2003, Fair Trade Certified wine has had
incredible success in European markets, where
Fair Trade wine sales have grown 50 percent
each year. In major retailers in the United
Kingdom, such as Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose,
Marks and Spencer, Tesco and ASDA, there are
now more than 120 different Fair Trade Certified
wines to choose from. This success of Fair Trade
Certified wine is now being repeated in the
United States. Fair Trade Certified wine was
launched in 2008, and we saw immediate
success with U.S. imports of Fair Trade Certified
wine reaching 1.7 million bottles in 2009. With
these volumes, U.S. Fair Trade wine sales make
up 10 percent of the global sales of Fair Trade
Certified wine.
With consumer recognition, retail pull and brand
commitment, Fair Trade offers a rapidly-growing
opportunity for buyers to make a profound
difference in the lives of more than five million
people in farming communities around the world
simply by choosing to purchase certified products.
1500 Broadway, Suite 400, Oakland, CA 94612, +1 510 663 5260 www.FairTradeUSA.org
Fair Trade Certified™
Wine
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the economic and social impact of Fair Trade on
wine producing communities?
Our unique commitment to fair prices and
premiums for community development distinguishes the Fair Trade Certified label from other
sustainability labels. Fair Trade wine growers are
guaranteed a price that covers the cost of
sustainable production. In addition, for every
bottle of Fair Trade wine sold on the market,
farmer groups and wine workers are guaranteed
a premium for community development projects.
Minimum prices and premiums for Fair Trade
Certified wine grapes vary depending on country
of origin:
Workers on wine plantations in South Africa
benefit from a special set of Fair Trade guidelines
that support government mandated postapartheid economic empowerment programs.
These programs are groundbreaking as
previously disadvantaged workers can buy
shares of at least 25 percent of the certified
business entity through a government funded
trust, which means a first time opportunity to land
and business ownership.
•Fairhills Project, du Toitskloof, South
Africa— Premium funds have been invested
to build preschools, purchase school buses
and computers, and to establish scholarship
funds for education and adult literacy
programs. Plans are underway to buy a farm
that will cultivate grapes for delivery to the
cellar as well as operate as a guest house.
A critical component of our system is a rigorous
certification and audit process during which we
verify that the Fair Trade price and premium reach
producer organizations. Fair Trade USA conducts
on-site audits of companies that offer certified
products to ensure they are in full compliance
with our standards. We verify the U.S. chain of
If you have any additional
questions on Fair Trade wine
certification,please email
[email protected]
or visit our website:
www.fairtradeusa.org.
•La Riojana, Argentina­—The Fair Trade
minimum price that is guaranteed to small
farmers who are members of the cooperative
La Riojana in Mendoza, Argentina, has kept
farmers on their land and has enabled them to
further improve the quality of their grapes. The
small farmer organization has used the
premium to drill fresh water wells, establish
infrastructure for building schools and lay the
foundation for a hospital.
How does Fair Trade USA ensure that wine grape growers and workers
receive Fair Trade benefits?
Our certification gives consumers the confidence
that every purchase has a real impact in farmers’
lives. The Fair Trade certification model is
designed and audited to ensure that equitable
trade practices are enacted at every level of the
supply chain.
Questions?
custody to make sure companies that display the
Fair Trade Certified logo meet our strict trade
standards. In 2009, Fair Trade USA audited more
than 40,000 transactions between producers,
importers and manufacturers.
Annual inspections at the farm level are also
conducted by FLO-Cert, Fair Trade USA’s
international certification partner. FLO-Cert is an
independent producer certification body and is
the first and only ethical certification organization
in the world to achieve the prestigious ISO 65
accreditation.
How does Fair Trade wine protect
the environment?
Fair Trade’s strict environmental standards focus
on the environmental health and safety of farmers
and their families. Farmers must:
•Protect water resources and natural vegetation
•Promote agricultural diversification, control
erosion, and forbid slash and burn
•Restrict the use of pesticides and fertilizers
•Ban the use of genetically-modified organisms
(GMOs)
•Properly manage waste, water and energy
1500 Broadway, Suite 400, Oakland, CA 94612, +1 510 663 5260 www.FairTradeUSA.org