Why Fairtrade wine still faces a perception problem
As Fairtrade Fortnight shone a spotlight on ethical sourcing, wine producers and industry voices gather at the Argentine Ambassador’s Residence to tackle a key challenge: why does Fairtrade still struggle with a perception problem in wine, and what can be done to change the narrative?
The event took place at the Argentine Ambassador’s Residence in central London on 29 September.
Speaking as part of a panel discussion, Aleesha Hansel, wine writer and Fairtrade ambassador, said: “There is a slight disconnect when it comes to Fairtrade. In every other category with Fairtrade, like coffee and bananas, people and consumers can automatically see that as being a slightly higher quality. Unfortunately, we haven’t quite got over that hurdle.
“I’ve spoken to a few Fairtrade producers in South Africa, and all their wines were Fairtrade, but they were deciding not to put the Fairtrade logo on the higher priced products. Maybe that’s a producer question. Why is that the case?”
‘It’s been hard for Fairtrade producers’
We asked producers to find out. Speaking to the drinks business, Blends Wines Estates managing director Gustaavo Crespo, said Fairtrade was “very important as the DNA of the company”, as it assured protection for employees and consumer faith.
Every wine in its Bodega Argento estate in Mendoza, Argentina has the Fairtrade logo on the front of the bottle, and sometimes on the back as well.
“It’s been hard for Fairtrade producers like us to upgrade consumers. In the on trade, sometimes ‘Fairtrade’ and ‘organic’ aren’t mentioned on the wine list, so we are missing out on communicating to consumers,” added Crespo.
Value for money
A spokesperson for Chilean winery Emiliana, which has been Fairtrade certified for 13 years, told the drinks business: “I don’t know if that’s the case for every single consumer, but there’s a perception that there’s a quality discrepancy between that and what the actual liquid is. Consumers have a reluctance when something good is being done with the wine. They look at it and think, ‘am I getting value for money with the actual liquid?’
“It’s a broad statement – it’s not true for every person, but there is an overarching thought that that might be a barrier to purchase. It’s a wine problem in general – we need to get better at telling our story. Technology’s going to be a big part of that; using social media, AI technology to bring our stories to life.”
And Victor Aguilera, export manager at Chile’s oldest Fairtrade-certified organisation, Lautaro Wines, says the Fairtrade logo is on every one of its bottles. When ask whether Fairtrade lessens quality in the eyes of the viewer, he replied: “We think the opposite. Of course, it shows what we are – we are Fairtrade – the consumer can see it, and visualise that something positive is being done when he or she purchases a bottle of wine. Then, if they are interested, they can investigate the internet and see the positive impacts. The impact is huge.”
Through Fairtrade, Lautaro Wines invests in education. “It’s a life-changing thing for the person, for the youngster, for the family, for the community, so only positive impacts come out. We want to promote that, and the way to do it is the Fairtrade logo.”
Branding decisions
However, others took a more tentative approach to brandishing the Fairtrade logo on their products. We spoke to Marianne Fillion, brand manager for North South Wines, representing SAAM – a range of South African wines produced by Perdeberg Cellar in collaboration with Fairtrade-certified growers.
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Around 20 years ago, the producer was considered a “bulk player” but changed to be more market-led, said Fillion. It strived to create stronger brands, urging workers to be “more empowered, more in charge, and striving for quality”. Fairtrade “fits into that mindset very well,” she added.
On SAAM wines, the Fairtrade logo is black and white. Fillion continued: “It’s quite discreet. Personally, I think it fits well with the winery, which wants the brand to stand on its own two feet on its own merit, and it happens to be Fairtrade.
Following coffee’s footsteps
“If you rely too much on the Fairtrade logo to sell, you’re setting yourself up for failure, because you need to be almost beyond that for your brand to be attractive for as many shoppers as possible, while also being sensitive to the Fairtrade message.
“I actually understand people who put it on the back, because people should buy the brand because it’s visually appealing and tastes good and is the right place, and it happened to be Fairtrade.”
Speaking to the drinks business after the panel discussion, Aleesha Hansel explained what coffee had got right, that wine had got wrong. She said it “had a renaissance” in the form of flat whites and latte art.
She said: “It’s become a bit of a status symbol in modern times. Whereas with wine, because it’s historically been reserved for the upper echelons, even though those same people who are buying those cups of coffee for £4 a cup could afford a bottle of wine for £10, maybe there’s a bit of a disconnect there, because they don’t feel as included, because it’s not got the same hype, and it’s not had the same modern turnaround as coffee has had.”
So what can wine learn from coffee? “It’s a given that beer and spirits industries are much more ahead of wine when it comes to diversity, and being cool – let’s face it, and the same with coffee. We need to embrace influencers, embrace youngsters.”
Engaging young people
Hansel defined ‘youngsters’ as people aged 25-40 (“people blame everything on millennials. We’re 40 now! come on guys”). She said: “They care, we care, and we have disposable income to be able to do so, but it’s just trying to get to their level. What companies are on TikTok, what wine influencers are we meeting people at the right level? Are we going to university bashes?” She also suggested wine brands could tap into the festival market.
To change the quality perception of Fairtrade wine, she said it was vital producers worked with the on trade: “The somms and floor staff in restaurants and bars are on the ground level. If they want things sold, they will sell them. It’s really through them, especially in places like London and New York, why orange wine has become so popular.
“If they get excited about Fairtrade and they push for it on menus, it’s going to make people realise it’s Fairtrade, and if they’re excited, they’ll tell the story.”
“There absolutely needs to be more of a connect – not just between producers and somms – but the entire industry.”
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