PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELLBEING.
Vocation c. n. A feeling of being especially suited for a particular type of work.
Wellbeing u. n. The state of being healthy and contented, etc.; welfare.
San Martin, Mendoza (Argentina), April 14th. Entering the workforce is very difficult, like a hamster’s wheel. Employers want an experience that you don’t necessarily have, and as you don’t, they don’t hire you. It’s a vicious circle. Bruno started working in a peach-packing factory but his objective was to get a foot in the world of wine.
His father was an enologist. Bruno watched him pursue his dream of becoming one, and it came at a cost as his father was often absent as a parent. His mother has a birthmark that looks like a vine leaf. His sister, teacher and a painter, draws her inspiration from the vineyard and its fruits. Bruno attended the technical school of enology.
Bruno knows his wine: “you have to take care of it […] it’s like a person, a child. You have it, bring it up, help it, accompany it until it grows and is bottled.”
After becoming a father and fighting to accumulate those necessary work experiences (at the peach-making factory and moving pallets in a famous winery), he made his way into Montlaiz.
He immediately noticed the difference “we weren’t many, and it seemed more organized. In other places, I felt like a number. Here, people know you by name, about your life, where you live, how you’re doing… just like a family.” And he could also learn and have the opportunity to grow in the trade where his father “looked and looked until he found it”.
In Montlaiz, two things surprised Bruno. Firstly, Fairtrade connected him to his desire of “wanting to change, even if I felt that I couldn’t do it on my own. This was my chance to change or help someone”. Because Bruno knows that the working conditions in the wine industry aren’t easy, inflation and social inequality are obstacles to the development of many young people in Argentina. He immediately became part of the Premium Committee[1] and started working with his colleagues “it’s like a chain: they help you; you can help them, and then they’ll help others. That’s the change, being able to help people who will help others so that this chain of help can continue”.
The second surprise was that, with the Premium’s benefits, it is possible to feel good in a job you like. His son had been suffering from a respiratory illness for years and did not access quality medical care… With his partner, they spent years dealing with stress, sleepless nights, days of worry, and waiting at hospitals. Thanks to the health insurance that Montlaiz employees have taken out with the Premium, his son Usiel could receive the care required. Today, he plays football while his father teaches him about Fairtrade. Bruno and his wife Marian are much more relaxed.
[2] Ver definición arriba.
