{"id":18800,"date":"2023-04-05T16:56:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T16:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/?page_id=18800"},"modified":"2023-04-06T17:32:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T17:32:37","slug":"bodega-montlaiz","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/bodega-montlaiz\/","title":{"rendered":"Bodega Montlaiz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Organic Wines Montlaiz. [San Mart\u00edn, Mendoza, Argentina].<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunity<\/em><\/strong> u. n. Favourable or advantageous conditions<\/em>. <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agent <\/em><\/strong>c. n. Substance that produces a particular effect or person who is the cause of something.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI always tell the kids that what happens in the streets is a reality and all we can do is try to change it<\/em>,\u201d<\/strong> says Mariano, managing director, and owner of the winery. Montlaiz is a small family winery with its particular energy. Mariano tells us about the current economic context in Argentina and its impact on people\u2019s security and living conditions.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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With its three fully organic farms, a team in the vineyards, and a winery comprised of no more than 40 people, Montlaiz \u201cdoesn\u2019t aspire to sell more wine but wishes their wine to be increasingly better and for people\u2019s lives and sustainability to be better too.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> [Cecilia Famar, Bodega administration, and certification]<\/em>. That is why they are betting on Fair Trade, horizontal leadership, and innovation while offering development opportunities to the young.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>

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When you get to the winery, the staff, not older than 35 years mostly, work swiftly around the site to get through the hectic harvest season. They want to make one thing clear: Montlaiz \u201cis like a family<\/em>\u201d [Bruno Costa, winery operator], <\/em>\u201cyou get to see the process from up close (\u2026) I\u2019ve learned so much here, and that might not have been possible in a bigger company<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [Karen Rodr\u00edguez, chemistry technician].<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You keep walking and come across the new building where the first wine grapes are crushed and vatted, with solar panels at the top contrast with the historic wine press, which dates back 100 years\u2014a testimony of family heritage.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you come back to the administrative office, it\u2019s like a beehive. The Premium Committee[1]<\/a> members are busy preparing food parcels purchased with the COVID Relief Fund[2]<\/a> granted by CLAC[3]<\/a> and that they will soon be giving out to all of the organization\u2019s staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the desk, oenologist Jose Manuel, who is absorbed in an Excel sheet full of last year\u2019s harvest data, spares some of his time to tell us about the high-quality and organic wine. They constantly search for innovation and aim at meeting the needs of the new generation, \u201cToday\u2019s new generations are looking for quality in their food, quality in their drinks\u2026 knowing where things come from<\/em>\u201d<\/strong>. That is their commitment. He then proudly shows us some of his new projects. With the future in mind, their Criolla grapes and their bottles full of sweet and refreshing wines\u2014all of which are organic\u2014these projects are a reflection of their respect for tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the farm, you can witness the same kind of energy. Diego [farm manager]<\/em> knows that \u201cfor people to work with you and for us to be responsible, the company has to be responsible as far as the wages are concerned and reject undeclared work (\u2026). I am sure of that, but in Argentina, it isn\u2019t that easy<\/em>\u201d<\/strong>. In any case, when faced with a challenge, he remains confident and commits himself responsibly. In the afternoon, he will try out a new machine to help grape pickers during harvest by decreasing the weight they have to carry, thanks to a platform on which they\u2019ll be moving through the vineyards. A local engineer has built the new machine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>

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But let\u2019s not forget that this family finds itself in a complicated context. In Argentina, the wine industry is very competitive as it is a country in which large wineries dominate the market and where inflation makes the daily lives of workers and young people who wish to live with dignity very difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why the impact of Fair Trade doesn\u2019t go unnoticed. In Montlaiz, they are all convinced and committed. Bruno, who was elected President of the Premium Committee as soon as he got a foot in the organization, was elected President of the Premium Committee, is a good example. It is with pride that he tells us about the satisfaction that comes with being able to support his community, looking for ways to help the young, playing his part, and seeing his son learn about the importance of solidarity. Others recognize the Fairtrade Premium benefits\u2014feeling the drive to get to work and seeing that work rewarded. The energy is contagious.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The farm workers like Luis or Hugo describe how their working conditions are better than other farms. In the winery, Cecilia says that \u201cthe premium is there to cover basic needs<\/em>\u201d<\/strong>. Despite the great challenge of inflation, health care and food aid are two of Premium\u2019s relevant roles.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to acknowledge that the journey isn\u2019t easy. The Fairtrade Certificate has a clear impact: \u201cI believe that, as part of the company, Fair trade (\u2026) gives you the tools to make people grow: as far as responsibility and honesty are concerned (\u2026)\u201d<\/em>. <\/strong>But it is a rigorous certification (which is why it has results), and it involves the joint effort of this busy and hard-working family.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most importantly, Fairtrade and Montlaiz make a good team. Today they\u2019re thinking about new projects they could carry out should the Premium amount increase thanks to the sale of Fairtrade-certified wine. They might be able to open funds for local entrepreneurs allowing them to launch their innovative projects. Once again, Montlaiz believes firmly in innovation, youth, and opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montlaiz and Fairtrade are working together to promote decent working conditions and fair conditions for the integration of young people into the labor market. The existence of the Premium Committee and the Premium itself reinforce this Project allowing the young and their communities to become agents of well-being and the future.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1] The Premium Committee<\/strong> is a group of workers chosen democratically who, in coordination with an Assembly composed of the workers of the company, develops new social projects for these workers and for their communities with the Fairtrade Premium: the Fairtrade Premium<\/strong> is a sum of money that is paid in addition to the retail price of a Fairtrade certified bottle or grape.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] With important challenges for the region and faced with the magnitude of the crisis due to the COVID19 pandemic, CLAC, with the support of Fairtrade International launched the Fairtrade Producer Relief Fund and the Economic Recovery Fund in May 2020. The aim being to meet the immediate needs of the producers, their families and communities while establishing a base for the long-term economic recovery efforts. This fund was divided into different headings. As far as Montlaiz is concerned, they received a fund for the purchase of basic food.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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[3] The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Organic Wines Montlaiz. [San Mart\u00edn, Mendoza, Argentina]. Opportunity u. n. Favourable or advantageous conditions.  Agent c. n. Substance that produces a particular effect or person who is the cause of something. \u201cI always tell the kids that what happens in the streets is a reality and all we can do is try to change it,\u201d …<\/p>\n

Bodega Montlaiz<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_eb_attr":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18800","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"tp-image-grid":false,"woocommerce_thumbnail":false,"woocommerce_single":false,"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":false,"quick_view_image_size":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Paty Villar\u00e1n","author_link":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/author\/paty-villaran\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Organic Wines Montlaiz. [San Mart\u00edn, Mendoza, Argentina]. Opportunity u. n. Favourable or advantageous conditions.  Agent c. n. Substance that produces a particular effect or person who is the cause of something. \u201cI always tell the kids that what happens in the streets is a reality and all we can do is try to change it,\u201d…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18800\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clac-comerciojusto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}