Press Release: 19 November 2012
Du Toitskloof Wines (DTKW) is very proud of the fact that in terms of the accreditation by Fairtrade of the cellar and the farms of all its members almost eight years ago, it presently operates and sells Fairtrade certified wines, either in bulk or bottle, supporting one of the biggest Fairtrade projects anywhere in the world.
To receive Fairtrade accreditation, DTKW and its members had to achieve and has maintained a high standard of ethical and sustainable farming and winemaking practices, particularly in the treatment and remuneration of workers. Every farm and the cellar, undergoes a stringent auditing process each year for the renewal of their Fairtrade certification.
All cellar staff members are paid substantially more than the minimum wages prescribed by government. However, the ethical treatment of staff involves much more than the monthly or weekly wages they earn; it also involves their overall level of well-
Fairhills kids playing at the newly renovated Tierstel Daycare Centre – Now sports veggie tunnel
being and quality of life. For this reason, accommodation is made available to them free of charge or at very low monthly rentals. Early in 2012, DTKW upgraded all its staff accommodation. Houses were gutted on a rotation basis and completely refurbished: new ceilings, new floors, kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, new plumbing and new electrification were installed.
The Fairhills project that has resulted from our Fairtrade accreditation, has contributed enormously in recent years to the enrichment of the lives of not only the workers, but of their families, in particular the children. Everyone is involved in this project: all our 13 producer-members, their 19 grape farms, approximately 400 farm workers and their 1 200 dependents.
The project is managed independently by a committee of 34 farm workers, who decide how the premium income will be allocated and to which projects. The premium of €0.70 in the case of red wine and €0.80 in the case of white, is paid by socially-conscious consumers, who buy Fairtrade wines such as those produced by DTKW, thus contributing to the upliftment of workers in participating emerging countries.
In addition to the premium paid by consumers, the Fairhills project also receives funding from certain overseas retailers, local non-governmental organisations, South African government departments with DTKW itself, a substantial contributor.
One of the first projects initiated by Fairhills, was the establishment of day-care centres for the children of working parents, staffed by trained caregivers. Three have been in operation since 2006. Today they provide care for 170 children between the ages of three months and five years. The children are transported to and from the centres in buses bought for this purpose, receive two nourishing meals a day, and are checked once a week by a qualified medical nurse. All activities are selected to stimulate development while the older children, those between four and five years old, are taught computer literacy.
These centres, where children from non-Fairtrade farms are also welcome, are run by an ex-farm worker and a management committee of farm workers. They provide employment for 23 women from the surrounding farms, who all receive ongoing training in early-childhood development.
The Fairhills Project is also deeply involved in the running of the Lorraine Primary School, situated on one of our member farms. The school has approximately 100 learners, of which almost 90% are from member farms. It originally only consisted of three classrooms. The first addition was a kitchen, where meals could be prepared for learners as well as for the little ones in day-care centres.
In the last few years separate classrooms were added for grades 3 and 4, while a new classroom for Grade 5 is proposed for 2013. When completed, every grade will have its own classroom, where specific learners can be taught for longer periods in a familiar environment.
A community library opened its doors two years ago, which serves both learners and adults. In the same year the school completed construction of a computer centre, which today, has a bank of 28 computers. Those receiving training in addition to the older children at the day-care centres, are learners at the primary school, as well as Fairhills learners in Grades 11 and 12.
Attached to the school is an after-care centre available to learners up to and including Grade 4. These learners are assisted with their homework and also receive an after-school lunch. At the same time, it provides employment for four adults who manage the programme.
Over the years a community centre was built which plays an important role as a focal point of social activities and a meeting place for members of the community.
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