The Stellar Fairtrade Workers Trust grew from a working committee established to allocate public and government donations received after the Kranskop Bridge disaster, a truck accident that claimed the lives of 53 people in 1987. The Trust serves as a forum for workers to identify their needs and manages the income derived from Fairtrade sales as well as the projects in hand. To date, Fairtrade income has paid for fencing for workers houses. Current projects are the purchase of shares in Stellar Winery to a total shareholding of 26% as well as the purchase of a farm next to the cellar, which will be owned and managed by the workers. Organic grapes grown on this land will be sold to the winery.

The cellar processes upwards of 5 000 tons of organic grapes from farms straddling the northern boundary of the Olifants River wine region and Namaqualand. This is an area famous for its spring flowers and is also the only semi-arid Biosphere hotspot in the world.

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is an international system of standards for producers, and terms of trade for their goods that ensure farmers and workers in some of the poorest countries in the world are adequately protected and can build a more sustainable future.

The Fairtrade logo has become established as a credible, independent consumer guarantee for goods that are ethically produced and assist producers in developing countries get a better deal from international trade.

Our People and Fairtrade

The Stellar workforce benefits directly from sales of Fairtrade-labelled wine.

• Both farm & cellar staff are transported to and from work.
• Families receive health care and the permanent services of a community worker.
• Workers receive free housing, electricity and water and all schooling and child-care facilities are subsidised.

The Stellar Employees' Trust serves as a forum for workers to identify their needs and manages the income derived from Fairtrade sales. The Trust initiates and manages projects designed to improve the living conditions of workers and provide additional sustainable income for the benefit of the community.

Fairtrade Projects

• Fencing for workers' houses.
• A commercial organic vegetable garden.
• A computer centre at Trawal Primary School, used by the children during the day and adults at night.
• A Viognier vineyard planted next to the school, the proceeds of which will be shared by the school and the Stellar Workers' Trust.
• The purchase of a 26% shareholding in the cellar and a 40% shareholding in Stellar Agri, the farming operation.

Future Fairtrade income has been earmarked for the following:

• The purchase of a bus for transporting seasonal workers to and from the farms and cellar.
• The building of a community centre in Trawal.

Profile of Maria Malan

A Short Background History

After completion of grade ten at High School Fanie van der Merwe in Calvinia, Marie Malan wanted to become a nurse, but as the eldest daughter in the Bothma family, she was compelled to work in order to generate extra income for the family. Her parents were employed by Mr. Renier Tredoux, at the vegetable farm Uitkyk, near Klawer. It was here that she began as a farm worker.

After the death of her mother in 1974, it became her responsibility to look after her younger brothers and sisters, as well as four orphans which she brought up as her own.

Marie started working for the Rossouw family in 1976 as a domestic assistant in the household of the grandparents of the current Rossouw generation.

After the death of the grandparents, she started as a general employee on the vegetable lands, where they grew vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, potatoes and pumpkins. After studying at Boskop College in 1992, she became a supervisor. Today she occupies the enviable position of Manager of Stellar Farming. Her promotion from domestic assistant to farm manager can be ascribed to her persistence to progress in life. She also has a passion to help her fellow workers. Her job description is to supervise all activities in the vineyard, from the pruning stage to the export of table grapes and the elaboration of the grapes into organic wines.

As a young lady she participated in organizations, and mostly took the lead in the Christian Youth Association and in the Christian Sisters Association of the United Reforming Church. She also served respectively as deacon, elder and catechist in her church.

In 1996 she entered the political arena as a councillor on the West Coast District Council, to make a difference in the lives of her fellow farm workers. She represented rural workers on the Lower Olifants River Water Users Association for several years. She still participates in the Local Transformation Committee and District Transformation Committee and is the vice-chairperson of the DTC. Her greatest role in the Trawal-Vredehoek community was her involvement with, and commitment to the victims and survivors of the Krantzkopbridge Disaster in September 1989, where she was responsible for the identification of bodies and missing people, the distribution of food and clothes to the disaster victims left behind and the organizing of the mass funerals. She was part of the Krantzkopbridge Disaster Committee and is chairperson of the Trawal Community Committee.

She completed a two year course in table grape cultivation in 2004, through Elsenburg Agricultural College and became only the second female to complete the course successfully. She is really well grounded for her job as manager, as the course dealt with all aspects of table grape cultivation. Her work further includes division of absent, summarizing of tasks completed, liaison person between workers and office and the responsibility of seeing that workers receive the correct amount of money. She is the chairperson of the Joint Body and is in charge of all supervisors. In the absence of the owner, she acts as owner. There are 53 permanent workers, of which 33 are women. Most of the women are single parents, and it is necessary that they have a job to keep body and soul together. Marie's help and experience is invaluable to the female employees and their welfare is one of her chief concerns. There are also 120 seasonal workers, of which 50% are black.

Marie has the ability to combine her knowledge of housekeeping and house management with her occupation as farm manager. She coordinates her profession with her long list of life experiences. A passion for the vine combines with her belief that organic production is viable and provides more work opportunities to more workers. The net result is a huge contribution to the success of Stellar wines in the marketplace.

A few years ago, she passed her driving license examination. At the moment she is busy pursuing courses in Xhosa and English, in order to promote the necessary communication between herself and the workers.

She is married to Ruiter Malan, who gives his cooperation in the case of educational projects and needs on the farm. He also assists Marie.

Have your life changed since the farm became Fair Trade?
"Of course! My life and those of my fellow workers have changed. After Stellar Organics became a Fair Trade accredited farm, the possibilities were there to improve our lifestyles and securities. The standards of everybody on the farm changed. Our houses are more than 90% electrified and we have the necessary sanitary systems. In the past, before linking with Fair Trade, all the money went to the owner of the farm. However, nowadays the workers also share in the profit of the farm. With the money gained from the previous season, there was bargaining for the Bo-Plaas, as well as at Kolsvlei."

What is your overall opinion about Fair Trade?
"Since we have joined Fair Trade, we receive on a periodical basis part of the profit of the farm, which is a better opportunity than before becoming part of Fair Trade."

In which way do you and the other employees benefit in the Fair Trade relationship?
"As I said before, all the employees benefit from the profit of the farm. Fair Trade has strict rules to obey, where production, qualities and values are concerned."

Stellar Employees Trust

The Stellar Employees Trust is the organization that controls the Fairtrade funds. The Trust consists of five group B Trustees and seven group A Trustees. The Group B Trustees are the four Rossouw brothers (non-beneficiaries) and an auditor for his legislative experience. The Group A Trustees (beneficiaries) are employees of the Farm and Cellar. They meet monthly as the full Stellar Employees Trust.

The Joint Body

The work of the Joint Body is to liase between the employees and management. They are legally elected by the employees to represent them. A synonym for Joint Body can also be Group A Trustees. That is what they really are. They protect the financial interests of the employees. Their main aim is to negotiate better economic, financial and social benefits for the employees. Sub-Committees are responsible for various portfolios: for instance the through the Workers committee the employees address issues such as hours of work and safety. The Health committee motivates employees to keep their properties neat and tidy. The work of the Neighborhood Watch is to protect the property and lives of the workers, while the Supervisors are in control of the working teams.

Does Fair Trade have a future with Stellar Organics?
"Yes, indeed! We experience Fair Trade as a body which will grow bigger and stronger as it develops through the world. The benefits are reflected already in even the poorest countries."

A socio-economical background of the workers of Stellar winery and Stellar Farming

Stellar Farming and Winery are situated at Trawal, Kolsvlei and Middelplaas, approximately 300 km from Cape Town, on the N7 road, which connects the Republic of South Africa with Namibia.

Located next to the fertilize banks of the Olifantsriver, the landscape looks in prosperous years like a mass of green mash as farmers as well as their employees, toil an moil to cultivate the vineyards. Some of the employees worked up to forty years on the farm; some of them are born and bread here. They have a great passion for the land, as well as for the fruit of the vineyard.

The workers have a desire to have land and there is a possibility to buy shares from Stellar Farming and Winery in Middelplaas. Most of the workers are mentally mortgaged to develop the farm at Middelplaas into a wealthy grape and vegetable farm, in order to provide them with crops to become self-supplying. The only problem is money. As previous disadvantage community, we have not enough money to buy Middelplaas for agricultural activities.

There are two main recent reasons that place restrictions on the generating of money. In the first place the long-lasting drought in our area, since the last two seasons, cause a lost in production and an arising in production costs. Due to the latest Labor Acts, employees on farms have to receive by law, a wage of R4,10 per hour, that means that every household only receive a monthly income of R900,00. This income is not comparative with the prevailing expenses, including maintenance, provisions, school fees, medical service, etc.

We admit that we can start with the project on a very primitive manner, but it will not be viable. We have the working power. We have the skills to produce, but if there is a possibility to become mechanized, we can raise our productivity that can lead to the multiplying of our income.

The advantage of more income can lead to the improvement of our socio-economical condition and can also uplift the poorest under the poor.

The children of the employees under the age of six years go to the Crest, where two persons take care of them. The parents know that they are in safe custody and the parents can do their work in the vineyard to the utmost. The children older than six years go to the local primary school, where on of the director's wives is the head master. The curriculum is from grade one up to grade six. The pupil who wants to do grade nine, attend the Junior Primary School at Klawer. Some of the youngsters even completes grade twelve. Children have a challenge in life to go to university or technical college, but there are non available bursaries, nor financial support to do so.

Here are also employees with different cultural skills, like music and singing. We have a Gospel choir who participated in broadcastings over Radio Namaqualand. Some of them have art skills that should be developed.

However, as they say in our village: "One day our ship will appear on the horizon, and then our dreams will come true."