How a majority-Indigenous owned wine company is giving back
While there are already a handful of wineries run by First Nations people in Canada, Gondwana Wines is hoping to do the same in Australia.
It's a majority-Indigenous owned wine company and social enterprise founded by Worimi entrepreneur Alisi Tutuila, that aims to simultaneously make great wine, promote Indigenous Australian culture and give back to the community itself.
A multifaceted business, Gondwana Wines gives a portion of its proceeds to the "Leading The Way" program, which provides training and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
Tutuila, who is also the chairperson for the board of the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC), an organisation dedicated to helping Indigenous Australians battle discrimination in the private rental market, knows that social enterprises need lucrative footing to create change.
"I’m a big believer in that in order to have social outcomes you need commercial outcomes," Tutuila told Mashable. "With this product it’s what we’re able to achieve, by giving back, and having control in where I give back to where it’s needed."
On each Gondwana Wines bottle is a work by an Indigenous artist. The artist and the program receives A$1.50 each from every case of Gondwana Wines sold. To date, Gondwana Wines said it has raised A$15,000 through corporate sales. The company hopes to build on that by selling its 2016 McLaren Vale Shiraz with Australian liquor retailer Liquorland.
The Shiraz, crafted by Gondwana's chief winemaker David Thompson, features art by Bundjalung/Yugambeh artist, Christine Slabb, with her work Low Tide.
"For this particular artwork, it really did catch my eye, and we’ve worked with Christine in the past as well," Tutuila said. "The philosophy and the meaning behind the work really stuck out. Particularly the mystical tidal patterns which are formed when the water hits the forefront of the bank.
"The one thing across the board for Aboriginal people is the meaning of water and it bringing life. That was an important part of the decision making process on why we went with her."
Although Gondwana Wines aims to give back through sales of the product, Tutuila is also about getting Indigenous Australians involved in the business itself -- especially in the winemaking space.
"We’ve had the opportunity to employ Aboriginal people under two years for whether that be sales, as a trainee, or in marketing," she said.
"It’s our vision for us to visit these areas where wine is being made and offer opportunities to local Indigenous people so that they can be part of that end to end process."
After all, some Indigenous Australians have been creating fermented beverages and foods for a very long time.
Topics Activism Social Good
