The Communion Wine at St Andrew’s
St Andrew’s has, for some time, been supplied with Communion wine by the Stellar Winery in South Africa. Stellar is a fairtrade organisation — its workforce benefits directly from sales of fairly traded wine and grapes, while the linked Stellar Foundation manages development projects designed to improve the quality of workers’ lives and benefit surrounding communities. The Winery prides itself on a product which is:
- Made from organically-grown grapes
- Ethically produced
- Fairly traded
But the Stella Winery is more than just an organic wine producer. Ever since the cellar was founded in 2000, they’ve been refining their ideas on how to create a healthy business that is environmentally, socially and ethically responsible. Their aim is to make a significant difference to the part of South Africa in which it is located.
For instance, the Stellar Foundation has funded a much-needed pair of spectacles for Hailey, a Grade 12 pupil from a nearby village. She was just about to start her exams when her original spectacles broke. She is from a very poor family who would struggle to afford a new pair. Hailey went on to pass her exams as one of the top pupils in her class. Stories like this could be multiplied.
So, when you are next at the Communion rail in a service at St Andrew’s, you can give thanks for what the Stellar Winery and the Stellar Foundation are doing to improve the lives of people in South Africa.
