Domaine de Cassagnas Vineyard with rows of grapevines under a clear blue sky.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Our Commitment to a Fairer Future

Vivan is a not-for-profit maximising Wine Co-operative Society, owned and governed by our members.

 Our structure is designed to dismantle traditional power imbalances in the wine industry, ensuring that ecological restoration is always supported by social equity and democratic control.

1. Gender Equity and Leadership (SDG 5)

The wine industry has historically marginalised women through patriarchal inheritance norms and a significant gender pay gap. While traditional models focus on "equal opportunity," Vivan focuses on Equity—actively rebalancing the scales by addressing these historical disadvantages.

  • Our Commitment: Vivan actively prioritises sourcing from female-led vineyards, with a firm target of 50% representation across our cooperative members.

  • Action: We utilise our co-operative structure to ensure female producers have equal visibility, technical decision-making power, and financial sovereignty within the collective.

2. Rural Livelihoods and Decent Work (SDG 8)

Industrial viticulture increasingly relies on heavy machinery and mechanised monocultures. This trend not only damages the soil; it also displaces human labour and erodes the economic foundations of small villages.

  • Our Commitment: We reject the "efficiency" of displacement. We prioritise farms that maintain a high farmer-to-land ratio through manual harvesting and human-scale craft.

  • Action: By redirecting value from industrial middlemen directly to producers, we ensure that rural viticulture remains an innovative, financially viable, and dignified profession for the next generation.

3. Democratic Governance and Common Ownership

As a not-for-profit co-operative, Vivan operates under the principle of Common Ownership. Any surplus generated by the society is reinvested into our mission—funding soil restoration, supporting our members, and ensuring the long-term resilience of our vineyards.

  • Co-operative Democracy: Equity is enforced through the core co-operative principle of "One Member, One Vote." Every member—regardless of gender, background, or production volume—has an equal voice in the strategic direction of the society.

  • Radical Transparency: We move away from marketing-driven narratives toward evidence-based reporting, providing full transparency on our social and environmental metrics as part of our commitment to our members and the public.