The arrival of a new year marks the opening of Viña Ardanza Solidario, the cooperation programme set up in 2007 and promoted by La Rioja Alta, S.A. This is the fourteenth occasion on which the Haro-based wine group allocates 1% of its annual net profits (with a guaranteed minimum of  €100,000) to agricultural projects in the Third World. To date, the initiative has made it possible to help thousands of people with close to €1,200,000 in very impoverished, mainly African, countries.

Spanish Non-Governmental Organizations and Associations interested in participating in Viña Ardanza Solidario 2020 have until 29 February to submit their proposals to the Allocation Committee, the body in charge of setting selection criteria, studying nominations, deciding on the winners and strictly monitoring how the projects progress for at least two years. Rules and forms can be downloaded from the corporate website www.riojalta.com.

"Follow-up is an essential part, as we require absolute transparency when informing shareholders about the use of the funds", says Board Member Maite de Aranzabal, who promotes and coordinates this philanthropic programme. In addition, this initiative, which was awarded the Empresa Social Award in 2017, will also accept throughout 2020 personal contributions from shareholders, directors, employees or other companies, whether with links to the company or otherwise. "We try to convey to shareholders and employees that it is not a gift, but rather an implementation of the notion that, if we are doing well, it is only fair that we help others," says Aranzabal, while she again encourages other companies "to be involved in causes like this one. All companies that have profits should do so.”

In 2019, Viña Ardanza Solidario contributed close to €160,000 to programmes in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, selected from among some fifteen agricultural projects that are submitted on average every year.