In 1939 a massive earthquake devastated the Curicó Valley in Chile, killing 10,000 people in just two minutes. Following this devastation a group of small and medium sized farmers formed the Los Robles Co-operative to help rebuild the community. In 1990, when Chile became a democracy, two Fairtrade companies, Oxfam (Belgium) and Fairtrade Organisatie (Netherlands), visited Chile looking for trading partners. (Traditionally such organisations set up developmental projects to assist disadvantaged communities to earn a more sustainable livelihood through export trade). This visit marked the beginning of a commercial relationship between Fairtrade companies and Vinos Los Robles, and in June 2004 Los Robles was certified by FLO International (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International) to use the Fairtrade Mark on their wines.
To date 117 Fairtrade Beneficiaries and their families have benefited from the many projects that have been set up in the Los Robles community, including:
- A school bus for the children of the El Corazon Cooperative
- Supplementary Health Insurance for Los Robles workers
- Down payments for Housing in order for Los Robles workers to apply for government grants to purchase their own home
- Replanting of vineyards from Pais to the more export friendly Cabernet Sauvignon
- Education classes including Computing and English language
- Educational trips to museums and historical sights for Children
- Housing repair and extension