Our Story
Ideas driven by the community that inspire change have the best chance of succeeding. But in order to blossom, ideas need a little help along the way. That’s where Stellar Foundation comes in.
Funding, advice, skills transfer and moral support are the vital ingredients needed to see an idea grow to its full, game-changing potential and our foundation has established itself through its track record as a credible agent of change amongst communities and funders.
Stellar Foundation was established in 2012, as an outflow of Stellar Winery’s fair trade programme which began in 2004. It was set up as an independent NPO to manage social and economic development projects on the farms and in the towns and villages near the winery.
We’ve helped to change some people’s lives and much more is planned, so take a little journey with us and see what we do…
Our Projects
At Stellar Foundation we are involved in a wide variety of projects that contribute to making our community a better place. Our projects, the people we help and our supporters are our main focus at Stellar Foundation.
The health and well-being of our workers are a priority for us. We have a full time registered nurse who, with her mobile clinic, visits all the farms and tends to workers and their families.
Another one of our projects is our feeding project, which supplies healthy balanced meals specifically to at-risk children in the area during the school holidays.
Our new project, Stellar Agri, will empower our employees by giving them their own vineyards and a bigger share in Stellar Winery.
Stellar Empowerment Trust
The Stellar Empowerment Trust (SET) is an employee benefit trust through which the beneficiaries own equity-linked units in the issued share capital of Stellar Winery. SET is the economic empowerment arm of Stellar Winery and Stellar Multi-Estate.
Stellar Empowerment Trust is owned by the workers of Stellar Winery as well as the workers from all the production units. SET is 100% owned and run by the workers through their trustees who are guided by the trust deed and their mentors.
SET also serves as a forum for workers to identify their needs in terms of social development and to liaise with Stellar Foundation once a need has been identified. The management of the project is in the hands of Stellar Foundation.
SET owns 26% of shares in Stellar Winery and has provided workers with a solid stake in the business. This strengthens their ties to the company and the land, and provides them with a reassuring permanence.
Stellar Foundation is a public benefit organisation. Public benefit organisations refer to a type of non-profit company that is chartered by government. PBOs play a significant role as they undertake a shared responsibility with government for the social and development needs of society. Organisations can be registered as PBOs when at least 90% of their efforts go towards social upliftment projects.
A non-profit organisation is defined, in terms of section 1 of the NPO Act, as a trust, company or other association of persons established for a public purpose and of which its income and property are not distributable to its members or office bearers except as reasonable compensation for services rendered. Stellar Foundation is proud to qualify as a NPO.