There are around a hundred winegrowers in Wallonia, yet they still didn't have their own cooperative. From now on, small winegrowers - those with holdings of less than 5 hectares - will no longer have to go through large structures to have their production vinified. The "Cave Coopérative de Perwez" will enable them to transform their must into wine, professionally and under the supervision of an oenologist. The cooperative will also handle the distribution and marketing of the wines produced.

Set up with the support of the municipality of Perwez and a contribution from the Walloon Region, the cooperative hopes to unite around thirty winegrowers. What could convince them to join? Not only the fact of being relieved of a whole series of tasks for which they are not necessarily equipped, but also of embarking on a project that redistributes the dividends of their work to them.

Thierry Huque is president of the cooperative:

"What' s interesting for winegrowers is that the cooperative society operates first and foremost in the interests of its members, whether they are winegrowers or supporters. It doesn't seek to maximize shareholder profit, but really works to redistribute all the value that is produced to the cooperative members."

The first harvests are expected in mid-September. For this first delivery, the winery will be able to produce some 30,000 bottles, the equivalent of 3 hectares of vines. It's just a start, and the project's initiators are already planning an extension.

Source: www.rtbf.be/