Lubanzi Wines Grievance Procedure

At Lubanzi, we built our business on the belief that people deserve to be in touch with what they consume — to understand how the wine in their glass touches the lives of the people who grew it, made it, and brought it to market. That same principle of accountability extends to how we treat the people who raise concerns with us. Any stakeholder — a customer, a distributor, a supplier, a farm worker, a community partner, or a member of the public — has the right to bring a grievance to Lubanzi and to expect that it will be heard, investigated, and resolved fairly, and without fear of reprisal.

We accept a grievance whenever someone believes Lubanzi, or someone acting on our behalf, has fallen short of our commitments — whether that concerns labor conditions on the farms we work with, environmental or sustainability practices, product quality or safety, the conduct of our staff or partners, a breach of our stated values, or a violation of applicable law. We do not require a stakeholder to prove harm before we will listen; a good-faith concern, submitted honestly and with reasonable detail, is enough to open a case. Grievances can be submitted in writing, by email, through our website, or verbally to any member of our team, and anonymous submissions are accepted and treated with the same seriousness as named ones.

Once a grievance reaches us, we move on a set timeline so that no concern sits unaddressed. We acknowledge receipt within ten business days and assign a case owner who is as independent as possible of the matter being raised. That case owner completes an initial review within ten business days to confirm the scope of the concern and gather relevant facts, followed by a full investigation — including conversations with the people involved and, where useful, outside expertise — that we target to complete within thirty calendar days of our acknlowedgement of the submission. For matters that are more complex, such as those requiring input from farm partners or third-party auditors, we will communicate a revised timeline rather than let a deadline pass silently.

Resolution at Lubanzi is not a box-checking exercise. Once our investigation is complete, we work directly with everyone affected to identify a remedy that fits the situation — this might mean a corrective action plan with one of our farm or supply chain partners, a change to an internal policy or process, a direct remedy to the person harmed, or, where a concern turns out to be unfounded, a clear and respectful explanation of that finding. Serious or systemic issues are escalated to our leadership team, and where warranted, to our board, so that the response matches the weight of the concern. We aim to close every case with an action that is proportionate, transparent, and, wherever possible, a genuine improvement rather than a one-time fix.

Protecting the people who come to us takes real controls, not just a promise. We prohibit retaliation of any kind — professional, financial, or personal — against anyone who raises a grievance in good faith, and that protection extends to anyone who participates in an investigation as a witness. Case details are kept confidential and shared only with those who need them to resolve the matter. Any employee, manager, or partner found to have retaliated against a grievant faces disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or partnership, and our anonymous reporting channel exists specifically so that stakeholders who are worried about exposure can still be heard.

Finally, we believe silence is its own kind of failure, so we keep grievants informed at every stage: confirmation that we've received the complaint, an update when the investigation opens and if timelines shift, and a written explanation of the outcome and the reasoning behind it once a decision is made. We follow up again after any corrective action is implemented to confirm the issue has actually been resolved from the grievant's perspective, not just closed on our end. This is how we hold ourselves to the same standard of transparency we ask of everyone in our supply chain — and how we keep earning the trust of the people who choose to do business with us.