The world of wine is highly diverse when it comes to the planting regions, grape varietals and barrels used for growing, harvesting and aging wine, but falls short where personnel are involved. Though people of color built the hospitality sector as we know it, today’s wine industry can be exclusionary. That lack of diversity is the impetus behind Natural Action, a wine club co-created by a pair of female San Luis Obispo County winemakers and their Los Angeles colleagues and open to the public. The nonprofit’s mission is to inspire change by tangibly expanding access to prospective Black wine professionals.

Justin Trabue, an apprentice at Heitz Cellar in Napa, and Simonne Mitchelson, South Coast Estate Manager for Jackson Family Wines, came together last year in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and wrote an open letter to their industry. In that letter dated June 4, 2020, the two women called on their White colleagues to do more to combat racism in the world of wine and to financially support the local grassroots organization, R.A.C.E. Matters SLO.

“We are reaching out today due to the lack of response from our industry counterparts,” the letter reads. “Your silence is deafening. The wine industry is one of great power in this country, but has always been out of reach for Black people and people of color.”

A 2019 study from wine news site SevenFifty Daily found about 84 percent of its 3,100 respondents in the wine industry are White while just 2 percent are Black.

Natural Action features the products of natural winemakers who foster diversity, inclusion and change in their communities, provide job opportunities to people of color and only use natural and sustainable farming and production methods. The club costs members $150 each quarter.

Natural Action donated the proceeds of the club’s first quarter to the Cal Poly SLO Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Scholarship, which was created in 2020 by Simonne to support students where Justin earned her degree. The scholarship was established for students of color who are interested in studying for a career in the wine industry through Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The scholarship program not only provides financial support but also includes mentorship and internship opportunities to further support the student’s career path. 

“Through partnering with winemakers and wine professionals, as well as educational entities, we seek to aid in providing direct channels of support and resources that offer BIPOC entry points into the world of wine, and enable them to thrive,” Natural Action’s website notes.

Natural Action is contributed over $200,000 to the Cal Poly scholarship fund since its inception.