The dark side of the champagne industry | DW Documentary

Champagne: a symbol of glamor and celebration. Tens of thousands of migrant workers head to France every year to harvest grapes in the Champagne region. But some pay a high price to bring this luxury product to market.
While the big champagne brands enjoy record sales, a number of seasonal workers toil in slavery-like conditions, living in shacks or tents in the local forests, and paid a pittance.
Trade unionist José Blanco has been speaking out against the exploitation of migrant harvest workers for years, accusing recruitment agencies of unscrupulous practices. Several subcontractors have already been sentenced to prison for human trafficking and exposing workers to inhumane conditions, but the problem persists. Cheap workers from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa continue to be exploited. Our documentary features Polish harvest workers who report relying on painkillers to get by; a young Bulgarian who says he was cheated out of his wages and an Afghan who talks about his life working in the fields under appalling conditions.
Lawyer Benjamin Chauveaux has represented several victims in the largest human trafficking trial in Champagne to date. He has gained an insight into a complex system of subcontractors, which has sometimes allowed the major champagne producers to profit from slave-like labor. He says the role played by the major brands in this system has yet to be fully investigated.
#documentary #dwdocumentary #champagne
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[@vladimirzikmund7164]

11:30 the NGO that wants to help foreign workers but doesn't speak any other language than french must really be the most french thing ever.

[@aacolive]

Yep, I'm sure that everyone in that scene has a smartphone on their pocket. Why not use Google Translate ?????

[@Radek494]

It's embarassing not to speak any English. Do they even teach English in French schools?

[@agustinenzoa4447]

CGT what can one expect from those animals. They hardly speak french.

[@Kier4n99]

​@Suchar12 they teach English everywhere. Very easy to pick up too. The guy is probably purposefully not learning it because of pompousness

[@mrbad3036]

Nationalism is a difficult brainwash to break.

[@chestnutfieldmas7490]

I used to listen to DW international short-wave programme when I was in teens. All documentaries of this channel are worth watching. Thank you for making them.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@inotaarto8719]

​@@DWDocumentaryi agree, there seems to be a clear difference between documents that seem investigative and fair. But and this is a big but. The news side seem extremely partial and follows an agenda. Take for example the far right point. Everything that is antimigration is labeld far right. Makes me sad...

[@mercyasiima6966]

Same here. I have been a DW die-hard since my preteen years. In the 90’s, our national broadcaster in Uganda used to air DW daily for over 8 hours. They hadn't developed proper programming at the time I was happy because, unlike the other news channels, DW had the best program lineup giving you a breather from the repetitive news cycle

[@hwi6913]

@@DWDocumentary Träume ich oder hast du nur Glückwünsche angenommen, die anderen gegeben werden sollten?

[@langtonmwanza6689]

Firstly these guys be going so deep with their documentaries. Its always nice to see that everywhere there is always someone willing to fight for others, it warms my heart.

[@ecofilms_]

This is the Only channel helped me to change my perspective on many things on the world. I never missed a single doc from last 4 Years! Thank you so much @Dwdocumentary

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you so much for watching and your positive feedback :)

[@kaydog890]

Try read a book

[@ecofilms_]

@@kaydog890 thank you 🙂

[@svenlabots1869]

This was a wonderful documentary (again). I used to work in the vineyards in Catalonia, Spain for many many years and exploitation was the name of the game everywhere. In 11 years i saw a contract maybe 5 times, earning an overall wages of 50€ a day. But I've also been scammed 4 times without recieving a single penny! It's hard, very hard. Needless to say it was mainly the rich farmers who treated their workers like thrash. The poor ones were lovely people, organizing barbecues at the end of the harvest. Great memories, but also a few sour ones, eventually ending in having to return to my homecountry Belgium.

[@Chahlie]

Oh dear. I've often wondered how they can sell Cava so cheap. Ugh.

[@akatobi2002]

wow, if you ever write about your experiences, id love to read it

[@svenlabots1869]

@@akatobi2002 That's a good idea! I actually thought about it quite often. Some serious stories, i tell you...🙄

[@JJ-rp2df]

Kudos to DW for publicising Champagne's well hidden secret

[@TheAlchemistZero1]

Poverty is the mother of necessity: the comfort of the rich depends on an abundant supply of the poor.

[@butchfajardo8832]

I'm so glad I discovered this at a very young age! Not having kids was the best decision I made in my life! We are all just expendable slaves!

[@kovy689]

This is why they wanted illegal migrants…

[@profile2047]

@@butchfajardo8832I get it. But it sounds like you’re allowing them to influence your life.

[@butchfajardo8832]

@@profile2047, not us! We didn't have kids just to be expendable slaves!

[@saltymonke3682]

Ok, then they will use more machineries than poor people

[@hildaelson4203]

I don’t think LVMH give a shit. It’s great that this issue has been picked up and discussed here. Spread the word.

[@masseiy]

If there’s not enough demand from consumers, the Arnault family won’t change labor practices

[@yourdaddy925]

The staffing issues stem from them not wanting to pay a fair wage to the locals. Thats all.

[@WojciechowskaAnna]

many french would not want to do tis kind of job, and the french law is very complicated - you need to provide a lot even for CDD. No employee would bother bother with foreign workes if they could "just hire" locals from next village for 1 month.

[@yourdaddy925]

@WojciechowskaAnna sure. But it always comes down to the economics. if they only paid locals fairly they would not need help of foreigners. Sadly the only cost that can be cut down is the cost of human labour.

[@chrishnah]

​@@WojciechowskaAnnamigrants group together and bully and white or native person out of these jobs. Same in the U.S.

[@WojciechowskaAnna]

@@yourdaddy925 are you going to pay 10 times more for your food? There was a wave of suicises in France, because farmes were not able to produce "normal price" food when following regulartions. REmember they border with Spain and there is huge amount of cheap food from poor countries. Wine included. French wine is the most expensive on average on all shelves already. Do you pay more for fair-trade food? Are you ok with paying more? Champange industry is no exception. The problem are middle men and the greedy end people, who keep the profit, those ppl put financial pressure.

[@WojciechowskaAnna]

@@yourdaddy925you never worked in France, it is not USA, people there are not that willing to "work hard", or "sacrifice" and so on And finding people willing to do physical work in France is often mission impossible - since they have huge social wellfare. No emploer would bother with foreign workers if locals were available within reasonable financial burden. Almost all of West Europe relies on Easter Europe workers for fruit picking and vegatable grow.

[@theconqueringram5295]

Documentaries like this are important.

[@azzurikayvo]

Much love from Kenya.I never miss any DW docs

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@danieldib2286]

Hey, been watching from Kenya for several years. Good to meet a fellow enlightened person 🤜🤛

[@Music-lo6yx]

Living in SEA I once consider working in richer country like Japan, Korea etc. But later I realized we are not welcomed, unless we are to be exploited. I don't blame them, but I want out fellow brothers know this reality.

[@sutats]

15:36 Thumbs up for that repetitive trance-like background chiming and dinging.

[@edgerdeuce]

Wish it were longer and the Executives of these luxury brands were confronted... It appears poverty is a sin and extortion due to destitution is the punishment...

[@claudiamaurer7657]

Excellent documental

[@TheThirdoftheFifth]

QQ - love this! Is there a version without the English dubbing?

[@Urgleflogue]

The slavery never ended. It's just that now the slaves are willingly being exploited. That's what poverty does to the people. Thanks DW for this documentary.

[@lenniefei6710]

This will NEVER equate to slavery in any reference !!! Are they flogged to death, castrated, separated from their families, tortured,..........??????!!!!

[@deebarnard5439]

​@@lenniefei6710 Quite right. But it is exploitation of the most needy, by corporations who care only about how much profit they can extract from each industry that they own. It is not the only industry that makes profit from exploitation. The one common denominator, large corporations that are purely profit driven.

[@Urgleflogue]

@@lenniefei6710 well yeah. Being forced by poverty to sell your blood plasma twice a week for 50 bucks seems a bit better than being flogged and tortured. You win the argument.

[@lenniefei6710]

@Urgleflogue At least they do it on their free will and get paid....don't u think?!

[@Urgleflogue]

@@lenniefei6710 I don't know whether it can count as a free will. What's free about it? Either that or starve or watch your children starve? Not much choice, right? So no free will either.

[@LazyChillZone]

I love this channel so much. Thanks for making all these amazing documentaries.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and subscribing!

[@cgas7344]

The problem stem from the largest producer LVMH are guilty as sin.

[@EmilianoGirina]

What a shame. That's so sad.

[@pauliewalnuts240]

The whole mess is slightly comical. People acting concerned but dont bother to learn or hire anyone that speaks something other then french. Showing up to investigate complaints at the very place they work as if theyll be honest there. Part of me feels like the idea of working a labor job is whats under scrutiny. Listen, its not easy to work outside in the summer, but if your desperate enough youll do it. When conditions for living are higher in your country then others, people will always be willing to put up with rough conditions to earn money.

[@innoyebuah1266]

Yes. Particularly in the case of CGT, it’s less about preventing the exploitation of foreign workers than it is about advocating for and protecting the interests of local French manual workers. Fortunately/unfortunately, less and less French locals want to do such tough strenuous jobs.

[@shreeyakful]

All your documentaries are top notch 👍

[@Koby616]

Never I thought it was that way. Thanks for your work guys

[@procaffeinate_withbooks]

Thank you for bringing forth yet another scenario where all that glitters (or pops in this case) is not gold

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was a great work...introduced by an excellent ( DW ) documentary channel...

[@tipitii7388]

This will have ZERO effect. No one who drinks Champagne gives a shit..

[@miguelinanutshell369]

I'm not rich and pompous. I enjoy good wine and even good champagne doesn't have to break the bank, especially if the price is shared. I give a shit. Not every person that enjoys champagne is heartless haha

[@brettwyatt3260]

I travelled through Europe on bicycle while in my 20s. I was fortunate to work for some small farms, no questions asked, alongside many Irishmen at the time. The work was hard, the families were very nice. We got homecooked meals for lunch. Yes, there were some dangerous pesticides, like paraquat, used in the fields. Back then, I learned that everyone must work their way through life. Now, with a PhD in organic farming, I have learned that it is not the farmer, but the corporations along the supply chain that make the decisions for chemical use and oppression. The politicians make it possible. Hey, DW, it's easy to attack the champagne grape growers, but do you dare criticize Bayer, or your government who allows the migrants to come. No! They pay you money to stay away.

[@clivebaxter6354]

Phd in Organic farming? what was the title of the thesis?

[@larsstougaard7097]

​@clivebaxter6354 the title is " Im thirsty for more " 😅🥂

[@arbaz79]

Great investigative journalism👍.

[@kitersrefuge7353]

Thank you. ALL Champagne bottles should carry a "No Human Trafficking or Exploitation" kite mark. Like the Diamond industry. Of course, they will find ways around that, but the CONSUMER should be aware of the cleanliness of the labour provided to "hand pick" the grapes. Also, the French government should do away with the latter stipulation if at all possible.

[@christchaik8317]

None of this would've even been possible without patent laws & protectionism. There should be nothing special about "champagne", it's just overpriced prosecco with a legally protected label. Without it, the area would've quickly moved on years ago instead of being a hotbed for human trafficking just to stay mildly competitive in the market.

[@milosmilojevic3506]

Ordinary workers would be better paid for harvesting grapes 🍇 for cheaper wine 🍷?

[@cyobytm]

from the begining i had a feeling that will be Romanians people exploited there. This is common a lot in west, german agriculture do that also .

[@ViN-kr3ri]

Here in the UK it's the other way round. Thanks to no controls over our borders and decades in the EU Romanians flooded to the UK, jumped on our generous welfare system which even allowed them to claim benefits for their families back in Romania.

[@WojciechowskaAnna]

@@ViN-kr3ri this is common complain, maybe the Brithish are not that smart when defining laws and welfare system? There are always people who will exploit the system - usually from very same country - if the system allows for it.

[@V.D.22]

@@ViN-kr3ri I have a feeling those "romanians" are actually gibsies (roma). They are not ethnic romaniams most likely.

[@ViN-kr3ri]

@@WojciechowskaAnna agreed. For decades our various governments have been unable to see the dangers of open borders. The very future of this country is now under threat from people who detest the West and everything we stand for and I'm not talking about Eastern European immigrants. You probably know what I'm talking about

[@GeorgeLungu618]

@@ViN-kr3ri😂😂😂😂😂😂From your taxes 👍

[@AlrightJF]

7:24 - 7:32 I can feel how good his parents are. I want to raise my child the same way

[@scofab]

Very revealing... but what is needed is to question those at the top who are profiting from the system. Those who produce using slave labor should be outed and boycotted.

[@AmyWhoLovesFlowers]

Thank-you German public broadcasting! 🌍🕊

[@joerivanlier1180]

Those unions are trying their hardest... To only speak French, even the cards are french? At least find someone that speaks English if you really care about the rights of those workers, else it's just a pr campaign.

[@fenzy6433]

unions are leeches

[@sd-ch2cq]

It doesn't matter: those farmers will always try to find workers that don't speak any big language as that makes exploitation much easier (no french, no English, no German, only some Romanian or Ugandan dialect). And you know what: that trick comes directly from slavery. Plantations deliberately mixed fresh slaves from different African countries so they wouldn't trust each other and would not be able to conspire together.

[@yaouzhang5760]

thank you for telling this out. now i can tell others with big confidence.

[@John-fw2bp]

Sad 😔

[@emilorlowski7278]

I guess France can’t help itself from the colonial ways

[@somerandomfella]

8:00 why did he pour his backwash back into the batch? Disgusting..

[@edgerdeuce]

Utterly edifying... 👌🏾 We definitely more meticulous investigative docs on all the top luxury brands...

[@fparent]

French champagne are too expensive for me but now I have the best reason for not drinking it.

[@flashladderacrobat]

Show this to all the boat people coming in from North Africa, the European dream .

[@AllIsWellaus]

Where on earth is the government? This corruption. Shameful country. Especially shameful industry.

[@beebbeec280]

I remember the simpsons episode where they exposed this long ago.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

Steinbeck- Grapes of Wrath.

[@butchfajardo8832]

That's the top priority! Maximize profits!

[@zigapinteric2197]

that's why you should support small producers!!!

[@cktan2739]

Kudos to the investigative work, fighting for the downtrodden and powerless!

[@sharongillesp]

We have documentaries of the poor then glamorous lifestyle movies and art for the rich who live off the poor.

[@ReallyGoodName3000]

Simpsons predicts the future again

[@morfeusm26]

working in the vineyard is strenuous, the lady has probably never done anything in her life, I would recommend her to work in the forest

[@nevinvivin8449]

hi The solution to this crisis is that I suggest companies that take them, such as cleaning companies, a company that is part of a church, that is social and friendly. They enter the company and ask how many members of them they want.

[@nishanthbabu6419]

Portugal is no different in this issue. Here the sub contractors runs the agriculture industry.

[@ca8rio8ca]

Does the CGT people know about Google Translate? For sure it would be helpful

[@soniasaldarriaga5166]

I will post and make aware that this documentary exists ❤ as far that I can take it 💥👍🏼

[@user-oo2bs3md2k]

Many luxurious goods are based on hard conditions. That is not a only case.

[@Media56109]

Do they sign a contract?

[@Ady-Florin]

It is like in every big bussines all over the world . Every day i have this kind if exampels .

[@inferno0020]

Isn't it like every cash crop?

[@barbarasara4033]

exactly. I watched Tomato pickers in Italy

[@eti-om2gh]

The difference is they speak right and fill the pockets on the left. By nature they are hypocrites. Speak democracy and human rights, but if the price or rewards are right then all bets are off

[@healthyself7941]

Greed keeps raising its ugly head, while these business people turn away from decency, fairness.

[@a-aron2276]

Omg, no way, there's corruption in luxury. I thought they were lovely people who didn't step on anyone to get where they are..... Maximising profits= screwing people over.

[@donnam1832]

It’s not just champagne. It’s the wine and fruit harvesting industry world wide

[@luukrutten1295]

It doesnt matter if its grapes or any other seasonal harvest. (Strawberry, Citrus fruits or even the Apples/Pears over here )The workers have almost no stability and are often vulnerable.

[@eti-om2gh]

No its a matter of exploiting vulnerable cheap labor, because their own would rather prefer the cosy jobs like packing shelves or sitting behind the counter. What you are actually seeing here is a demographic crisis at work. Very few young local labor to exploit and the local labor not willing to do these honorable work anymore. They all choosing to become ‘content producers’ and wanting to prrsue ‘their best lives’…,,

[@takuan650]

Wherever one looks, profit is the bottom line. Regardless under what conditions or rules and our corrupt politicians allow this to happen.

[@OnlyThe1Son]

unfortunately we consume these products and pay high prices for them.. wines, shoes, phones, clothes and they are all made with slave wages, sweatshop conditions while the companies record HUGE profits every year..

[@sreenii5445]

Can DW do such a documentary in the Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar where labour exploitation is far greater and the extent of inhuman which has been going for decades but the authorities in those countries will put these independent journalists behind bars or simply throw them away. Same will be the case in China and other East Asian nations. So where you have the freedom to report like in Europe and US you make them villains and make a monster out of mole while the places where it’s bad you dare not do any stories

[@sphamandlambambo9990]

Seems you scared of the truth😂😂😂

[@Evemeister12]

It's like the Simpsons episode where Bart goes on a student exchange program to France and has to slave on a vineyard.

[@mariliagiannini4554]

People who live in a foreign country as illegal immigrants need to be back home... Please use the media also to help them change their condition in their own country. it's beginning as a great social problem; not only a political issue in the workman sindicate.

[@yehebektirwatirilfut]

theres no crazy rich anymore if they didnt exploit the poor people aka treat them as a slave. thats why they remain silent

[@liamcollinson5695]

Why do i find the so called wholesale company still shady I get this kind of smugness of the owner because she knows the labour will be cheaper than a local resident

[@Stock12345]

Which champagne brand is it

[@CaraMarie13]

Reminds me of the farmers here who love to praise immigrants for how hard they work and how they will do anything and be happy. And listen, I hate what is happening to farmers themselves. That s*** is hard and they need a lot of support but this need its just keeping the blame game alive when we know it's corporations and the politicians they have bought that's scr***g us all.

[@celiaferreira2028]

That's exactly what California's grape vineyard did (probably still does) to my parents from Mexico. Instead of tents, our father picked up recycables& did gigs around the neighborhood & took care of a farmland to feed us. They didn't pay him all his wages either This was the Era of Cesar Chavez. Thank the gods for this man or else who knows what the outcome would have been.🙏✨️

[@psyamok3735]

Really? 150Euro a day is good money?😮 a lot of minimum wages workers in US make more than that daily in the comfort of indoor office. SMH..... greedy government everywhere... wasting our hard earned money.

[@raysterE176Tremont]

The farmers who hire them are to blame and the government also allows this. Profit for the farmer and the corrupt politicians. Other farmers pay for the corruption of others.

[@theo.madeleine]

10 seconds in this video i am in the team of harversters. And we are standing around and drinking champagne. We had a great time, don't worry

[@paulonganga-hv9mx]

I thought that it's only in Africa where we suffer due to poverty but watching these documentary says alot of where life is heading to survival is at stake so God help us

[@Collins29]

Poverty is everywhere. Its just that most developed countries are very good at hiding it as you will never see anything of the sort in their mainstream media.

[@Samirustem]

Outsourcing and contracting just have become another way for companies to avoid employee benefits. I dont get any paid leave, i dont get pay for federal holidays. I get paid good becuase at least my skills are unique but i can imagine how its for others in this company. I was so suprised when i learned that this is actually legal practice in america and millions live like this

[@israel_started_it_ALL_in_1948]

Wow

[@piotrwojdelko1150]

we are also in deep crisis and in the crisis the poor people suffer even more.I have more suspicion about the spraying program than abusing human work .I have vineyard in Poland and also my uncle had vineyard in France .Grapes are getting more and more susceptible to diseases.

[@eti-om2gh]

Will not drink a drop of champagne ever again

[@ducbuicuong]

It's shocked to know that there is still bad work environment in Europe! it's the dark side of Champagne industry we need to know. One of drop of champagne we drink that was exchanged by a bitter sweat of grape harvester

[@rubenspersone]

I'm shocked. I'll not drink champagne from big producers any more. I was even considering going to work the next harvest myself to learn about wine making. Not anymore

[@evsm3923]

language barier is the problem. of course. it's 2024 maybe activists can speak some English if polish workers can...oh dear

[@user-rq1xs6sm9y]

Sadly this is the same thing with most things - coffee, tea, cocoa, minerals, etc. those at the bottom of the value chain suffer intolerably

[@dareldcoco7483]

Bankruptcy is worse

[@gaoxiaen1]

Fancy building, and a fancy Maybach parked out front.

[@thomasburke7995]

Manual labour has been exploited for centuries, and this is no different . The probelm here in france ( and the world) including the USA is that certian food produce requires a certian level of high motor skills that robotics can not provide YET.. now as for the CGT union people. In the USA all farms are private property, so unless premission is given you are tresspassing..

[@danieIlondon]

In the Soviet Union they had “champanskoye sovietskoye” which meant Soviet champagne. But they got sued for using the brand. My friend from Odessa actually visited one of the factories in the 1980’s.

[@streetsarecold]

soviets used to steal everything-even the glorious ussr anthem has ukrainian roots

[@benediktmorak4409]

but the RUSSIANS won. And still call it by its old name. On top of it, nothing,but nothing beats a good bottle of RED KRIMSKOYE. Not that gas water that- someone - tried to flog in Germany and Austria. But the real thing. And that was already many,many years ago.

[@Kennon959]

It still exists, the SU never cared about trademarks hence Armenian Cognac

[@danieIlondon]

@@Kennon959 I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist after they got used but you are welcome to point me in the right direction.

[@gerryhouska2859]

In Australia, we just call it "Sparkling Wine", and it is delicious and doesn't involve slave labour.

[@dareldcoco7483]

Employer have to save money for bad weather killing all crops and animals

[@marieazrak1951]

Well, not only is it human trafficking but that’s also slavery. Am I wrong?

[@user-qd6iq7jp7m]

Give the workers a bonus

[@pschuit]

I love DW documentaries... The one about the migrant Champagne workers. The official hourly pay is € 13,27.... So if someone works 10 hours, they HAVE to get € 1327.00

[@justthinking9026]

It might be a good idea to translate the leaflets into the most common languages used by the workers .if translators are not possible then at least they can read them otherwise it’s more like box ticking ,being seen to be concerned and good intentions are always best when followed by practical actions . So many industry workers are being abused in this manner but too many governments prefer to look the other way

[@Continentalmunkey88]

11:45 oui, parle anglais/en-glaze

[@carbonwarrior]

Thank you DW. I'll think twice before considering paying for anything from LVMH and its brands when they allow this kind of abuse in the name of the holy profit.

[@bonfacewachira3297]

Poland n Romania should just join us in Africa 😂😂😂😂..tooo much suffering

[@Baco7921]

And Croatia too

[@user-hm4qn7wt3t]

The same exploitation occurs in western cape, South Africa.

[@SIgor420]

Is there anything at this point that doesnt have dark fucking side? It ridicilous.

[@larsstougaard7097]

Sadly yes, I need a drink 🥂

[@takingbacktheplanet]

as a younger, open minded person who wanted to explore the world and the things out there in it, there are many things to which i would borderline agree to in order to live whichever experience it was... but, not these people clearly. this is stupid, and clearly abuse of people's confidence. poor romanian family who ended up in the middle of those woods with honestly just the very bare basics by my standards (and i would live under a tarp under a tree and personally be basically fine) with their daughter, promised at least a minimum standard/quality of life for what is probably very hard and intensive work (for a company that will probably go on to make manyfolds the profit on their pay which i imagine was equally meager)... that's gonna be tougher to clean than a stain on a carpet eventually, Champagne people. :(

[@Caro____]

Let me tell you a cheap way of making dom perignon. Buy yourself a soda stream machine. Buy cheap bottles of marquis white wine. Pour it in your soda stream bottle and add air to it, then chill it in the fridge. You can do this instantly for a special occasion or dinner. I swear it tastes identical to an expensive bottle of champagne I once brought.