Constellation Brands celebrates Hispanic heritage through every part of our company – from our portfolio to our people, at work and beyond. Our ¡SALUD! Business Resource Group (BRG) works year-round, in partnership with organizations such as UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a springboard for ongoing advocacy, with sponsorships and participation at Latinos Progresando’s MEX Talks, internal book clubs that celebrate Hispanic authors, and other activations.

Of course, these efforts start with employees’ dedication to identify potential programs and organizations that support the economic development and prosperity of the Hispanic community. Our ¡SALUD! BRG recently received an Honorable Mention in the Community Impact category of the Seramount Impact Awards for its efforts in the communities where we live and work, and we are grateful to collaborate with UnidosUS to amplify some of these efforts and realize even greater impact.

This year, ¡SALUD! strove to support their colleagues at Constellation. Working with UnidosUS, they founded Project ¡GRACIAS! to host events that provide employees with critical insights for financial empowerment. The first events took place in May at The Prisoner Wine Company and the Robert Mondavi winery where 80 employees heard from UnidosUS and ¡SALUD! leaders in English and Spanish about UnidosUS’ Path to Home Purchase program, Constellation’s own financial security benefits, and details on how to get involved and find a community within the BRG. Now, similar outreach is underway across the Central Valley.

Lizena Zambrano, program manager at UnidosUS, summed up the events and their impact in this year’s ESG Impact Report: “This event was special to me as I kept thinking about my own family members and specifically my father. He struggled a lot not knowing where to turn for support so us kids had to carry the responsibility of navigating information for him, which at 10 years old is a very difficult task to complete without understanding the complicated words needed to translate. To have someone speaking the same language and explaining the process is invaluable.”

These events showcased the power of collaboration, for our employees and the communities where we live and work. Over two years, Constellation and Modelo have committed $1 million to expand our support of UnidosUS, allowing additional opportunities for communities to receive critical financial empowerment and homeownership resources.

Modelo’s commitment currently supports 10 affiliates across the country, resulting in:

• 17,000 people receiving financial empowerment information
• 734 people taking part in financial empowerment activities
• 600 people receiving coaching from experts on these topics
• 200 people already reporting positive impacts from the program

Constellation Brands’ commitment also supports a call center to provide immediate assistance to those who need it, including:

• 21 households that prevented or resolved mortgage default or received mortgage modification and improved their financial capacity
• 485 people who gained access to housing security information
• more than 300 people who received financial assistance or rental counseling
• nearly 1,500 house calls to identify which resources would be most helpful

Above metrics between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

We are proud of the results to date, but we also recognize the continued need to provide valuable training, new job skills, and opportunities to those in need, and to advocate for economically disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our communities.

Together with our brands, our employees, and partners like UnidosUS, our work will continue to uplift disadvantaged communities. In the year ahead, ¡SALUD! is planning to expand Project ¡GRACIAS! by creating a National Day of Service and employee outreach day. The BRG will also continue to celebrate key Hispanic moments in time such as Hispanic Heritage Month. Our own professional development program for Constellation employees, the Apoya Program, will also be key to providing leadership opportunities and mentorship to underrepresented Hispanic employees and provide tools/resources for advancement.

As a company, we will also continue working with UnidosUS to enhance financial coaching and housing empowerment in communities across the country because helping every American to achieve their dreams is something Worth Reaching For.

Follow along our journey on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter and read more about our core commitments in our ESG Impact Report.