An inspiring story of how a partnership between Coup de Foudre winery and Seeds of Exchange supports social justice causes through the pairing of a special vintage of wine with the book No Longer Untouchable: A Story of Human Trafficking, Heroism, and Hope by Sarah Davison-Tracy.

The collaboration exemplifies how philanthropy and social justice can be integrated into everyday business practices, creating meaningful impact and fostering a global conversation on critical issues like human trafficking. | Updated August 6, 2024

One of my favorite parts of the work I do is connecting with “strangers” who in no time become friends and collaborators in the work of caring deeply for the needs of our sisters and brothers in our global family. When I received an email last fall from John Schwartz, I had a sense something special was afoot.

Let me bring you back to the beginning, introduce you to a brand new brother, and share with you what has unfolded in the days since John first reached out.

Here is an excerpt of the first email I received from him in October, 2023:

I just finished reading your book – No Longer Untouchable: A Story of Human Trafficking, Heroism, and Hope – and absolutely loved the accurate, although heart-wrenching, storytelling in it. I own a few wineries in Napa Valley, and one of my wines is all about bringing awareness to social justice causes for girls and young women in places in this world where often their voices are not heard. I am interested in featuring your book on an upcoming vintage if this is something of interest to you. To date, we have donated more than $250,000 to worthy overseas causes. -John Schwartz

In this initial email, John shared his vision to include a copy of our book, No Longer Untouchable, with each purchase of a 6-bottle pack of this special vintage of wine, and to raise funds for our Seeds of Exchange anti-human trafficking partnerships … thus creating a most remarkable PAIRING of wine, human rights stories, and philanthropy.

John Schwartz’s winery is called Coup de Foudre (pronounced “koo dah foo drah”), which means, the moment when “lightning strikes” or something unforgettable occurs that you want to capture forever.

As I read his email, I had a hunch I had met a brand-new-soul-brother, and as the partnership unfolded, in February, I autographed and shipped 400 of our books to Napa Valley – to the Coup de Foudre Winery.

THAT WAS and THIS IS a “coup de foudre” (“lightening strikes”!) moment, to be sure.

What a GIFT and honor it is to be a part of work that continues to fuel connections with sisters and brothers ’round the world who are committed to make a tangible difference in their own arenas of work and life. (It’s even more breathtaking and humbling that the “lightening strikes” of goodness miraculously continued underground in the world of Seeds as I was in a season of sabbatical.)

Ahh. How incredible is this?

The story is still unfolding … In July, Brandon – my partner in life and in the work of Seeds – and I will travel to Napa for a special community event John and his team has crafted: A unique book signing and wine tasting. (More info here – feel free to join and share with friends and family near Napa Valley, California. All are welcome!)

To learn more about this remarkable story, below is a message from John and his Coup de Foudre dream team about this special pairing.

Welcome to Chapter Eight of the Les Bouquinistes wine series. I am very committed to this offering, and I believe you will be truly inspired by this story.

Our goal for Les Bouquinistes is to produce a stunning, great-value Napa Valley wine, while promoting the important missions of our esteemed authors and generating much-needed awareness and funding for their vetted causes around the world. As you know, past vintages have featured a wide range of books documenting experiences and injustices in developing countries where the voices of young women and girls often go unheard. To date, we have donated more than $250,000 to charities in places such as Cambodia, India, Africa, and Syria. Now we direct our focus to Nepal!

Les Bouquinistes 2022 Chapter Eight features Sarah Davison-Tracy’s No Longer Untouchable, a true story that recounts the horror of young girls snatched from their homes and sold — by strangers, friends and even family members. 15,000 women and 5,000 girls are trafficked out of Nepal each year. Many are forced to become sex slaves before they reach the age of ten. Once sold to a brothel, it is nearly impossible to leave alive. In this book, Devisara “Hannah” Badi and her sisters bring you the appalling reality as they tell their stories. As part of Nepal’s Badi community, they are considered by many to be “the worthless dust” of Nepal, the untouchables of untouchables. With that lowly caste status comes extreme poverty, a lack of basic rights such as education and citizenship, and more often than not, a life of prostitution. Their stories are both horrifying and hopeful, as each escapes captivity and rejects her untouchable status. They have overcome unimaginable odds to survive, and today they are bravely fighting to bring freedom, hope and love back into the darkest corners of the world.

When you purchase Les Bouquinistes 2022, you will receive an author-signed copy of the book, No Longer Untouchable.

The wine is a Bordeaux-variety field blend composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. We produced just shy of 500 cases of this vintage. Here are recent reviews of the 2021 vintage:

“Les Bouquinistes 2021 exudes a fruity nose with dark cherries, ripe plums, black currants and grilled peppercorns. Medium body with firm tannins. Juicy fruit with a delicate touch at the center. Velvety. Well-structured with a lively finish. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling, December 2023. 93 pts.

“The 2021 Les Bouquinistes is a pretty, floral Bordeaux-varietal field blend from Napa Valley. Bright acids drive through a core of red/purplish fruit. Rose petals, lavender and mint lend pretty notes through the vibrant, refreshing finish. Drink 2024-2036.” – Antonio Galloni, December 2023. 93-94 pts.

Proceeds from this vintage will support the vital work of the anti-trafficking partners of Seeds of Exchange – a community organization founded by Sarah Davison-Tracy.

This wine sells out quickly and we encourage you to acquire your six-bottle allocation (at $468 / $78 per bottle) by calling (707) 253-8300,  completing this order form, or emailing us.

“Our book shines a light on the unimaginable suffering of young Nepali women forced to be sex slaves; and its depiction of ‘a day in the life’ is the beginning of an urgently needed global conversation to help empower communities to break the chains of human trafficking.” -Sarah Davison-Tracy

We thank you for your continued support of our wines and the projects that are so meaningful to us. You will not be disappointed by this wine, the book or the impact you will make for others in places far less fortunate than ours.

We sincerely mean it when we say, “BUY THIS WINE & EXPECT CHANGE!”

-John Schwartz

How amazing is that? ‘Tis a true gift, to be sure!

To learn more about other “chapters” of this winery’s story:

It’s time for wine and other things. An Evening with John and Carrie Schwartz – This is a beautiful story of their first book-wine-pairing partnership with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book, A Path Appears. This article gives a lovely “flavor” of John and his wife, Carrie’s, ample and diverse passions. Here is an excerpt:

[Each vintage of Les Bouquinistes] is designed to tell a story as this is the beginning of a series where John Schwartz will honor a noted piece of literature each year … This narrative encourages the world’s citizens to develop a global conscience. A portion of Les Bouquinistes wine sales benefit a charity featured in A Path Appears. -Monty and Sara Preiser

(Inhale-exhale.)

I am grateful.

I’ll be honest. It’s humbling – and AWEsome! – to be welcomed into the company of these changemakers and incredible human beings through Chapter 8 of the Les Bouquinistes wine book-pairing-project.

THANK YOU to John and his team!

July 29, 2024.

We returned today from a weekend FULL to the BRIM of friendship and community, unforgettable food (feasting, really!), stories and philanthropy, and – yes! – wine! : ) The Coup de Foudre team was AHmazing – exceptional at their craft, jaw-dropping in their collaboration as a company, and beautyFULL people with whom to BE ‘round!

Well, my friend. I’ll leave it here, for now.

What a JOY and HONOR to share some stories of wonder and gratitude at the never-boring adventure of life.

THANK YOU for your companionship.

xo, -Sarah Davison-Tracy, founder – Seeds of Exchange