Ellis Wines achieves B Corp certification

Published: 16 January, 2026

Family-run wine merchant Ellis Wines – which supplies the on-trade – has achieved B Corp certification, with a B impact score of 84.8.

Its sister branch Richmond Wine Agencies – which supplies the independent sector – is also included within the certification.

Achieving B Corp status means that Ellis Wines meets high levels of social and environmental performance across five key areas – governance, workers, community, environment and customers – all verified by B Lab, an environmental non-profit.

Read more: Badenhorst and South Africa expert Damon Quinlan join Liberty Wines

The certification takes into account both operational practice and a business’s wider impact on society and the environment.

Founded over 200 years ago, Ellis Wines said that this certification is recognition of a long journey and a large number of initiatives including sourcing responsibly, holding long-standing producer partnerships, investing in employee wellbeing and continuing to reduce the businesses environmental impact across logistics, packaging and daily operations.

In 2023, the business was verified carbon neutral, which it achieved through a combination of monitoring emissions, reduction initiatives and offsetting.

Commenting on the certification, James Ellis, director at Ellis Wines, said: “Ellis Wines has been a family business since 1822, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over generations.

“Alongside my brothers, I’ve had the privilege of being a custodian of the business for more than 40 years, through decades of hard work, change, and growth. None of it would have been possible without the fantastic team around us, who have played such a huge part in shaping Ellis Wines into what it is today.

“It’s been especially rewarding to see the next generation get so involved and bring fresh energy and ideas into the business. Watching them take us on the B Corp journey has been a real highlight, and I’m proud of the commitment shown across the whole company to do things the right way.”

Recent initiatives include investing in electric vehicles – now 20% of the company’s fleet – and the introduction of HVO fuel to power 70% of the non-electric vehicles. Ellis Wines approximated that this transition saved approximately 200 tonnes of carbon emissions in its first year (along with reducing other pollutants).

The company has also recently become a member of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable’s Bottle Weight Accord initiative.

Holly Ellis-Lake, people and culture manager at Ellis Wines, added: “For us, B Corp represents the standards we genuinely aspire to. It gives credibility to the way we operate, holds us accountable to keep improving, and reinforces our commitment to our team, our customers and our wider community.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be announcing that Ellis Wines is officially a B Corp.”

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