Does your team understand what sustainable winegrowing is? Can they talk with your clientele about sustainability? We have made a great online course that will help anyone learn the basics of sustainability and the SIP Certified Program! And, do not worry, you do not need to be in the SIP Certified program to take advantage of this class and it only takes about 30 minutes.

Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer-form episodes help you learn about the latest science and research for the wine industry, these twice-monthly micro podcasts will help you share your dedication to sustainable winegrowing so you can show your customers that you share their values. Today we help you and your team talk about sustainability with your customers.

Here's what's covered:

What is SIP Certified?

The SIP Smart course starts with a quick background on Vineyard Team's Sustainability in Practice (SIP) Certified program. This introduction will set the foundation for your team's understanding of what your certification represents.

Experience The 3 Ps of Sustainability

The SIP Certified Standards cover nearly 200 practices that protect the people and the planet. How do the hundreds of SIP Certified members implement these practices at their unique properties? In this part of the SIP Smart course, we interview six SIP Certified members to find out!

• Scheid Vineyards wanted to ensure their community had a place to get together and engage in community activity. Greg Gonzalez tells us about how they had part of their vineyard removed and transformed into a soccer complex for the community.
• The subject of water conservation is huge in agriculture! Steve McIntyre of Monterey Pacific gives a quick lesson on moisture monitoring practices to determine when and how much to irrigate winegrape vines.
• Have you ever seen a falconer at work? Here's your chance! In this video interview, Jake Messenger shows us how one man and one falcon can safely and humanely move thousands of starlings off vineyard properties.
• Wondering about how sustainable vines are managed to produce high-quality grapes? Mark Pisoni takes a truly curated approach to each individual vine at Pisoni Vineyards to decide what nutrients, pest management, and farming practices to use to ensure each plant grows the highest quality grapes.
• Reducing global warming emissions is a goal of every sustainable business. Samantha Aguilar shows us solar panels at Cambria Estate Winery that are used to provide, store, and introduce energy back into the grid.
• Now that we know how each individual vine is assessed, Mark Pisoni comes back to talk about the big picture of sustainable farming! Pisoni Vineyards' conservation plan looks at the entire ranch as a whole unit -- not just the areas under cultivation.

Consumer Research

Studies continue to show that consumers are seeking sustainable, ethically produced goods and services more than ever before. In this part of the SIP Smart course, your team can learn about recent research projects that gave us insights into how to help increase consumer awareness of sustainable wines. Are you talking about your sustainable efforts?

Get Your Certificate!

The SIP Smart course concludes with a brief quiz that will help test your team's new SIP Certified knowledge. Everyone who passes gets a certificate to show that they truly are SIP Smart!

Why Stop Here?

We have lots of great resources to help you talk about sustainability from buzz words to SIP Certified 101. Plus, play a game of Jeopardy with your team to make learning about sustainability fun.

Sustainability in Action Training Events

Want to learn how to talk about sustainability with your customers? If you are on California's Central Coast we have three events coming up this fall. Come to an upcoming training.

Niner Wine Estates Sept. 21 | 9:30 am - 10:30 am

Check out the show notes for links to this article, PDF downloads to help you talk about sustainability with your customers, an educational game of Jeopardy, and sign up for our biweekly Marketing Tips newsletter. Until next time, this is Sustainable Winegrowing with the Vineyard Team.

References:

• **SIP Smart Training online course
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Research Shows Soaring Demand for Sustainable
• Share SIP 101 With Your Customers: SIP Certified 101 Understanding the Fundamentals
• SIP Buzzwords for Your Consumer-Facing Staff: SIP Buzzwords
• SIP Certified Jeopardy
• SIP Certified Program Overview Presentation
• SIP Certified
• Sustainability in Action Events | Register (August and September 2022)
• Tailor Your Message to Fit Your Consumer: Generational Analysis Report Highlights
• Talk to Your Customers About Your Sustainable Practices: Answering Customers' Top Questions
• Tools to Teach Your Team About Sustainability