Sustainability and certification are viewed as a “quality enhancement”. In the currently overly supplied market, sustainability is an advantage. A premium can be getting $200 to $300 more per ton of grapes in a good market or it can mean selling grapes when no one else can in a weak market.

Gregg Hibbits, General Manager at Mesa Vineyard Management explains how their dedication to sustainability for over 30 years has drawn like-minded customers to their organization. Their clients large and small, from Santa Barbara to Oregon, seek certification for different reasons: owners wanting to certify their own wine brand; larger brands looking to purchase certified fruit; and investment holdings wanting to report sustainability to their holders. Gregg believes that authenticity around how they farm, what they deliver, and how they take care of the people and the planet will payoff in long term.

References:

• 5.21.20 Getting to Know Your Customer Webinar
• 82: Getting to Know Your Wine Customer (Podcast)
• 81: Marketing Wine in a Pandemic | Rob McMillan (Podcast)
• 76: Regulations that will Affect Your Wine Business this Year (Podcast)
• 65: Winegrape Brokering and Todays Grape Market (Podcast)
• A Practical Guide to Developing a Commercial Wine Vineyard
• Mesa Vineyard Management
• SIP Certified Self-Assessment
• State of the Industry Wine Report 2020 | Rob McMillan

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