Sustainable Winegrowing

97% of people start their search for a local business online ( Linkedin, 2019) . When someone looks up your business, what do they find? Are your images and videos up to date? Do you show what makes your brand special? Does your imagery convince searchers to pay you a visit? Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While ou...

Cliff Ohmart, Principal of Ohmart Consulting Services reflects on his 40-year career in agriculture. Cliff seeded his career with a Ph. D. in Forest Entomology from Berkley University. He worked in forestry in Australia, as a Pest Control Advisor in Chico, with the Lodi Winegrape Commission, and at SureHarvest. Cliff shares his experiences with sustainable winegrowing innovations including cover c...

With heightened awareness of climate change, pollution, and environmental depletion, it's no surprise that nearly 6 in 10 consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce negative environmental impacts ( IMB Institute for Business Value, 2020 ). Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer...

Looking for a tool to help you make irrigation and Nitrogen application decisions? How about one that will not cost you anything? Michael Cahn , Farm Advisor, Irrigation and Water Resources at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Monterey County explains a valuable software for farmers – CropManage. This free software from the University of California combines a wide variety of da...

It's here! The simple yet powerful tool to help you and your staff tell your Sustainable Story – the brand new , 30-minute online training course . 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 pod...

RNA Interference, known as RNAi, is a biological process that leads to the silencing of gene expression.   A lot of plant viruses are RNA viruses including grapevine leafroll-associated virus and grapevine red blotch virus.  Yen-Wen Kuo, Assistant Professor  in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is researching ways to i nduce RNAi in grapevines to target virus...

The proportion of regular wine drinkers willing to pay more for sustainable wine has significantly increased in the past two years ( IWSR, 2022 ). Your customers will only know that your wine was made sustainably if you tell them ! 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...

When it comes to labor and employment, the best thing that you can do is be proactive, says Anthony P. Raimondo, Attorney, and Founder of Raimondo Miller A Law Corporation. Anthony covers the importance of accurate, individualized timekeeping, not just a work schedule. Today, there is software that supports both employers and employees. Right from your tablet or smartphone, you can track clock ins...

Not all wine tasters are alike - a major understatement. As traffic ebbs and flows in tasting rooms, it's evident that interests, price points, and preferences differ. 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 twi...

As a wine producer, you owe it to yourself to talk about your sustainable practices as much as you can. Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, Principal at Full Cup Solutions explains that you never know what unique story about your brand will engage your next consumer, trade account, team member, or press writer. Use video and photos to capture specific practices including cover cropping, reusing barrels, and...

While consumers name food and beverage as one of the most important industries when it comes to sustainability, more than 1 in 4 US adults said they don't know what makes a product sustainable ( 2022 Morning Consult,  What Sustainability Means to Consumers ). There is a need for consumer education on sustainability, and this is a great opportunity for your brand! Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday wi...

The three pillars of regenerative farming are soil health, animal welfare, and social wellness. This podcast brings together interviews with two farmers who are exploring regenerative agriculture practices: Caine Thompson, Managing Director at Robert Hall Winery and Sustainability Lead at O'Neill Vintners and Distillers plus Clint Nelson, Director of Vineyard Operations and Grower Relations at Bon...

Your website is the hub for your brand's core information: location, history, shop, and more. It's where people come to learn more about what you have to offer and why they should support your business. 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 resear...

The health of a grapevine starts at ground level – literally in the soil. The California Department of Food and Agriculture is helping farmers improve the quality of their soils through the Healthy Soils Initiative. Taylor Jones, Ph. D., Director of Viticulture at Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards used his funding as an opportunity to study the effects of compost. After completing two three-year tr...

While telling your sustainable story serves a practical purpose in educating consumers about the real-world impact of your sustainable practices, it also goes deeper than that: it builds meaningful emotional connections. 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...

One way that growers can farm sustainably for the future is through vineyard fleet management. Marc Di Pietra , Regional Service Maintenance Manager for Treasury Americas, a subsidiary of global wine company Treasury Wine Estates, is doing just that by exploring alternative fuel sources and automation. Electric and hybrid vehicles reduce carbon emissions and lower the cost of fuel. The use of remo...

Employees who are regularly trained and educated report higher levels of motivation, performance, company loyalty, and more . Yet, almost 52% of employees in the food and beverage industry only receive training when they join their organization. Of those that do receive regular training, only 4.5% receive training about their company's mission and values ( TalentLMS, 2019 ). Welcome to Marketing T...

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi , commonly abbreviated to AMF, coevolved with plants from 500 million to one billion years ago. Fossil evidence shows AMF in existence back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Paul Schreiner, Research Plant Pathologist at USDA-ARS in Corvallis Oregon explains that grapes are a very receptive host for AMF and their symbiotic relationship benefits both organisms. AMF helps...

It's here! The tool that you need to tell your Sustainable Story. 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 sh...

Vineyard farmers manage numerous pests but the invasive species can be some of the most troublesome. Kyle McAbee, President of McAbee Ag Consulting, PCA and CCA sustainability specialist shares what growers need to know to manage pests currently in their area, like Vine Mealybug, and prepare for ones that could come in the future, like Spotted Lantern Fly. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is criti...

We know our SIP Certified members are generous donors in the community. Last week, we shared the exciting news about the expansion of our Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship. In the same spirit of giving back, this week, we want to acknowledge some of the ways SIP Certified brands give back. Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustai...

Did you know that standard wine packaging, including the bottle and the process, is 42% of the wine's total carbon footprint? That statistic is exactly what inspires Erica Landin-Lofving, Chief Sustainability Officer at Vintage Wine Estates to explore alternative packaging. Lightweight bottling positively impacts the full circle sustainability of wine from  saving money on glass and transportation...

Of the 3 Ps of Sustainability (People, Planet, and Prosperity), People is no doubt the most important one. Without the supporters, partners, and cherished friends in our community, who would be here to enjoy the prosperous planet we are all striving toward? Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer-form epis...

Amid extreme weather events, many grape growers ask themselves what they can do to adapt their vineyard for climate change. Chris Chen, Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor in Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake Counties at the University of California Cooperative Extension is exploring solutions to this question. Mediterranean climates like California, with hot and dry summers and cold wet winters, are pa...

We hope that the previous Marketing Tips'  strategies to build a strong brand and  practices to maintain consumer trust have been helpful in planning or reviewing your branding strategy. But branding isn't something you can set and forget. 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 lear...