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Display Until Oct 15, 2019 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40838008 www.orchardandvine.net
Innovation Issue 2019
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INNOVATION ISSUE 2019
Photo contributed
9
CONTENTS
Upside Cider is Kelowna’s first organic cidery, as well as Kelowna’s first cidery and fruit stand combo.
6 Publisher's View Lisa Olson 9 News & Events Photo by Ronda Payne
27
14 Innovations 23 Orchard & Vine 60 Years of Innovation 27 Driediger Farms Doing More with Less
Rhonda Driediger with her strawberries grown in the Fraser Valley.
31 Farming Karma Fruit Co. 36 Hail Cover Trials at Davison Orchards 37 UV Light Benefits Berries & Grapes 39 AO Wilson from Seed to Bottle Photo by Tom Walker
31
Kelowna's Farming Karma Fruit Co.
41 Safety Tips Worksafe BC 42 Sustainability Ronald Morrison 45 Marketing Mix Leeann Froese
Innovation 2019
5
PUBLISHER’S VIEW | LISA OLSON
Opportunity for Play Vol. 60, No 4 Innovation 2019
What does a young child do when they see a few toys in a waiting room or playground? They march over and start to play.
Established in 1959 Publisher Lisa Olson
The other day I was out exploring with some friends when we came upon Upside Cider, the new cidery in Lake Country. Having seen it on Instagram a few weeks before and knowing they just had their grand opening, we decided to pop in. It was a fun afternoon sampling the various ciders and enjoying an interesting chat with the owners learning about how it all came to be with a vision. A good story for a future magazine article on how the owner/organic grower Isaac had never planted apples on this piece of land where the cidery now stands. “I just knew I had to keep an empty spot for something in the future," he said. You just never know how your day or your business might unfold in the future and I do enjoy spontaneous moments.
Editor Gary Symons Graphic Design Stephanie Symons Contributors Leeann Froese, Kim Kanduth, Ronald Morrison, Ronda Payne,
Photo by Sherry Lipp
Tom Walker, WorkSafe BC Contact lisa@orchardandvine.net Orchard & Vine Magazine Ltd. 22-2475 Dobbin Road Suite #578
That must have been what it was like from the 1960’s until now, exploring new ideas. Looking back over the years is what we like to do with feelings of nostalgia. Bell bottoms, black and white TV’s, and rotary phones in the kitchen. Things have changed a lot since the 60’s, the wine has certainly improved superbly and modern farming devices make life a whole lot easier for growers. Getting back to the fun day at the cidery, upon leaving I noticed a miniature tractor outside the building and whether it was the few sips of cider or my fun spontaneous nature I hopped on for a pretend ride, posing for a silly photo and feeling like a kid again.
West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9 www.orchardandvine.net Phone: 778-754-7078 Fax: 1-866-433-3349 Orchard & Vine Magazine is published six times a year and distributed by addressed mail to
Here’s to having some fun with your inventions, improvements and taking some time out of your busy season to through down your hat and turn the sprinkler on and splash around a bit.
Valley, Lower Mainland, Vancouver
Enjoy the Magazine!
Island, Washington State and across
growers, suppliers and wineries in the Okanagan, Kootenays, Fraser
Canada. Orchard & Vine is also available online. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40838008 Undeliverable copies should be sent to: 22-2475 Dobbin Road Suite #578
Providing Canadian Grapevine Solutions BRITISH COLUMBIA Nathan Phillips p. 250-809-6040 bcsales@vinetech.ca 6
Innovation 2019
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NOVA SCOTIA Ian Kaye p. 902.740.2493 nssales@vinetech.ca
ONTARIO Wes Wiens/Tina Wall p. 905.984.4324 sales@vinetech.ca
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8
Innovation 2019
NEWS & EVENTS
Kelowna's First Organic Cidery Opens
Cidery operations have become a booming business in BC, particularly in the Okanagan Valley, and now another upscale, fully organic cidery has jumped into the market. Starting with an organic farm and a vision for a fruit stand and cidery, the newly opened Upside Cider is Kelowna’s first organic cidery as well as the city’s first cidery and fruit stand combo.
Photos contributed
The fruit stand is set to open in July and the cidery already offers a tasting room, rooftop patio and picnic tables, at their high traffic location on Highway 97, just past Kelowna International Airport toward Lake Country. The site is ideal for
tourists travelling through wanting a great location to sip cider and purchase organic fruits, veggies, snacks and gluten free products. With four new releases catering to the widespread requests of organic, vegan and gluten free you can enjoy; late dry,
late harvest, sweetheart cherry and cherry semi-sweet. Upside Cider also offers beverages from other producers like Truck 59, Harker’s Organics, MotherLove Kombucha, Boundary Brewing and Cranog Ale. www.upsidecider.com
Organic Phantom Creek Estates Winery Opens This Year Few wineries have seen as much anticipation as the new 45,000 square foot, fully organic Phantom Creek Estates facility on the Black Sage Bench in Oliver. Phantom Creek has announced the im-
pressive site will open by appointment in September, 2019, featuring wines produced using organic and biodynamic farming that began in 2017 under the guidance of Olivier Humbrecht MW.
Photo by Lionel Trudel
To eliminate the use of herbicides, hand hoeing is used for weed control. Similarly, the canopy is managed using the palissage technique: shoots are trained back down into the canopy by hand instead of being trimmed or hedged. This technique slows down shoot growth and focuses the vine’s energy on ripening fruit. As an added benefit, no tractor passes are required, reducing the winery’s carbon footprint. Humbrecht says biodynamics is not only a sustainable approach, but it also yields exceptional, energetic wines.
Becker Vineyard, part of the Phantom Creek Estate.
As part of this transition, Phantom Creek’s grape farming does not include any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. By incorporating traditional practices, the aim is to promote a selfsustaining ecosystem within the vineyard. For example, the winery encourages indigenous flora to grow both in and around its vineyards, attracting beneficial insects. It also means more work by hand in the vineyard.
Innovation 2019
9
NEWS & EVENTS
Berry Funding Comes In From Province
Photo by © Mikhail Evdokunin | Dreamstime.com
BC’s berry growers are pleased with a provincial contribution of $200,000 a year for five years to support new research into blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. According to Eric Gerbrandt, Research Director for the BC Blueberry Council, BC Strawberry Growers Association and Raspberry Industry Development Council, the $1 million will enhance the BC berry breeding program as well as research in the areas of pests, diseases and horticultural management practices. “It’s a research program designed to bol-
ster the competitiveness of the BC berry sector through developing new berry genetics and more effective ways of managing them,” he says. “This commitment tells berry growers that the provincial government supports competitiveness of the sector through partnering in research and development.” While berry research has continued over past years, the funding comes at a key moment for both strawberry and raspberry industries which have seen declines in recent years while blueberries have experienced rapid growth.
BC Farmers and Researchers Team Up on Climate Change
Thanks to funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, delivered through the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program (FAIP), 10 new applied research projects will explore solutions to climate change-related challenges facing agricultural commodities across B.C. Two projects, one led by the BC Forage Council and one led by the Peace River Forage Association of British Columbia,
will investigate how innovations in forage management practices can improve soil health and boost yields while enhancing resilience to drought conditions and extreme rainfall. The projects will also evaluate how these practices impact the capacity of the soil to contribute to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The University of British Columbia is leading a project where on-farm trials will be used to implement, monitor and model soil and water management practices. The project will evaluate which practices are best to ensure soils are more resilient to the extreme rainfall and drought conditions expected with a changing climate.
Photo by B.C. Government
Over the next four years, farmers and researchers across the province will be working together to demonstrate and evaluate technologies and practices that increase the resilience of British Columbia’s farms and ranches as producers adapt to a changing climate.
Changing climate conditions are also resulting in shifting pest populations, and E.S. Cropconsult is leading two projects focusing on pest management.
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Little Creek Goes Organic Little Creek Dressing of Kelowna, BC, hit a major milestone this year, becoming the first producer of salad dressings in Western Canada to be certified organic. Little Creek Dressing, produced in Kelowna for almost 25 years, has received its organic certification after a year-long process. The dressings have always consisted of strictly organic ingredients, but as of March 12, 2019 all five flavours of Little Creek Dressing are now fully certified as Canada Organic Regime (COR) organic. "Becoming certified organic by pro-cert has always been a goal of ours,” says Little Creek founder Donna Denison. “Certification supports our founding values—to create wholesome, nutritious
and flavourful foods that support healthy living and a healthy planet. We also hope to expand our customer base and start exporting internationally to retailers; we want Little Creek Dressing to kickstart a nutrition revolution!" Little Creek can be found in more than 500 grocery stores and specialty shops across Western Canada, and also has international “fans” who mail order the dressing, usually by the case. As of now, Little Creek Dressing is the only organic salad dressing produced in Western Canada, but Executive Director Jubi Steinhauer, Donna’s son, hopes this milestone sparks inspiration in other producers to seek Canada Organic Regime certification.
Sustainable Winegrowing July 15 The BC Enology & Viticulture Conference and Tradeshow is back this year, this time being held at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre July 15-16, and hosted by the BC Wine Grape Council. This trade show brings together the wine and grape industry in BC, with this year’s theme being, ‘Sustainable Winegrowing’. Local and international speakers will present on a wide variety of topics, along with a full room of suppliers of technology, equipment, services and supplies to the industry. Topics include; Innovation, Cooperation, and the Perceived Benefits and Costs of Sustainable Viticultural Practice, Carbon Farming, Transitioning Vineyards to Sustainable and Organic Practices, Solar Solutions, Powdery Mildew and the Sustainable and Organic Practices for Control, Smoke Taint 101, Lessons Learned from Australian Experiences, Improving Sparkling and Still Wine Quality. http://www.bcwgc.org/conference
Innovation 2019 11
NEWS & EVENTS
BC Celebrates Day of the Honey Bee BC Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham generated some buzz this year as she announced the Bee BC program will receive up to $100,000 a year over the next three years to support research on bee health.
Photo by B.C. Government
“The beekeeping community in the province plays an important role in the daily lives of every British Columbian in B.C.,” said Popham. “They contribute to our amazing agricultural industry by pollinating crops and produce delicious locally produced honey that British Columbians can trust.”
Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture getting a close look at a beehive.
That was welcome news to BC Honey Producers Asso-
ciation president Kerry Clark. “The beekeepers of B.C. truly appreciate the support from Minister Popham and the people of B.C. through the Ministry of Agriculture,” said Clark. “Our beekeepers’ association will continue to work hard to try to enable our piece of the bee world to improve.”
Opportunities for BC Food Processing & Innovation Hubs The BC Government says progress is being made quickly on the BC Food Hub Network, part of the ministry’s Feed BC mandate, which commits to encouraging more food and beverage processing in British Columbia.
gram, communities will host regionally scaled and interconnected food hubs, linking food producers and processors with shared technology, research and development, production equipment, expertise and services.
This, in turn, will support local economies, job creation and farming families throughout the province, says Agriculture Minister Lana Popham.
Five communities have studies completed or underway, and new funding has opened for future food and innovation hubs in other parts of the province.
Under the BC Food Hub Network pro-
“I am so excited that we have reached
this important stage in the development of the BC Food Hub Network,” said Popham. “As part of my agriculture tours of the province, I have witnessed some of the technological innovation that is happening right now in our BC food processing sector, and I want to build on this momentum. By creating a dedicated food hub space in regions throughout the province, the sector will be able to continue their growth.”
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Innovation 2019 13
"Pearing" Food & Technology
BC-grown pears will be top of the menu as the federal and provincial governments announced new funding for research into agritechnology. A number of innovative projects are receiving investments under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, including a project in Kelowna, BC, where Consolidated Fruit Packers (CFP) is trying to grow the “perfect pear.” BC pears are a delicacy, but their ripening time makes it difficult for British Columbians to enjoy this fruit consistently. Pears are a unique fruit because they
are one of only a few fruit species that do not ripen on the tree. They require time for the sugars to develop off the branch, which can pose a challenge for consumers eager to enjoy a local pear. CFP is studying the process required to create a pre-conditioned pear that consumers will be able to take home and enjoy immediately or soon after purchase. Defining the conditions that create the perfect pear will allow CFP to offer a local pear with a more consistent texture and flavour. CFP is also developing pack-
Photo by Valery Bareta | Dreamstime.com
INNOVATIONS
aging to further enhance the sweet, juicy flavour that BC pears are known for.
The Backyard Beehive If you want to help save the world’s honeybees, there’s now a quick, easy, and affordable way to join the battle
while harvesting your own delicious honey. Built for the backyard, the SummerHawk Ranch 8-frame Backyard Beehive was developed to meet the needs of the backyard beekeeper while complementing the beauty of your yard or farm. The back of the hive features a ‘QuickCheck’ viewing window, so you can conveniently see the progress and wellbeing of your hive without disturbing the bees, and the bee’s honey combs are located in easy to handle mason jars.
The Backyard Beehive is becoming increasingly popular for both farmers and homeowners, as it allows for ongoing pollination, produces honey, and contributes to the survival of the endangered honeybee population.
Robotic Raspberry Pickers Developed in the UK seasonal workers from eastern Europe have diminished, partly due to Brexit fears but also because Romania and Poland’s surging economies have persuaded their own workers to remain in their home countries.
Raspberries are one of those fruits that can be hard to pick properly, as they are extremely tender and easily damaged. Which makes it all the more surprising to hear an AI-powered robot has been developed specifically to pick raspberries. Developed by Fieldwork Robotics in the UK, the berrypicking bot is still very slow, but the developers say it can still pick 25,000 berries in a 20-hour day, compared to 15,000 for the average human in an eight hour day. The Raspberry Robot cost £700,000 to develop but the designers believe it represents the future of berry picking. 14 Innovation 2019
The robot has gone on trial in the UK, as the farming industry battles rising labour costs and Brexit-related shortages of seasonal workers. The numbers of
Guided by sensors and 3D cameras, the robot’s gripper arm chooses ripe fruit using ‘machine learning’, a form of Artificial Intelligence. Working in a greenhouse environment, the robot takes an average of 10 seconds to find, pick, and drop a berry in a tray, where the fruit is then sorted. https://youtu.be/KFemWAXx-3I
Fertilizer Trailer Automates Distribution Vancouver-based Vintality, a subsidiary of Geotronics Consulting Inc., is working with BC vineyards and fertilizer companies to boost yields and grape quality while lowering the amount of fertilizer needed to grow grapes.
Photo by Wieslaw Jarek | Dreamstime.com
Geotronics has designed a fertilizer trailer with GPS technology that will automatically dispense precise amounts of liquid fertilizer to targeted areas on the property, thanks to its built-in program. This will reduce the amount of fertilizer and water used in the vineyard while ensuring plants get the nutrients they need. Vintality’s head of operations Chris Mark says the technology is aimed at making BC wines more competitive, adding, “We believe BC should keep making the best wine that respects the terroir, and this is a big step in making that more and more a reality."
LAKE COUNTRY SW Established fruit stand & almost 10 acres of irrigated orchard land strategically situated between Shanks Road & Highway 97 in Lake Country. Mixed mature & older orchard with cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples etc. Fourplex and farm house. MLS® $1,750,000
SE KELOWNA 14.17 acre orchard estate with expansive pastoral, lake, city & mountain views, with an impressive main home + 2 farm help dwellings. Turn-key meticulous farm comes with a complete equipment package & a productive apple orchard with modern varieties. MLS® $2,890,000
LAKE COUNTRY SW Profitable turn-key greenhouse operation, retail store & solid 1500 sf rancher home with caretaker suite & unfinished basement on almost 10 acres of ALR land. Lakeview, highway frontage, strategically located within 10 mins of the Kelowna Airport. MLS® $1,999,000
PEACHLAND Phenomenal lake views & income from this Peachland acreage! 10 acre parcel, approx 7.5 acres planted to Stacatto cherries. Great elevation for late cherries. 4 bdr main house, detached oversize garage/workshop. MLS® $1,599,000
CAWSTON 25 acres freehold organic orchard & primarily class 1 vineyard land in Cawston. Spacious 3300 sf (approx) home, bunk house, original farm house, packing shed, greenhouse & fencing for horses. Two wells + gravity fed irrigation from 2 water licenses. MLS® $ 2,200,000
OYAMA Astounding views of Wood & Kalamalka lakes. 9.76 acres. Custom ‘92 built (approx) 3786sf home & fully irrigated apple orchard. Full-on western exposure. Immaculate, original walk-out rancher and 3 car garage. Orchard is older Mac and Delicious, well maintained and picturesque. New roof in 2016. MLS® $1,650,000
OLIVER 10 acres of peaches, prune plums and gala apples. Approx. 6 acres very well suited to vineyard. 380’ of highway frontage. 2 bay fruit stand w/3 piece bathroom and separate shop. Attached storage room w/ farm machinery storage below. 4 bdr home. High production well. MLS® $1,389,000
SE KELOWNA Breathtaking Okanagan Lake views from this 14.6 acre estate on Stewart and Saucier Roads in South Kelowna. The home shows like new and features 10’ ceilings, spacious rooms and a unique design set around a courtyard overlooking the vineyard and view. MLS® $3,150,000
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OkanaganFarms.com Innovation 2019 15
INNOVATIONS
Optimized Monitoring of Alcoholic Fermentations
Cellar-Tek in Kelowna is now offering Ctrl-Ferm®, a new patented system for the detection and monitoring of the fermentation process.
Winemakers will not have to smell the gases from the tank, the Ctrl-Ferm will detect the sulphur for them.
This system controls the production of CO2 and H2S at the same time, allowing the winemaker to better manage nutrients addition. Ctrl-Ferm® allows for monitoring of the fermentation kinetics, all the way through dryness in order to obtain richer and more equilibrated wines. The system includes a gas suction pipe to remove the gas that accumulates in the headspace during fermentation. This collector leans on the upper door of the tank and has two gas sensors: one for the detection of the CO2 and the other for the detection of H2S, parameterized in a specific way. The control unit is connected to a server through a communication system via data SIM, to keep the gas production under control. Once the pipe is on the tank, the pipe begins to suck the gas from the head-
space and processes a graph relating to the detected quantity. This process is analysed separately, thanks to sensory cells. The data are transmitted via SIM, the server processes the results, and returns them plotted in a graph, which is delivered to the winemaker. https://www.cellartek.com
Labelling Tech Getting Smaller, Faster and Smarter manage, and print their own labels.
If you’re a farmer putting out value added products, you know well-designed labelling is critical, but also can be expensive to do right. Designed for label printing, QuickLabel® has introduced the world’s first five-colour, toner-based, tabletop production label printer. The addition of white to traditional CMYK delivers exceptionally sharp, crisp, clear and vibrant colour labels, expanding creative opportunities. Users can print on a wide variety of label materials from economical to premium, including transparent/clear, black, Kraft
paper, metallic silver, gold coloured, and more. The QL-300 includes a license for CQL Pro advanced labeling software that allows users to effortlessly design,
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Easily adapting into the workflow from short label runs to high-level production, to printing with variable data with a compact footprint, the QL-300 produces labels that are durable, waterfast, and UV resistant in 1200 dpi (dots per inch) high resolution. Label widths range from 1.0” to 5.0” and features roll-to-cute or roll-to-roll operation. The built-in automatic cutter allows for single-pass printing, so label waste is eliminated. https://quicklabel.com/products/colorlabel-printers/ql-300/
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Determine the Productivity of your Orchards Eighty apples per tree at size 88 produces about 80 bins to the acre. A lot of BC growers aim for that magic set of numbers. But how do you know when you hit it?
counts the fruit. It works best in a two-dimensional “fruit wall” orchard system, and is accurate regardless of the colour of apples. “It will give you the quantity of apples as well as the size, density and location of the apples on the tree,” says Sam Dingle, IFV Sales Executive. “That data can be accessed to give crop yield and productivity estimates of volume and size.”
Intelligent Fruit Vision out of England is working to simplify that process. IFV has developed a machine mounted vision system that will count the apples the machine can see, and estimate the ones that are hidden. An ATV or a tractor drives slowly between the apple rows while two cameras scan and a computer
Initially that data gives you an accurate “count” of your orchard and can tell you whether you need to go through and thin more aggressively. “When you over-lap the IFV data with soil maps, and irrigation and fertilizer records, it gives you an accurate idea of what is happening in your orchard,” explains Dingle.
E n ou S o r Tr log bo top ad y ot by e & ha S h Vi t ow t i c t h e i n u ltu BC re !
“You have to count,” Summerland grower and last years Golden Apple Award winner Steve Brown told O&V. “We can look at a tree and say there are only 80 apples there and when we count we find there is actually 200.”
“Crop volume data is useful for marketers who can predict how much volume they will need to move in a given year.”
tested in apple growing regions around the world. The technology is currently deployed in Washington and New York states
Dingle notes the data is presented with a range of reporting features built in with the software, such as charts, graphs and field maps.
The system retails at $50,000 USD up front with a further $8,000 per year for software updates and system support.
The software was developed in the UK and has been
www.intelligentfruitvision. com
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Innovation 2019 17
Tracking Picker Production, Made Easy
If you’ve ever stood by a bin in an orchard recording buckets from cherry pickers with a clip board and pen as a storm approaches, you’ve probably asked yourself, is there a better way? Well, there is. FieldClock. “Our aim at FieldClock is to get the pen and paper out of the orchard,” says Alex Garcia, Director of Sales for the Wenatchee-based company. “Two of our partners have 1,000 acres of cherries and apples between them, so they know exactly what the problems are.” Fieldclock is a labour management system. The bucket checker simply scans the picker’s id tag to record the bucket placed in the bin and that information is automatically up-loaded to be accessed by payroll. It’s simple, it’s fair and it’s accurate. “We were concerned about picker ac-
ceptance of a scanning system,” says Garcia. “But it is a very simple system that protects both the employee and the employer.” The app is compatible with both piece rate and hourly systems and works on both Android and iPhones. Pruning, thinning, spraying, picking and the worker, the time and the exact job location can all be tracked. You can also view that data to assess costs of production. “We have over 100 clients in six US states right now,” says Garcia. “The majority of our customers are tree fruit operations, but we have asparagus, hops and grapes as well.” The one time set-up fee including training is $2,950 US with a monthly subscription based on usage of $7 per employee. “If you have five helpers to prune it’s
Photo contributed
INNOVATIONS
$35 for that month,” says Garcia. “Ten pickers would cost you $70 that month.” https://www.fieldclockapp.com/
Good Things Come in Great Packaging Great products deserve equally great packaging, particularly for businesses involved in online sales of quality wine.
end insert with three different options for length.
E-commerce demands a memorable unboxing experience, with packaging that’s on-brand as well as functional. But in the wine industry, there were few options for sending out one-bottle packages.
It’s easy to assemble, made from recyclable corrugate, and appropriate for a wide range of design possibilities. The version pictured is designed with a litho laminate interior and a black flood coated exterior, but can be designed to the winery’s specifications.
The Great Little Box Company has come up with a solution for that need, with a one-bottle solution that holds the product in place with a neck insert and an
The bottle box is also very solid, shipping product safely and arrives looking as elegant and unique as the brand demands. www.glbc.com
Wineries, Distilleries and Cideries Ingredients, Supplies and Equipment Visit our fully stocked 10,000 sq.ft.warehouse or shop online
6908 Palm Ave Burnaby BC - Phone 604-473-9463 - Toll Free 1-866-554-7273 - Web ecom.bosagrape.com 18 Innovation 2019
Hazel Technologies Inc., a USDA-funded company developing new shelf-life extension technologies for fresh produce, has launched a new post-harvest technology for fresh cherries that ensures excellent fruit quality, called the Hazel Cherry.
partnership of our trial partners in the Pacific Northwest and look forward to continued adaption and success for packers and retailers using Hazel Cherry in their supply chains,” said Aidan Mouat, CEO and Co-Founder of Hazel Technologies, Inc.
Cherry packers in the Pacific Northwest successfully piloted the technology, a quarter-sized biodegradable and foodsafe packaging insert that is placed in the box during packing, in the 2018 season. Cornell University further validated the performance of the technology in a month-long study. Hazel® Cherry helps protect stem quality, reduce pitting, and reduces probability of decay in commercial fresh cherry varieties.
For more information, please visit www. hazeltechnologies.com
Traditionally, cherries are one of the most difficult produce items to maintain with excellent quality, but due to their high value in global markets they are exported heavily. Stem quality, pitting, and decay are challenges that fresh cherry packers and shippers consistently face. Following the 2018 season, fresh cherry packers reported improved quality when using Hazel Cherry. Additionally, Cornell University, in a July and August 2018 study, found improvements in pitting, decay, and stem quality with Hazel Cherry versus a control group.
Photo contributed
New Post-Harvest Product Improves Quality
26.82 ACRES BELGO ESTATE This unique property offers a secluded country setting close to town. Features approx. 10 acre Belgo pond, an oasis for wildlife & migratory birds. Surrounding the pond is approx. 10 acres of vineyard planted to table grapes( Bath & Coronation varieties). Property has 3 legal Titles. There are 2 homes on 10.83 acres. The other 2 Titles, 3.63 acres & 12.35 acres can be built on. $4,995,000 MLSr 10182340
21.61 ACRES S.E. KELOWNA With approx 17 Acres planted to apple orchard. Features a custom built Craftsman style home with formal floor plan, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, approx. 4,580 sqft + unfinished basement with suite potential. This beautiful estate property has privacy & panoramic valley views + 18 x 38 ft in-ground pool, triple garage, a detached work shop, 4,400 sqft barn + a small cottage. $3,995,000 MLSr 10181676
10 ACRES IN RUTLAND AREA Prime flat farm land with luxurious custom home with bright great room concept, 20 ft ceilings, extensive hardwood floors, gas fireplace, Kitchen with granite Island, SS appliances. Main floor master bedroom has 5 piece ensuite, heated tile floors, tub, steam shower. Upper level has a games room, library & family room. Unfinished basement + 2 car garage +2 car detached garage. $2,495,000 MLSr10179775
10.3 ACRES IN GLENMORE AREA KELOWNA Panoramic valley, City and lake views! This is a perfect spot to build an estate home and operate a farm in the heart of Kelowna. This property has gentle slope with a SW exposure & has full irrigation water available from GEID. Land is suitable for a wide variety of agricultural crops or run a few horses. This property Zoned A1 & in the ALR. $1,395,000 MLSr10182352
“Our study showed using Hazel Cherry compared to an untreated control can result in better stem quality, lower decay, and lower rate of pitting in the ‘Royal’ cherry variety” said Cornell University Professor Chris Watkins. The Cornell University study lasted 33 days and the trial results were statistically significant. The product has been well received by farmers trying out the new technology in the Pacific Northwest. “We are constantly looking for the newest technologies to help ensure the highest level of quality,” said Deidre Baumgarten, manager of Oregon-based Polehn Farms. “In 2018, we used Hazel Cherry on our export grade cherries and had excellent quality arrivals in Asia.” For the upcoming 2019 season, further academic trials studying Hazel Cherry are planned and industry interest has steadily grown,.“We are grateful for the
DAVID JUROME 250-862-1888 davidjurome@gmail.com
www.davidjurome.com
JAXON JUROME 250-300-0375 jaxonjurome@gmail.com Innovation 2019 19
INNOVATIONS
Automated Monitoring of Microbial Respiration
The soil science community now has a new instrument available in their carbon toolbox; a sophisticated yet simple way to measure biological carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Solvita IRTH (pronounced “earth”) reports the quantity of CO2 naturally released from moist biological samples such as soil, plant litter, compost and more. The instrument is specifically designed for soil ecologists, conservationists and carbon researchers investigating carbon transformation. Photos contributed
“Solvita IRTH combines state-of-theart laboratory technology with a small, highly functional test unit that anyone can use,” says Will Brinton, Ph.D., inven-
IRTH is for soil ecologists, conservationists and carbon researchers who want to answer pertinent questions about carbon transformation.
IRTH™ design and functionality draws on key elements of current, leading-edge innovations in measuring CO2 microbiology.
tor of the Solvita suite of soil tests and the founder of Woods End Laboratories.
spoilage of foodstuffs (such as grains and vegetables) or compost stability.
The invention builds on more than 30 years of R&D in microbial respiration including the successful and widely used Solvita probes. Whereas Solvita probes are designed to test large quantities of samples accurately in 24 hours, IRTH enables a single sample to be closely examined over minutes to days. And while Solvita probes are application-specific, IRTH expands the practice to enable studies in soil respiration (such as for soil health), decay of plant material (such as leaves, grass clippings or crop-residues),
IRTH’s nucleus is a smart lid – it starts assessing respiration as soon as the sample is enclosed and the unit is powered. The CO2-sensitive lid, designed to fit premium-quality Schott glassware, contains a wide-range infrared (IR) cell capable of applications in highly variable environments. “We believe IRTH fulfills the best expectations of a highly practical and very accurate tool, useful to teachers, scientists and others interested in observing CO2 cycling,” says Brinton. https://solvita.com/irth/
Waste Not, Want Not, With FoodMesh An innovative service launched to help eliminate food waste while providing healthy food to the needy is now expanding to three new markets in BC. FoodMesh was born three years ago with the mission to feed people and otherwise make use of food waste headed for landfills. Co-founder and CEO Jessica Regan was in Maple Ridge in early June to announce the program’s arrival in Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Mission. With Save-On Foods and other retailers on board, perishable, organic food products not being sold still find 20 Innovation 2019
useful homes. “Food is not waste,” Regan says. “There is a natural order of it.” Recovered food is provided to foodbanks and soup kitchens first. What is not suitable for human consumption goes to farmers as feed. Anything left over is given to industrial operations for production of bio-gas and other uses. FoodMesh is a tech platform for food businesses and charities to safely divert surplus food to the highest end use. FoodMesh connects, coordinates, and
tracks food recovery through two apps and services: https://foodmesh.ca
A Kinder, Gentler Way to Sort Pears Pears are among the most delicious tree fruits on the market, but as any farmer or packer knows, they are a delicate fruit that can be hard to handle. Now, help is on the way as a new sorting technology hits the market, with a demonstration coming up in Kelowna , BC, later this year.
The Van Wamel Unigrader with EDS-P (External Defect Sorting – Pears) gently handles any variety of pear without causing belt burn or scuffing and precisely scans 100 per cent of the fruit surface for external defects. The Unigrader's refined handling methods ensure that even the most difficult-tohandle pear varieties like Bosc, Concorde and Bartlett can be wholly graded without a blemish. The Unigrader is equipped with high resolution vision technology by Ellips BV that detects and sorts out Limb rub, bruises, greening, shrivel, hail damage, russet, punctures and poorly shaped fruit.
It also has sorting modules for sizing, colour and weight, and can universally grade apples and other round or oblong fruits. The first EDS-P system of its kind in North America will be operating at Days Century Growers in Kelowna in September this year. Fruittek.com
Formation of Agriculture HSA Makes Industry Safer safety resources and materials. Through their services and resources, the organization has helped to reduce the agricultural worker injury rate by more than 50% over the past twenty-five years.
Prior to 1993 British Columbia’s agricultural employers and workers had few safety resources and little direction about how to run their operations safely. As a result AgSafe, formerly known as FARSHA, was formed to coordinate and direct activities related to health and safety in the agriculture industry.
AgSafe’s team of safety consultants and advisors provide workplace safety education and consultation to over 5,128 agriculture producers and associated industries in all regions of the province. To learn more visit www.AgSafeBC.ca.
Today, AgSafe is the non-profit health and safety association for agricultural producers in B.C. providing site-specific consultation and on-site safety education, as well as online workplace
Delivering Powerful Grading Solutions Affordably Multiscan S50C Cherry Pre-sorter
Multiscan i5 Plus Cherry Sorter/Sizer Van Wamel Perfect UniGrader Sorter/Sizer Photo contributed
Apple, Pear and Round Fruit Sorter Up to 5 Sorting Modules, Including External and Internal Defects
Grading solutions B.C. fruit producers have grown to trust, with 10 grading systems operating in B.C. in 2019! Call: (604)855-8062 or Visit: www.fruittek.com
The use of a Roll Over Protection System (ROPS) on tractors is just one safe practices initiative that has improved worker safety over the years.
Innovation 2019 21
INNOVATIONS
Automated Irrigation Saves Time, Money & Water
Hortau, an irrigation automation company based in California and Quebec, has developed a new technology that measures plant stress and lets growers know precisely when to water their plants and by how much.
Photos contributed
Sensors embedded in the soil capture the situation in the fields, so growers can manage their irrigation remotely. Hortau uses smart objects (IoT) to connect fields to cloud‑based irrigation management software, so farmers can reduce the amount of water, energy, fertilizer, and pesticides they need to grow healthy crops. Before Hortau, despite sinking a lot of money into irrigation systems, growers still didn’t know exactly when to irriHortau Technology in a BC field in 2018.
gate their fields and by how much. They went at it by ‘gut feeling’ or with the help of an almanac. As a result, they often over‑irrigated, water logging their fields and washing away precious fertilizer and pesticides in the process. That’s millions of dollars down the drain. They also had to keep a constant eye on their
fields and direct their sprinklers. Yet their crop yields didn’t necessarily reflect all that hard work. Hortau’s technology is aimed at making that kind of inefficiency a thing of the past. https://hortau.com
Okanagan Crush Pad Moving Toward Minimalist Wines
Now the Summerland winery has created a ‘minimal intervention’ line of wines under the brand ‘Free Form’. The lineup includes four separate wines, including one white, one red, an unusual sparkling wine and something in-between. Free Form Vin Gris is a truly unique wine from Okanagan Crush Pad Winery. Made in a white wine style with Pinot Noir grapes, the wine was whole bunch pressed to large concrete tanks. Added complexity and texture were achieved with a native yeast fermentation and a full malolactic fermentation. T Free Form Cabernet Franc was de22 Innovation 2019
stemmed and put into two clay amphora and three large oak barrels. Native fermentation started spontaneously and was finished in spring. After eight months of skin contact the wine was pressed off in June and blended to a concrete tank to settle naturally and bottled mid-August 2018. The Haywire Switchback Pinot Gris is the wine that started Okanagan Crush Pad’s journey into organic farming and minimal winemaking. From the 2015 vintage, Haywire made 10,000 cases using organically grown grapes, native yeast, concrete tanks and few, if any additives. And finally, the Narrative XC Method was introduced in 2014 and is a lively, fresh bubbly crafted from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grown in Summerland, BC. Secondary fermentation took place in our state-of-the-art char-
Photos contributed
Okanagan Crush Pad is well known for bringing innovation to the Okanagan wine industry, starting out as the first custom crush facility and contract winery in the province, and later pioneering concrete tanks for wine production.
Winemaker Matt Dumayne.
mat tanks; designed to lie on their sides, exactly like traditionally made sparkling wine is aged.
Orchard & Vine: 60 Years of Innovation To celebrate our 60th Anniversay Orchard & Vine magazine is reprinting a few of our historical articles and ads that highlight how the industry has changed. Below is a story on the new computer at BC Tree Fruits, the Model 30, which could perform up to 34,500 instructions per second, with memory from 8 to 64 KB, pretty powerful for the 60's. Check out the selection of ads for equipment as well as an article on the introduction of the bulk bin for apples and photos of a new packing line. B.C. ORCHARDIST JULY 1968
Making his first official visit in his constituency as a Federal Member of Parliament, Bruce Howard M.P. (left) Liberal member for the Okanagan Boundary riding visited B.C. Tree Fruits Limited recently. He is shown with Eric W.Moore (centre), General Manager B.C. Tree Fruits, and Glenn S. Knight, Systems and Data processing Manager, as they look at the console of the recently installed IBM System 360 Model 30 Computer.
TREE FRUIT GETS NEW COMPUTER In keeping with its policy of inovation and constant improvements in business and marketing practices, the B.C. tree fruit industy once again upgraded its data processing facilities with the recent installation of an IBM System 360, Model 30, announced Eric W. Moore, General Manager of B.C Tree Fruits Limited. "We have been leaders among the world's primary food producer groups in integrating
computer technology in our marketing and business management functions," said Mr. Moore. "However, our own developments have been so rapid, and our forecast of future requirements and opportunities are such that 15 months ago we committed ourselves to upgrade our computer. as market stimulation will prove immeasurable value to the financial well being of our grower body," he said.
Netherlanders touring the Okanagan didn't miss a thing — Cameras and notebooks were standard equipment. B.C. ORCHARDIST NOVEMBER 1965
Innovation 2019 23
For the Best in Orchard Equipment!
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24 Innovation 2019
Pul-tank 200 gal. gun sprayers from $580.00 Pul-tank 200 gal. blower equipped sprayers from $925.00 Tree-Hole P.T.O. Augers, 24” from $150.00 Tre Hoe P.T.O. for cultivating around trees from $575.00 Steel Squirrels, compressor equipped to power limblopper pruning tools, from only $1781.00 Fork Lifts for handling bulk bins, from $75.00 Cutwell Aluminum Pole Pruners, Loppers, Telescopic Saws, Hand Saws $150.00 Offset Rotary Orchard Mowers Tree Tie Machine — cheaper, quicker, easier, better than propping, only $199.95 Wisconsin Engine distributors — complete stock of parts on hand Fruit Tree Pollens for all varieties Please send complete information on items checked
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INTRODUCTION OF THE BULK BIN Dr. James Marshall, "the father of concentrate spraying," former entomologist at Summerland Research Station, now retired, has followed a simple precept in his years as a much travelled scientist. If he saw something that looked promising, regardless of whether it applied to his specialized field, he asked himself, "will it work to advantage in the Okanagan?" On loan to Australia, Dr. Marshall studied the Australian growers' use of the build bin in harvest operations. The more he studied it the more convinced he became that it could be a "godsend" for the B.C. grower. On his return he stumped the Southern Interior Tree Fruit belt, preaching the gospel of the bulk bin. He sold growers on the idea to the extent that at the BCFGA Convention they authorized that a committee be sent "Down Under" to study the Australian and New Zealand use of the bulk bin. The committee returned favorably impressed with the basic principles but somewhat apprehensive of the costs of a change-over from bin to box.
Seeing how they do it "Down Under". A team of four men representing the industry and government agricultural department, were sent "Down Under" to study the use of the bulk bin in 1957. Picture above shows the investigating team looking over a bulk bin load of apples. From left to right, W.F.Morton, district horticulturist, Kelowna; Dr. Stan Porritt of the Summerland Research Station; V.E. Ellison, packinghouse representative and Don Sutherland of B.C.Tree Fruits, Note the huge wheel mounted bin.
The 25 bushel bulk bin has many advantages over the one bushel picking box. It can be handled easier and it requires less storage space. One tier of eight bulk bins contains more fruit than the entire stack of 192 bushel boxes shown piled beside the bulk bins.
GORMAN EXPANDING IN CONTAINER FIELD The container business is big business with Gorman Lumber & Box Ltd. The Gorman Brothers opened their mill operations just south of Westbank in 1950. In 1959 they got into the bulk bin business and today bulk bin manufacture represents 50 percent of their business. Gorman's build between 60,000 and 70,000 bins a year with a large percentage going to the United States.
Innovation 2019 25
Over Half of 1967 Apple Crop Waxed
Introduced in the Fall of 1966 the waxing machine is rapidly becoming standard equipment in B.C. Southern Interior packinghouses. Picture above shows one of the first waxers, a Van Doren, installed at the Laurel Co-op Packinghouse, Kelowna.
Packinghouses in Continuous Process of Change to Keep Pace With Modern Marketing
In the days of yore — an old time packing shed. Bench packing at the Kelowna Farmers' Exchange, west end of Bernard Avenue, Kelowna. Cost of getting almost any kind of product from the producer to the consumer is the big factor in establishing the final price to consumer. Tree fruit growers are painfully aware of this as they scan their own returns 26 Innovation 2019
A 'modern' packing line. and compare them with the end price of their product on the retail market. From the time the apple starts its journey from the Orchard to the market it accumulates costs like a snowball rolled in the snow.
Diversification at Driediger Farms
New Challenges Continue To Push Berry Growers To Find Ways To Do More With Less By Ronda Payne Doesn’t everyone want to do more with less? Greater yields with less inputs? Yes please! Higher returns on less time invested in the field? Absolutely! This desire to do more with less has led to many advancements in farming. Berry growers, like Rhonda Driediger of Driediger Farms, have always strived for improvements, but doing more with less has shifted from a desire to a necessity in today’s environment.
Photo by Ronda Payne
Driediger Farms started in 1964 and has always been a family-run business with ownership shifting among family members over time. Driediger and her husband Peter Olson bought in, in the 1990s, then eventually acquired full ownership. The operation began as a 10-acre strawberry farm then grew to a peak of 250 acres. In the early 1980s, the family started into raspberries, then in the late 1980s blueberries came on line as a few acres of bushes were transplanted from a nearby farm. Now, at 160 acres, Driediger Farms has 95 acres of
Innovation 2019 27
Just getting labour is a problem… Raspberries, we machine-pick because no one wants to pick raspberries – it’s more physically demanding – and the quality is so much better. Rhonda Driediger blueberries, 23 acres of raspberries and 16 acres of high-density strawberries as well as smaller amounts of blackberries and red currants. This is in addition to fallow land, houses, buildings and roadways. Plus, there’s the road-side market that has doubled in size in recent years. “In 2013 we doubled the size of it, to about 3,000 square feet,” Driediger says. “We try to find as many new or up-andcoming BC products. Like the goat’s milk soap we have. We order it a couple of times a year.” The market allows the farm to offer a range of products that position it as more than a place to get great berries – it’s also somewhere to buy produce, eggs, ice cream, baked goods, artisan creations and specialty gift items. Making the market a destination also allows for an increased per-customer sale at the till.
The Driedigers have always recognized the need to innovate to stay at the forefront of the industry. “Back in the 70s my mom started a Upick,” she says. “And we started having an on-farm market. Then we started doing more fresh to consumer [berries] and less [processing] berries.” The processing berries continued to decline and the family ramped up their plans for fresh varieties in the fields. In the mid 90’s Driediger’s brothers started doing blueberry packing and she came on board in 1997. “Shortly after I got here, the blueberry co-op went under,” she says. “There was just more and more blueberries being planted. It was an opportunity to do more value-added.” Berry fields on the Driediger Farms property.
Photos by Ronda Payne
“The market used to be a third of our
income and now it’s one-fifteenth of our income even though it’s doubled what it was in the late 90s,” she says.
Beehives on the Driediger Farms property. 28 Innovation 2019
Rhonda Driediger at the IQF tunnel.
In 2006/2007, the Driedigers started packing more berries.
a ground-mounted trampoline) so that parents can relax while kids are busy.
“In 2010 we started building a new fresh plant, finished that in 2011,” she says. “In 2012 we built a freezer ready for use in 2013. That was the first year we ran our IQF tunnel. It was a lot of trial and error.”
She doesn’t see Driediger Farms becoming an agri-tourism stop like those with a petting zoo, hayrides and cafe, but instead, sees the market and U-pick aspects of the business as a shorter break in someone’s day where they can enjoy themselves while purchasing fruit and other items.
Today, Driediger Farms continues to fresh pack blueberries and also does IQF strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. The company provides pitting and IQF for dark sweet cherries for Okanagan growers as well. The IQF portion of the business is mostly blueberries and cherries. On the consumer-facing side of the business, families come to the market or the U-pick fields and may want to enjoy an ice cream at the picnic benches in the shade. Driediger added a playground area with a giant bouncing pillow (like
“We want to stay current and we want to add events and have an event structure,” she adds. Events are an extension to the business without having to add more capitalheavy investments. Some of these include the Mad Hatter Tea Party supporting Langley Hospice, a summer festival which raises money for Langley’s Tiny Kittens Society and plans for long-table dinners. Innovation 2019 29
Growth and change has also come to Driedigers, and throughout the industry, via automation. “Obviously the cost of labour has been horrendous, so there’s more mechanization,” she says. “Not just around harvest, but also in the plant.” The operation now uses laser sorters to help keep in-plant costs down and as Driediger notes, the quality of automated harvesting machines has grown exponentially better. “I’d say the valley is 60 per cent machinepicked for blueberries,” she says. “That was unheard of 10 years ago. Raspberries, we machine-pick because not one wants to pick raspberries – it’s more physically demanding – and the quality is so much better.” Part of the benefit of automation has come from growers learning to adjust and use their machines more efficiently for specific crops.
The high-density strawberry fields is another way to do more with less and Driediger says they are still learning how to manage this compacted crop at harvest time. “We needed to grow more strawberries per acre,” she says, adding that increasing the number of plants per acre is essential to viability. What was once 11,000 plants per acre is now 19,000 plants per acre on hills, in plastic. “They’re all on drip irrigation, so water use is way, way down,” she notes. “Plus there’s no dirt on the berries so all the berries we grow are saleable.” Additionally, less water and plasticcovered hills means less weeds and less chemicals. “Our fertilizer for the whole farm is all now custom-blended per crop, per field,” she explains. “We only apply what the plant needs.” She adds that chemical companies are striving to come up with softer products that are more targeted and can be applied once rather than through multiple 30 Innovation 2019
Photo by Ronda Payne
“Just getting labour is a problem,” she adds. “We bring in Mexican workers under the SAWP program. They’re running the harvesting machines and sorting machines in the plant.” Rhonda Driediger and members of the Driediger Farms team.
applications. This works to reduce labour, chemical costs and helps pollinators. “We have an IPM system we’ve used for almost 30 years now,” she says. “There’s not enough trained people though.” Driediger recognizes that it’s hard for growers to get Integrated Pest Management specialists on their farms with the number of specialists in the occupation working at, or near, capacity. She is able to maintain a healthy ecosystem on the farm for about $6,000 a year. The results of what the IPM specialists learn at Driedigers is collated into a mass report to help other growers and IPM specialists understand what’s happening in the industry. Another area that is seeing innovation and improvement is the berry breeding programs, especially work in blueberries. She notes that BC Berry Cultivar Development Inc. research scientist Michael Dossett is doing great work. “We’ve always gotten plants out of Michigan’s breeding program or Oregon
State,” she says, adding, those varieties weren’t always successful in the Lower Mainland because the conditions are different. “We’ve always had a breeding program for strawberries and raspberries, so it’s important for blueberries.” Dreidiger continues to make changes at the farm and notes that growers need to keep, “looking at how something will be better for staff, for you, for the crop, and then make those changes.” For example, improvements made on her strawberry procedures have made it so that a flat very seldom needs to be checked when it comes in. “They’re picked right into their containers,” she says. “By the time it gets to the market, [that work of checking] has already been done.” Innovation is key for the survival of berry growers, but the truth is that it always has been. New ideas will continue to be found and shared to improve the industry no matter what shape it takes in the future. ■
Branding the Farm
By Tom Walker One day last year, Rutland fruit grower Karmjit (Karm) Gill called over the fence into the vineyard of his neighbour, Anthony Lewis. “Hey Tony, can you make me some apple juice?”
Photos by Tom Walker
Karm is a top apple and cherry producer, farming 120 acres, shipping to BC Tree Fruits Coop and serving on the board of the BC Fruit Growers Association. Tony tends grapes on a neighbouring property and crafts wines for The Vibrant Vine, known for the success of “Oops” (when the label goes on the bottle upside down, make it into a positive story and win Platinum at the World Beverage Competition). The families go back a while. Tony came up from California over 10 years ago to help his dad plant grapes on a former lease property of Karm’s. “Karm would yell at me when I was putting in the irrigation wrong,” Tony jokes. The families kept in touch.
Innovation 2019 31
The whole industry is locked in the commodity world right now… there is a future in farming, you build a brand and do value added products. Avi Gill When you take a strong family orchard business and mix it with a strong family winery business known for their marketing flair, you get “Farming Karma”. “When we buy milk, most of us reach for what is closest on the shelf, but when you buy a phone, it’s all about the brand, the name,” Karm’s son Avi Gill points out. “So we came up with the brand 'Farming Karma', a play on my dad’s name.” Farming Karma sits on a corner property on the Rutland bench. The site was approved for a fruit stand, but during family meetings they began to develop a bigger vision. Avi has a pharmacy degree, and was managing a pharmacy in the Rutland village. He’d kept his eye on the farm and the question came up, “Hey dad, what happens when you retire.” “I wanted to be involved in the farm area, but I wanted to change the way farming is done,” Avi explains. “The whole industry is locked in a commodity world right now. We want our apples to be known as Farming Karma apples.” It is well known that the next generation is not following their aging farming parents. “How do you solve that issue? Who is going to pick those farms up? questions Avi. “I know a lot of older farmers who are just looking to sell land.” “We as a team (the Gills have hired Tony as their CEO) realize hey, there is a future in farming,” says Avi. “You build a brand and do value added products.” “We want to do two things here,” says Avi, “We want to add value to our fruit and we want to make farming more exciting to the public,” “At first I thought Karm was talking about getting in a mobile press and doing box juice,” says Tony. “But when I met with the family they said no, they wanted something more.” Something more began as apple juice 32 Innovation 2019
in a can. “I suggested we make apple soda, that hasn’t been done before and it makes it fun for me,” Tony explains. “I’ve always wanted to put wine in a can and after 10 years we finally did it at the winery.” “Nobody has done apple juice in a can,” Tony says. “There’s a lot of reasons why, a lot of challenges, but we are doing it!” Avi says he feels like he is back in the chemistry lab at UBC. “I told my dad, no problem, we will crush these apples and put them in a can,” he says. “But if you look over at my desk, I have sulphur tests and Ph tests and sugar tests. I thought I’d left that all behind.” Apple soda is their first product, and will be distributed to retail across the country and available at their own store. At the same time, a mini home brew cider kit will be launched, that turns 2 liters of apple juice into a sparkling alcoholic cider in just seven days. “That’s going to be available direct on Amazon FBA,” Tony explains.
Avi Gill behind the scenes at Farming Karma in Kelowna.
Coming up for the summer months will be cherry and apple juice pops. “We are doing these 100% natural, using some ice wine making techniques,” says Tony. “Basically it’s a frozen cherry, but we have extracted a certain amount of water. It’s going to be really good.” The company won’t be going organic, but they have their eye on environmental sustainability. “We got to go to the American packaging summit this winter,” Tony explains. ‘I thought the big names like Coca Cola would be talking about their latest packaging lines, but the biggest topic was waste.” Even the small juice pressing facility the team is building produces a lot of water waste. “We’ve looked at strategies to reduce our water use,” says Tony. “We have attached an air knife to clean our juice pressing machine and we’ve consid-
Inside Farming Karma.
ered our fruit waste as well.” The team is building an apple core machine and are sourcing a cherry de stoner. “With the seeds removed, we can process the pulp left over from the juicing into fruit leathers and ‘froodles’ (fruit noodles) and keep it out of the landfill,” Tony explains. Adding value to his father’s commodities will help Avi to sustain the family business, but he wants to do more for the greater farming community. Avi says he didn’t meet one person during his university days who was interested in being a farmer. ”We want to educate people about what farming is and to do that, we are building a full agri tourism site.” There’s a disc golf course designed by the world champion from Toronto that runs through the cherry orchard. And there are TV’s in the retail shop and head sets for a self-guided tour. “We want to show kids and adults how an apple or a cherry is planted and irrigated and pruned and harvested,” says Avi. “Hopefully we can inspire the next generation into being a farmer.”
Photos by Tom Walker
“We’re going to do that by telling our story,” adds Tony. “Karm came here from India with like 20 bucks in his pocket and look what he has built. This is a story I am proud to be involved with.” ■
Anthony Lewis, the CEO, and Avi Gill.
Innovation 2019 33
EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE WINES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA From humble beginnings, to an impressive array of award-winning wines from multiple regions, we’ve taken incredible strides making exceptional wines from our unique BC terroir. All the history, hard work and wisdom adds up to wines that people everywhere can enjoy.
1920
1850
1921 Growers’ Wine Company of Victoria uses loganberries and then labrusca grapes for wine production.
1859 Father Charles Pandosy plants vines at the Oblate Mission in Kelowna.
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1
1927 J.W. Hughes planted vineyards in the Kelowna area at what is now Tantalus Vineyards.
1930
A RICH TERROIR WITH A RICH HISTORY. 34 Innovation 2019
1900
1930–1960 Extensive planting of labrusca varietals. 1932 Calona opens as the first commercial winery in the Okanagan.
1907 Earliest record of a serious attempt at grape production in Salmon Arm by W.J. Wilcox.
3
1910
1912–22 Canadian Prohibition.
1960
1962 The first French hybrids are planted by the Stewart and Capozzi families. 1966 Total BC vineyard plantings reach 2,000 acres.
Photos courtesy of the Kelowna Public Archives: 1. KPA#1886, 2. KPA#8727, 3. KPA#8590 Additional photo credits: 4. Oliver & District Heritage Society, 5. Mike Klassen
2010 2000 2003 Sales of BC VQA Wine in BC top $63 million CAD. An estimated 81 wineries in operation.
1970
1990
1974 The federal government brings in 4,000 vinifera vines to experiment with new varieties at 18 different sites.
1990 VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) standards are put into place in BC.
1977–1982 Becker Project: 33 vinifera varieties are proven to ripen and produce premium-quality wines in the Okanagan – a turning point for the local industry.
1994 BC wines begin to win awards. Mission Hill Family Estate’s Grand Reserve Chardonnay 1992 wins the Avery Trophy for Best Chardonnay in the World at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, stunning the wine world.
1980 1984 13 wineries in operation in BC.
1995 An estimated 30 wineries are in operation in BC. 1998 Sales of BC VQA Wine in BC top $40 million CAD.
2014 BC now boasts over 230 grape wineries and sales of BC VQA Wine exceed $220 million CAD. 2015 Golden Mile Bench named as BC’s first sub-appellation. BC VQA celebrates 25 years of excellence! 5
2011 There are now over 200 grape wineries in British Columbia. BC VQA Wine sales exceed $196 million CAD. 2012 Summerhill Pyramid Winery becomes the first vineyard in BC to receive their Biodynamic Demeter Certification.
1992 In their first year, sales of BC VQA Wine in BC top $6 million CAD. 4
1988 The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) opens the market and applies pressure to focus on quality. Roughly 2,400 acres of labrusca and French hybrids are removed, leaving 1,000 acres of premium vinifera vines.
2004 Awards and medals continue, with Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate’s winemaker Bruce Nicholson being named Winemaker of the Year at the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition.
2010 Summerhill Pyramid Winery recieves the trophy for Best Bottle Fermented Sparkling Wine at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, a first for a Canadian winery.
2016 The provincial government announces new regulations for creating sub-appellations in BC. 5
2005 Sales of BC VQA Wine in BC top $120 million CAD. BC VQA Wine becomes the numberone-selling premium wine category in the province for the first time ahead of all other wine-importing countries. An estimated 81 wineries in operation. 2006 Sales of BC VQA Wine in BC surpass $134 million CAD. 133 wineries in operation. Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate’s Grand Reserve Shiraz wins the prestigious Shiraz/Syrah of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London – a first ever for a North American winery. 2009 Sales of BC VQA Wine in BC surpass $166 million CAD. 174 wineries in operation.
2013 Mission Hill Family Estate Winery receives an International Trophy for Best Pinot Noir under £15 at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. This is the first time a Canadian winery has won an international trophy at these awards.
2017 Canadian wine and grape industry research study shows the BC Wine industry contributes $2.8 billion annually to BC’s economy, and draws one million visitors generating $600 million. 2018 The provincial government announces four new appellations: Thompson Valley, Shuswap, Lillooet, and Kootenays. Okanagan Falls named BC’s second sub-appellation. Innovation 2019 35
Hail Covers On Trial at Vernon Orchard Summerland company Farm Solutions.net are working with Vernon-based Davison Orchards on a trial installation of hail covers at a Davison property just northwest of Vernon. With the assistance of a $128,000 Canadian Agriculture Partnership (CAP) grant, Farm Solutions has just completed installing hail netting to cover10 acres of Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Galas. An adjacent 10-acre block will serve as control. “I’ve seen the covers being used in France, New Zealand and Washington state,” says Tom Davison. “They are useful for hail protection, but it also improves the growing conditions for the apples.” The open weave polymer nets might allow some small hail stones through, but they minimize the impact damage. “Honeycrisp are a difficult apple to grow well,” says Davison. “But they are a favourite with our customers.” The high value apple is a winner for the agri- tourism farm and protecting them makes good business sense.
Honeycrisps get stressed in really high heat, Davison explains, and the hail nets will give them some shade and lower soil temperatures. “It will also help protect them from sunburn and help reduce water use,” he adds. “We are really trying to be as leading edge as we can in trying to figure the best way to grow these apples.” Joel Carter of Farm Solutions says the company imports the covers from New Zealand and has about 400 acres installed in Washington state. This is their first site in BC. His quote for the installation was $16,500 Cdn per acre. The covers reduce sun penetration by about 17 per cent, Carter explains, and that can reduce the amount of sunburn damage in an orchard, something that Honeycrisp is particularly susceptible to. “I’ve seen over 20 per cent sunburn loss in Washington,” says Carter. “Growers can use protective coating sprays, but they are expensive and a problem to remove at the packing house.” “If you have that 20 per cent
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Hail covers at a Davison property northwest of Vernon.
loss in Honeys, the structures pay themselves off in two to three years,” says Carter. “And they pay for themselves twice over if you ever get hail.” The covers also slow down the swings in temperature. “The maximum temperature could be 32 instead of 34 and it could take a few more hours to reach that peak in the day time,” explains Carter. “That could give the tree a longer period of ideal growing conditions,” Other advantages could be reduced spray drift as well as reducing the need for overhead watering for cooling. Carter says workers prefer to be under the shade. “Two
Photos by Tom Walker
By Tom Walker
years ago in Washington they had over 100 days with temps over 38C!” The covers remain on the post and wire system year-round. Carter says an experienced two-person crew can roll up and wrap the 10 acres in two days in the fall and take about the same time to spread them out in the spring after blossoming. ■
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UltraViolet Light Benefits Berries and Grapes UBC researchers are studying pulsed UV light to help control agricultural diseases and bacteria. By Ronda Payne
UV light has been used in agriculture and food production for a number of years for its germicidal and disinfection abilities. Now, UV treatments have been shown to reduce decay caused by common post-harvest pathogens. Many studies have been done with UV-C light to control grain pests and fungus and provide delayed ripening among other benefits. UV-C light controls powdery mildew through denaturation (modifying the molecular structure of its protein) which causes damage at the DNA level of the disease. Other pathogens UV light can completely kill include: botrytis (bud mold), Pepino, Clavibacter (cause of bacterial canker), Mycosphaerella (cause of black leaf streak) and Fusarium. Decay caused by common postharvest pathogens like Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus stolonifer, mo-
Photos contributed
Different wavelengths of light are able to reduce or eliminate a variety of agricultural diseases, bacteria and pests preand post-harvest. Anubhav Singh, assistant professor in food processing with UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, believes Canadian agriculture could see UV light installations for this purpose as early as 2024. UV treatments have been shown to reduce decay caused by common post-harvest pathogens.
nilinia fructigena and others has been reduced through UV treatments. Apples, peaches, strawberries, boysenberries, grapes and other produce have seen effective control of post-harvest decay through UV-C treatments. Singh has been working with pulsed UV light since 2014 as a pre-harvest and post-harvest treatment. Part of the study compares pulsed UV light with regular, continuous UV-C and UV-B lamps. Singh isn’t the only Canadian researcher studying UV in food and berries. He notes that many others have done work on the subject before including other studies on pulsed UV light.
Red grapes being studied.
“Pulsed UV light is equivalent to giving a high intensity dosage, but in pulses,” he explains. “Producing pulsed UV-only light
is tough, so we produce a high-intensity white light, about 10,000 times the intensity of normal sunlight, containing UV,
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Photo contributed
Grapes treated at different intensities, Left (untreated); right (treated).
visible and IR regions, so we get a magnified effect of all regions.” Singh notes the study of UV light is important to growers and the food industry because it is a natural way to eliminate the need for other control products during handling and processing of agricultural products. “Our current focus is on blueberries and grapes and wine,” he says. The BC Blueberry Council is funding Singh’s work into UV light and control of common blueberry issues.
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Pulsed UV light treatments on post-harvest white grapes and current studies of red grapes are showing great promise. Singh’s testing shows no significant detrimental effects on the physical chemistry or sensory parameters of the grapes following treatment. The treated white grapes appear to have far less deterioration than the untreated grapes. “The positive effects of UV are quite dominant and well-established in literature. Its application will reduce use of pesticides and fungicides, which is what the consumer wants now due to the demand of natural and organic food products,” he notes. “The effectiveness is quite high and generally a dosage of about three to five kJ [kilojoules] per meter squared is considered sufficient for controlling disease and pests, although it does depend on the berry types and if light was able to reach the location where these pests are available.” Additionally, water cleaning generally can’t penetrate microbe biofilms, yet the high intensity pulsed UV light does, allowing for better cleaning of tools used to process agricultural products. Given that UV is light and can be applied at any stage of the food lifecycle from plants to harvested produce, it seems as though growers will be ready to embrace this new technology. “We are slowly seeing that they are adopting and right now investing in this type of study,” says Singh. “I am sure we will start seeing Canadian installations of UV lights by 2024 or so. I am unsure though, if there would be any regulatory concerns. I also believe that food processing machinery will start integrating UV light into its cleaning cycle in the near future.” Applications could be as simple as adding lighting systems in greenhouses or outdoor lamp-posts with UV lights. ■
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A.O. Wilson – From Seed to Bottle A successful vineyard requires a winemaker with knowledge, passion and hard work in the fields to create an outstanding and memorable wine. At A.O. Wilson, we have a long history of these same qualities that have made us a trusted source for every winemaker’s processing and packaging needs in the industry.
In 1945, he saw that there was a demand in the brewing industry that needed to be met. The industry was booming, largely due to the fact that Prohibition in the U.S. had come to an end and had been over in Canada since the 1920’s. Since then, we have steadily grown, evolved and transformed into a 100 per cent Canadian business that we continue to be proud of today.
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Just as a winery is born from a single grape seedling, we have been growing for nearly 75 years to where we are today, born from a single idea by the founder, A.O. Wilson himself.
The old AO Wilson warehouse.
ers across the country and A.O. Wilson grew alongside them.
Similar to the attention that winemakers must pay to their vines, by providing plenty of room for growth, pruning and watering their fruit, we have always paid great attention to the needs of the industry.
By building partnerships with key leaders in the area, we were able to assist the growth of small wineries in Canada by offering the same technological advantages possessed by already-established wineries. This edge helped newcomers deal with the various challenges unique to Canada, such as its colder climate and growing conditions.
The 1970s were a huge period of growth for wineries in Canada. It was during this time that A.O. Wilson began to expand into this sector, with the younger A.R. Wilson taking a major role alongside his father. There was a reason for this shift in focus. After prohibition, Canada had issued a moratorium on new winery licenses, but the act was re-pealed in 1974. This led to the sudden rise of winemak-
As technology for the wine industry has advanced, we have stayed with it every step of the way. During the early 1980s, the Canadian brewing industry was almost entirely controlled by its three largest companies: Molson, Labatt and Carling O’Keefe. There was not much variety and, as a result, beer lovers began to get tired of the available styles. Local brewpubs started to open, particularly
in BC and Ontario, selling hoppier beers, stouts and more creative flavours to the public.
A.O. Wilson
A.R. Wilson
Graham Wilson
The rise of craft beer began in the early 1990s and continues to be a trend within the beverage industry today. Buying from micro-breweries is an idea that aligns closely with the values of the modern consumer, who place a premium on Innovation 2019 39
locally-sourced food and drink. The same holds true for a growing number of craft distilleries and cideries offering world class, premium products. For all size businesses, A.O. Wilson’s inventory and experience continues to provide a “one stop shop” resource that can be relied upon in any scenario. At the start of the new millennium, R. Graham Wilson took over the business from his father, bringing a third generation of leadership and transitioning A.O. Wilson into this new era. Just as grape vines have the ability to produce versatile fruits, we have expanded our product range of closures, capsules, equipment, enology and sanitation prod-ucts, filtration equipment and media. Since many of our products come from overseas, we maintain a huge inventory in our 20,000+ square foot warehouse facility, located in Erin, Ontario. We love our customers so much that we also do regular deliveries to the Niagara Region, GTA and in the busy months, Prince Edward County - free of charge.
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Our greatest achievements are the strong partnerships that we’ve formed between international suppliers and local producers. The quality of these products is an advantage we pass on to our customers within Canada. Family-owned and operated, A.O. Wilson brings a personal touch, generations of expertise, and the reliability that comes along with that legacy. There is no greater pleasure than seeing the fruits of your labour. For a winemaker, that is drinking a glass of deliciously crafted wine and for us, it is seeing that wine in a beautiful package that includes one of our products. Growing alongside our customers since 1945 is truly our greatest compliment. ■ You can check out our ever expanding range of products to the food and beverage industry on our e-commerce site at www.aowilson.ca or call us tollfree at 1-855-857-1511 and speak to one of our qualified customer service team members.
ARE YOU MOVING? Send us an email to change your address. info@orchardandvine.net 40 Innovation 2019
SAFETY TIPS | WORKSAFE BC
New Safety Resources For Craft-Brewery Industry
W
orkSafeBC is providing new health and safety resources for B.C.’s craft-brewery industry to help reduce injuries and incidents.
These educational resources build on WorkSafeBC’s prevention efforts to protect workers in craft brewing. Since 2017, as part of its Confined Space Initiative, WorkSafeBC prevention officers have inspected 91 craft-brewery locations and issued 177 orders related to
regulatory-compliance violations around confined spaces. ■ Learn more at worksafebc.com/ craftbrewing and the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC: safetyalliancebc. ca
The industry has tripled in size over the past ten years, growing from 54 employers to more than 160. With rapid growth of a new industry, the risk of workplace hazards can increase. From 2008 to 2017, there were 284 accepted time-loss claims for injuries in craft breweries and distilleries. The types of incidents most frequently resulting in injury included falls, overexertion, struck-by objects, repetitive motion, and exposure to heat and cold. Workers aged 25-34 accounted for the highest percentage of workers injured. “Craft-beer brewing is a complex process that involves multiple stages of production,” says Megan Martin, WorkSafeBC manager, Industry and Labour Services. “We know brewers and distillers spend a lot of time and effort focusing on the quality of their products, and we want to make sure they produce them safely.” To assist brewery and distillery employers with their health and safety programs, WorkSafeBC has published a new guide, posters, and a video featuring the Red Truck Beer Company’s approach to safety. These resources address hazards specific to craft-brewing and distilling processes, including confined spaces and carbon dioxide. Two of the new craft-brewery-specific resources are posters designed for employers to display at the worksite. Carbon dioxide in alcoholic beverage manufacturing details the risks of carbon dioxide exposure, myths, symptoms, and how to prevent an exposure, and the ‘Confined spaces in Craft Breweries’ poster illustrates the danger of confined spaces in craft breweries, a list of hazards present in confined spaces, and useful tips when working in and around them.
Falls from ladders are a leading cause of injury for orchard workers. To reduce the risk of injury: • Train workers in ladder safety • Choose the right type of ladder for the job • Develop and follow safe work procedures
For resources on ladder safety, visit worksafebc.com/agriculture
Innovation 2019 41
SUSTAINABLIITY | RONALD MORRISON
Sustainability Innovation in the BC Wine Industry
Winemakers Embracing Sustainable Practices As in many other industry sectors, a new wave of modern business culture with sustainability is entering the wine making tradition and terroir. The United States, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have been among the New World wine producers charting the course toward value creation from wine sustainability. The Lodi grape growing practices in California in the early 90’s provided a starting point for what has evolved as a modern sustainability culture in the global wine industry. The Global Wine Sector Environmental Sustainability Principles of the International
Federation of Wine and Spirits introduced in 2006, recognize the dependency of the industry on natural resource aspects of solar energy, climate, water, soils and their integration with ecological processes as an imperative of sustainable practices. A slightly broader perspective was set out in 2008 with the Guidelines for Sustainable Vitiviniculture of the International Organization of Vine and Wine through a global strategy of grape production and processing systems that in addition to environmental aspects, included sustainable production for application of social and economic interests. The Concept Catches on in BC Following the direction of these early approaches, Sustainable Winegrowing BC (SWBC), a program of the BC Wine Grape Council (BCWGC), was introduced in 2010. The self-assessment program is organized into separate vineyard, winery and winery hospitality components. It provides a comprehensive
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framework from which to select and work through different elements of sustainability. There were 12 assessments submitted in 2011, increasing to 35 in 2016. With the number of licensed wineries in the province now approaching 300, there is considerable room to expand industry participation and progress in implementing the program. Sustainability in the BC wine industry has been a decade in the making and is now evolving to the certification stage. Options for sustainability certification have been studied by SWBC and a first draft certification scheme will be presented in July at the Viticulture & Enology Conference of the BCWGC. At the meeting participants will be invited to share their feedback on the proposed goals, outcomes and indicators of the program. The certification program will build on the work of the SWBC self-assessment framework and decades of experience from sustainability certification in the global
wine industry. It will reflect the trend of developing programs that are outcomes and improvement based, verified by performance related data. SWBC will launch the certification program in the spring of 2020. Through further development, more streamlined and improved assessments, certification, tracking and reporting on industry participation, there should be nothing but opportunity for vineyards and wineries to tell their good story on sustainability. Strategic Direction for the Future Recognizing the need for a long-term strategic plan for the industry, the BC Wine Institute recently released WineBC2030, a ten-year strategic plan that resulted from a year and a half of industry engagement on the vision and direction of the industry. The plan represents a ‘game changer’ for wine producers in the province. It addresses the state of change in the global wine industry and the importance of the role mil-
lennials will play, being influenced differently from previous generations. ‘Advancing Sustainability’ is one of five strategic pillars of the plan, poised as a multidisciplinary approach to support sustainability principles in all aspects of the industry from the vineyard to hospitality, tourism, education and communications. Among subject matter strategies of the plan, Strategy 7: ‘Commit to an Industry-wide Sustainability Standard’, includes objectives relating to implementing SWBC certification, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and communication of the standard to consumers, media and trade. Sustainability benefits can also be closely tied to several other strategic goals of the plan. Actual commitment, investment and capacity of the industry to respond, support, adapt and innovate accordingly will be the key challenges toward achieving the goals of the plan. The Business Case for Innovation There are two basic business strategic elements to advance sustainability for innovation - a cost strategy and a market strategy. The returns on investment in sustainability are the benefits of lower operational costs, higher quality grapes and healthier vineyards, and greater consumer attraction, particularly among the millennial generation. An additional benefit beyond costs savings is the underlying tenet toward continuous improvement in the business. It encourages greater efficiency in the use of resources and the pursuit of innovation through new practices and technologies. Considering market strategy, the exponential growth of US wine sales in Canada and threat of further for
eign competition eroding domestic market share are risks that sustainability can help to mitigate. It can create optimal business conditions to not only maintain, but to grow the domestic retail market, while also developing interests to expand into the enormous markets beyond our borders. Also part of the market strategy, sustainably produced wine can be branded setting it apart from its competitors to attract consumers and sell more wine. Sustainability then offers the opportunity to create further value as a differentiator in the market.
• Cabernet Franc • Cabernet Sauvignon • Chardonnay • Gamay • Gewürztraminer • Malbec • Merlot • Muscat Ottonel
To enable these strategies, the prerequisites include commitment to sustainability as an investment, and producer and consumer education on the value creation by sustainable wines. Industry can then better understand the ‘bigger picture’ of sustainability in its management, addressing the ‘why’ and then the ‘what’ of sustainability and building it into the branding and marketing of its wines.
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Sustainability Success Moving It Forward WineBC2030 calls for development of industry wide standards of sustainability frameworks, practices, certification and reporting. These will be dependent upon funding support and capacity building for implementation of the standards through assessment and certification. The ultimate goal is to optimize wine production and sales. It will also be important to match expectations with resources and overcome constraints of financial resources and limited capacity to support program development and implementation. Finally, the program will succeed through advanced marketing and branding efforts based on, in addition to wine quality,
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Innovation 2019 43
sustainability achievements by industry. Most wine producers would aspire to continued growth and prosperity that is possible through modern sustainability programs. This will require new insights, innovation and collaboration to promote synergies and solutions for the wine industry in BC. The quest for innovation through sustainability will hinge on close collaboration and strategic direction between grape growers, wine producers, industry associations, suppliers and distributors, leading to industry wide policies and standards for collective change over the long term. Initiatives and progress by individual growers and wineries will be spawned through success examples of others and the goal to work toward a common status for all in the industry.
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A key element of moving sustainability forward will be initiatives targeting the cross-generational dynamics of the market place and corresponding opportunities to build sustainability into branding of the industry for competitive advantage. The vast majority of the ever changing market represents some shade of green. To not integrate and talk about related sustainability initiatives can suggest that a brand is out of touch. Continually innovating, engaging with and relating to the customer base of the industry will be necessary for long term success. This can win the favour of consumers, retailers and distributors of BC wines, and build the industry in a sustainable and profitable manner at the national and global levels for the future. â–
TM
Bring your ďŹ eld to your ďŹ ngertips.
Ronald Morrison, MES, MCIP, RPP is President of Sustainability North Inc., a consultancy and advisory practice specializing in corporate sustainability, regulatory affairs and environmental planning. www.sustainabilitynorth.ca
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MARKETING MIX | LEEANN FROESE
Bring Visitors and Build Awareness with an Event erty? Are there opportunities for hands-on experience? Allowing people to get a peek at your production and what you do helps them understand that you are working hard for your finished product. In turn, they have a greater appreciation for your wine.
be wine for sale while people are on site.
O
ne way to attract visitors, build awareness for your brand, and make sales is to hold an event at your winery. You want to host an occurrence that's going to be exciting and will attract lots of bodies to your cellar door. These can be events where people pay a fee and they get an experience, or it can be something free and there will
Objectives for holding an event at the winery are both to attract newcomers and retain existing customers. People who have never heard of the winery before become inclined to explore it and taste the wines. Others who already know and love your wine will come together for a celebration and feel closer aligned with your brand as they enjoy this entertaining experience.
Another idea is to hold a fundraiser at your winery for your charity of choice. Have people pay a fee or make a donation to attend and offer them some wine and cheese or a few prizes such as one of your winery T-shirts. Fundraisers are a win-win for everyone involved: the people attending feel good about where they're putting their money because it's support-
We will start with the simplest idea, which is when people come to the winery for the kind of visitor’s experience that you give them. Do you offer tours of your production facility or the farm prop-
ing a cause, you get people into your winery to see you and ideally become a customer, and the charity that you choose benefits from your support and donation. Throughout the year, themed parties are always a favourite. Every season offers some fun reasons to get together and dress up. From the Academy Awards in the winter, to a cupid’s ball, or an Easter themed spring social to a harvest party or Halloween bash. For a more informative event, you can invite outside experts to your winery to give some sort of talk or presentation. This is an Age of Celebrity, so a well-known expert can attract and engage customers at the winery.
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Innovation 2019 45
Hold a seminar. This is a classic way to get people to taste your wine while entertaining them. You can have a formal, instructional-tutored or guided tasting led by your winemaking team or maybe a guest sommelier. You can present your story and a select lineup of your products and then offer a purchase discount to those that attended.
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To really get people excited, host a private concert with a regional band, exclusive movie showing, a VIP section at an existing community event, etc. A memorable experience is worth the effort. Other than hosting your own event, you can attach yourself to something else happening in your community such as a bike race, a marathon, or a convention. Partner up with the organizers of the other events and get them to offer the attendees a free tasting coupon or a discount on case purchases.
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46 Innovation 2019
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The kind of skills required to put on an event is someone who is organized, detail-oriented and able to coordinate things in a calm manner. They should know how to budget so they know how to make sure that the cost of the tickets covers the cost of any rentals, wine poured and staff that is going to work the event. These are just a few ideas - what do you think? Have I missed any ideas that have been successful for you in getting audiences engaged and attracting them into the winery? ■
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In order to pull off an event, you need someone with the skill who understands logistics and can see the event through from the planning phase until the end, including the promotional aspect. You can’t put together an event and just expect people to show up. To help spread the word about your event, you can work with your publicist, your social media expert, or purchase advertising in print, online or on the radio in order to drive traffic to the event. The bonus of the PR and advertising is you reel in all kinds of people, even those who can’t make it to the event.
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Leeann Froese owns Vancouver-based Town Hall Brands – a full service marketing agency that specializes in wine, food, and hospitality. See Leeann’s work at townhallbrands.com or follow online at @townhallbrands
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