WineDirect to Commerce7: 19% Growth in Club Customization, 50% Less Support, and the End of "Batch Day" TL;DR: Faced with manual bottlenecks on WineDirect, Hill Family Estate migrated to Commerce7 to empower their members. The results were immediate: a 19% increase in customized club shipments and a 50% reduction in support volume. Most importantly, the team reclaimed 4-5 hours of manual labour per club run by allowing their customers to customize their orders online and move to fully automated background processing.  Founded by third-generation farmer Doug Hill, Hill Family Estate is a family-run operation in Napa Valley that blends deep vineyard expertise with approachable hospitality. Their winery and tasting room experiences are known for being family-friendly, intimate, and deeply rooted in the land they have farmed for decades. For Allison Negrón, DTC Manager at Hill Family Estate, the goal is always to provide a seamless, personali

Continuous fertigation is gaining traction among growers who want to promote yield and preserve crop quality. This practice involves delivering smaller, steadier doses over the course of the crop season. Instead of applying large nutrient loads at select times during the season, maintaining a consistent injection rate that aligns closely with the crops natural uptake patterns can result in waste production and support improved crop quality and yield. In some cases, applying smaller doses within individual irrigation events can also be beneficial, but the primary value comes from season-long nutrient delivery based on the crops demand.  Field Observations and Operational Benefits  Growers are reporting a wide range of benefits from adopting continuous fertigation. For instance, almond grower Nathan Heeringa has noted improvements in almond development and overall performance when fertilizer is delivered in smaller, consistent doses. This method aligns with his broader experie

Keg Shipments Are Trending Up. Are You Tapping In? We’re seeing a strong uptick in keg shipments April-June, and the wineries leaning into their wine on tap programs are driving that growth. The data is clear: when kegged wine is presented consistently across on-premise accounts, it moves and builds lasting placements. Operators continually tell us they prefer stainless steel kegs over plastic for quality, reliability, and sustainability. If kegs aren’t part of every on-premise sales conversation, now’s the time to change that. Whether for high-volume pours or premium BTG, wine in keg is delivering results. Let’s keep the momentum going. Your next great account could be one tap handle away. Request Sales Tools Wine on Tap in Tasting Rooms As the wine industry continues to innovate, more and more wineries and tasting rooms are adopting modern solutions to enhance the guest experience. Adopting a wine on tap system in your tasting room does more than improve opera

Businesses like wineries, breweries, and other manufacturers with high-strength wastewater streams generate specialized effluents. Since no two facilities or wastewater streams are exactly alike, they require proper treatment solutions tailored to their specific needs. Specialty Treatment Solutions (STS) is an industry leader in providing custom engineered wastewater treatment solutions for specialized commercial and industrial applications. We provide optimal wastewater treatment designed around the specifications of each client’s site and business needs while enhancing sustainability and meeting compliance standards. Why Is Custom Wastewater Treatment Important? Custom water treatment systems are crucial for effectively managing high-strength industrial wastewater streams with fluctuating loads and unique characteristics. They are designed around the specific treatment requirements, capacity needs, site layout, and sustainability goals of each facility. One-size-fits-all appro

Bracing for Battle: How Using War Games Can Help Bolster Wine Businesses

Develop strategies to anticipate, adapt and act before challenges become crises The wine industry is facing a storm of challenges, from declining

Bonterra Organic Estates Introduces New Winemaking Team Alongside Reimagined Label

America’s Favorite Organically Farmed Wine Enters Next Era Amid Exponential Growth Hopland, Calif. June 12, 2024 – Bolstered by 16 percent growth in the first quarter of 2024 across a […]

Decades of Dedication: A Special Tribute to Vineyard Team Members Vineyard Team, a trailblazer in sustainable viticulture, was founded on the principle of fostering sustainable stewardship. For the last 30 years, the organization has stood as a beacon for innovation, education, and community in the wine industry. As they celebrate this milestone, Vineyard Team takes immense pride in recognizing some of its longest-standing members and supporters, whose dedication and passion have been pivotal to the organization’s success. Their contributions shape the landscape of sustainable winegrowing and ensure the legacy of Vineyard Team for future generations. Steve McIntyre, one of California’s most knowledgeable viticulturists and founding member of Vineyard Team, reflects on the significance of the organization: "We felt it was really important within the wine and grape industry to not only be science-based, but also able to change and adapt to information as it was dis

WineFi Bolsters Leadership Team with Appointment of Oliver Thorpe as Operations Director

London, 18th May 2024 — WineFi, the fintech platform for fine wine investment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Oliver Thorpe as their Operations Director. Thorpe, who previously led […]

Recent statistics may have some experts predicting a less-than-rosy outlook for the global wine market this year, but since 2020, DTC sales have been bucking trends and innovators like RedChirp® are the primary reason why. RedChirp, founded by a team of SaaS entrepreneurs dedicated to helping small and medium businesses compete, specializes in helping highly regulated companies realize the efficacy and power of text messaging. Last month RedChirp released a jaw-dropping report that documented a staggering $50.6 million in non-club wine sales was generated as a direct result of SMS bulk messaging promotional campaigns in 2023. “To get that number, we analyzed data from 174 wineries that sent 4,894 bulk text messages to 4,338,837 recipients and calculated the non-club sales that resulted within 14 days of receiving the text,” explains RedChirp Founder Jennie Gilbert. “It underscores the importance of adopting this type of technology. Wineries who don’t wi