August 7, 2024 - El Dorado, AR – First Financial Bank has been recognized for the second year in a row as the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA) Top Lender of 2024 in Agriculture: More than $1 billion in assets category. This prestigious recognition is given annually to honor banks that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to serving their agricultural customers. First Financial Bank has a long history of supporting the agricultural community. The bank offers farmers and ranchers a wide range of products and services, including financing for new farms, real estate purchases, equipment and building leasing options, expanding existing operations, equipment, supplies, and more. First Financial Bank is a Farmer Mac approved lender, FSA Preferred Lender in all 50 states, and approved to offer SBA 7(a) loan products under SBA’s Preferred Lender Program. The bank also has a team of experienced agribusiness lenders who provide personalized service to its agr

Do you know where your food comes from? “Food disconnect” is a term used to describe the average consumers lack of knowledge about where their food comes from and how it’s made. When it comes to wine, most people only see the finished product: what’s in their glass. For sustainable wine brands, there’s yet another level to this disconnect: While consumers name food and beverage as one of the most important industries when it comes to sustainability, more than one in four US adults said they don't know what makes a product sustainable (Morning Consult, 2022). This introduces an opportunity for sustainable winegrowers and winemakers.   Sustainability Sells! After Kathy Kelley and her colleagues at Penn State University learned about the environmental benefits of using cover crops under grapevines, they wondered if promoting this sustainable practice could be part of a marketing strategy to sell more wine. When they tested this theory with

Surveys consistently report that consumers increasingly prefer food & beverage products that are sourced, produced, and packaged sustainably. Sustainability issues factor into consumers’ purchase decisions and younger generations feel so strongly about these values that they will pay more for these products. Results also show that this trend is rising, even in the face of inflationary pressures. Examples of recent findings drive home the importance to consumers of wine producers supporting the circular economy and often reveal that this importance is growing: 55% of US consumers consider recycling and reusing products or packaging when making purchase decisions.[i] 48% said they pay attention to what the packaging is made of and how much of it is there.[ii] 86% of younger consumers (18-44) reported they were willing to pay more for products in sustainable packaging.[iii] 69% want to hear from pubs and bars about the work they’re doing to tackle plastic and packaging was

On July 21, 2022 from 9:00-10:00am PST, TricorBraun WinepPak will be hosting an industry update webinar, discussing supply chain challenges and what steps to take to overcome them! In this webinar, Mark O'Bryan, Chief Commercial Officer of TricorBraun, and Kathy Brooks, Senior Vice President of TricorBraun WinePak, will be providing all the information that will help prepare you. In this webinar, you will learn: Reasons behind supply constraints for wine packaging How to manage today's uncertainty How to take hold on leading industry capabilities to ensure consistent supply Register for our webinar and learn how to overcome today's challenging transportation, materials, and supply environment. Tune in to discover the steps you can take to ensure your continuity of supply and what we are doing to help! Click the link below to register for our July 21st webinar at 9:00am PST! WinePak Industry Update (tricorbraun.com)

Industry Update: Overcoming Supply Challenges in Wine Packaging On July 21, 2022 from 9:00-10:00am PST, TricorBraun WinepPak will be hosting an industry update webinar, discussing supply chain challenges and what steps to take to overcome them! In this webinar, Mark O'Bryan, Chief Commercial Officer of TricorBraun, and Kathy Brooks, Senior Vice President of TricorBraun WinePak, will be providing all the information that will help prepare you. In this webinar, you will learn: Reasons behind supply constraints for wine packaging How to manage today's uncertainty How to take hold on leading industry capabilities to ensure consistent supply Register for our webinar and learn how to overcome today's challenging transportation, materials, and supply environment. Tune in to discover the steps you can take to ensure your continuity of supply and what we are doing to help! Click the link below to register for our July 21st webinar at 9:00am PST! WinePak Industry Update (tricorbrau

Fiddlehead Cellars Embarks on Next Chapter with Sale of Prized Fiddlestix Vineyard

(November 24, 2021; Lompoc, CA)—After more than two decades of owning, farming and making wine from the iconic Fiddlestix Vineyard, Kathy Joseph, proprietor and winemaker of Fiddlehead Cellars, is pleased to announce the sale of her pioneering site that helped define Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The vineyard’s new owners are Justin Willett […]

Prestige Beverage Group Appoints New Leadership for Marketing and Innovation

St. Paul, Minn. – July 20, 2021 – Prestige Beverage Group is thrilled to announce a new addition to its leadership team with the hire of Kathy Reilly as Vice President of Marketing and Innovation. Most recently, Kathy was the Category Marketing Director for food, beverage, and essentials at Target Corporation. “We’re excited to add Kathy to […]