Orchard & Vine Magazine innovation Issue 2014

BC WINERIES INVEST IN NEW BRANDING & A RC H I T E C T U R E

A Century at PARC

HOPS & CRAFT BREWING

COOL APPS & WEBSITES

UFV

NEW IDEAS & INNOVATIONS

BERRY GOOD RESULTS

LOCAL LOVE

CUSTOM FOR LOCAL FOOD

FISH POOP

FERTILIZER

CRUSH

5GREEN TIPS FOR GOING

Innovation 2014 $6.95

Display Until Oct. 15, 2014 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40838008 www.orchardandvine.net

“ FCC is key to our company

growing

” .

Meb Gilani, President, Gilani Group, Calgary, Alta.

When you talk financing with FCC, we’ll listen Work with the leading lender to agriculture, agribusiness and agri-food in Canada. Let’s talk business. fccfinancing.ca

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Innovation 2014

1-855-230-6821

Inside the Innovation Issue 20

25

28

17

4 P UBLISHER'S VIEW LISA OLSON

33 A CENTURY AT PARC

6 NEW IDEAS & INNOVATIONS

37 LOW SULPHITE WINES

12 8 COOL APPS & WEBSITES FOR LOCAL FOOD 15 #BACKTOAG

39 5 TIPS FOR GOING GREEN ANGELA NAGY

16 STATE-OF-THE-ART STORAGE FACILITY OPENS CONTAINER WORLD

41 INNOVATION STARTS WITH AN OPEN MIND LEANNE FROESE

17 HOPS & CRAFT BREWING

43 ALR REVIEW PROCESS FLAWED GARY SYMONS

36 AN EXPLOSIVE PROBLEM

20 BC WINERIES INVEST IN NEW BRANDING & ARCHITECTURE

45 ONLINE EDUCATION MADE EASY SANDRA OLDFIELD

25 CUSTOM CRUSH

46 EVOLUTION GIVES RISE TO WINE KEGS AND POUCHES TRICOR BRAUN

29 UFV – BERRY GOOD RESULTS 31 LOCAL LOVE

Innovation 2014

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 PUBLISHER’S VIEW | LISA OLSON

Inspiration and Innovation

Vol. 55, No 4 Innovation 2014

W

Established in 1959

here do your great ideas or inspirations come from? I’m curious to know? Do you get your ideas while on a quite walk in nature, before bed or while driving your car or tractor?

Publisher Lisa Olson Graphic Design

Oddly enough, mine seem to come while in the shower when I’m not thinking about anything in particular, and all of a sudden a flood of ideas starts to pour into my head. Sometimes, I wish I had a washable marker so I could jot them down on the side of the shower so as not to forget. Other ideas come to me while brainstorming with customers, or if I’m talking to readers when they share their ideas, I get ideas for myself. Pretty cool, however it works!

Nowadays there seems to be an app for everything! We feature a few inside this issue that help bring the people to the local food and farmers. So get out your computer and make sure you are listed on some of these sites, they’re free!

Good ideas can flow very easily, but pulling them altogether is another story.

Sometimes multiple holdups and licens-

Contributors Michael Botner, Kim Elsasser, Leanne Froese, Angela Nagy, Darcy Nybo, Sandra Oldfield, Ronda Payne, Dona Sturmanis, Gary Symons Sales & Marketing Holly Thompson Photo by Kim Elsasser

I hope you enjoy reading about innovations and the people and products behind some of the cool ideas inside this issue. From fertilizing plants with the poop from live fish, to hop making and new winery architecture; we visited the colleges, universities, research stations and funding opportunities to bring you some inspiration.

Stephanie Symons

Circulation Email: info@orchardandvine.net Orchard & Vine Magazine Ltd. 1576 West Kelowna Road

ing setbacks make projects very time consuming and difficult. So, when you see a successful operation that looks like a fabulous endeavor, know there was a lot of hard work that went into it. I very much appreciate all the people that developed or worked on the many projects mentioned inside this issue. Well done, and congratulations to all the other silent innovators out there.

West Kelowna, B.C., V1Z 3H5 info@orchardandvine.net www.orchardandvine.net Phone: 250-769-2123 Fax: 1-866-433-3349 Orchard & Vine Magazine is published six times a year and distributed by addressed

Enjoy the magazine!

direct mail to growers, suppliers and wineries in the Okanagan, Kootenays, Fraser Valley, Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Washington State and throughout Canada.

Orchard & Vine is also available online.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40838008 Undeliverable copies should be sent to:

1576 West Kelowna Road West Kelowna, BC, V1Z 3H5

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Innovation 2014

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Innovation 2014

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New Ideas & Innovations A Little More Sparkle in Your Champagne From a company that has been producing equipment for the wine industry since 1850, comes a new innovation for the 21st Century.

Valentin is based in Champagne, France, and not surprisingly specializes in equipment for production of sparkling wine. Their bottling systems range from smaller lines for 300 bottles an hour, up to 20,000 bottle an hour production lines for the major producers in France and Spain.

One issue with sparkling wine production is that glycol was required to freeze the neck of the bottle. Now, Valentin has developed a new neck freezing machine that uses super-cooled air to freeze the bottle neck.

The company says it’s new ‘Freez’Air’ device saves producers money - since air is free but more importantly is better for the environment, as no glycol has to be disposed of.

Find out more on the company website at: www.lesmachinesvalentin.eu

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Innovation 2014

Closure Controls the Aging of Wine When a winemaker releases a complex wine meant for aging, they take into account the amount of oxygen that will get into the bottle over time, or the Oxygen Transmission Rate.

The OTR tells the winemaker how long the bottle can be aged for optimum taste … but the problem with corks is the variability between one cork and another.

Amcor now has a solution for uniform wine aging with a variation on their lineup of Stelvin wine closures.

Amcor revolutionized the wine industry when it offered Stelvin screwcaps in the 1960s; now the world’s largest packaging company has improved the offering with ‘Stelvin Inside’.

The product offers four different lines developed by Amcor that allow for four different breathability levels.

If a winemaker wants to lower the transmission of oxygen, allowing for longer aging, the 1O2 cap is the one to choose.

For rapid aging, the 7O2 allows for the maximum amount of oxygen transfer.

“Historically on the market there have been two liners,” says marketing manager Jenna Riggin. “Now we have offered four more, so we have increased the choice for winemakers, everything from the less breathable to the even more breathable.

“These liners tell you exactly what transfer rate you’ll have per day, so it increases the winemaker’s choice and gives you more options on how you make your wine. Now you have the tools to get to where you want your wine to evolve to.

Find out more at: www.amcor.com/promotion/stelvin-inside-4-new-liners-for-wine.html

Growth is Natural. Quality is Intentional.

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Nature’s Intent Calpril® and Nature’s Intent Dolopril ® neutralize acidic soils and correct calcium and magnesium deficiencies. Our full line of all natural, fast-acting products has been proven safe and effective through extensive testing.

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Get growing with Nature’s Intent Find distributors at www.naturesintent.com Email info@naturesintent.com Int’l Toll Free 877-571-3555 Scan QR Code

Innovation 2014

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New Ideas & Innovations Thunderbird Plastics Unveils Lighter, Stackable Fruit Pallets Look around any farm or fruit packer, and you’ll see one common object: wooden pallets used for moving and shipping large amounts of fruit.

But the venerable wooden pallet has its drawbacks. It’s heavy, and can get a lot heavier when wet. They’re not uniform, and as they are prone to warping, they can be difficult to stack.

Finally, they’re simply not designed to fit with the trays used by berry manufacturers for shipping.

Thunderbird Plastics has come up with a new, plastic pallet that answers all those issues.

The new Thunderbird pallets are made of a light but strong plastic that clicks into place. They can be stacked higher than wooden pallets with greater safety, and take up less room. The pallets are much lighter than wood, and don’t absorb water.

Company founder Giuseppe Nucera says the concept comes from Italy, where plastic pallets are more commonly used in a variety of industries.

“Back in Italy these pallets have been used for a long time, so we thought it would be a good idea to migrate these pallets from Italy to here, as we have the experience in the plastic injection molding business.

“One of the main advantages is that the

Supplies, equipment, and specialized items for the winemaker including:

weight is always constant, as opposed to wood which will absorb water and both rot and become heavier, and thus less predictable for transportation,” Nucera says.

Another major advantage is that Thunderbird’s existing berry trays will simply snap into place on the pallet.

“The two products go hand in hand very well,” says Nucera. “It’s been custom designed to fit the shallow berry flats we have here, so they don’t move, and it also allows for safe stacking for several meters high.

Learn more about the new Thunderbird pallets at: http://thunderbirdplastics.com/

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Innovation 2014

Detect The End of Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) The Vinmetrica SC-50 MLF Analyzer gives accurate and reliable malic acid concentration levels in wine for detecting the end of malolactic fermentation (MLF).

The all-new SC-50 MLF Analyzer from Vinmetrica is the perfect add-on to the existing SC Series device. The MLF analyzer works with the original SC100 device, the SC-100A and SC-300 devices. Through a simple BNC attachment on the top of your existing device, the MLF analyzer is able to aid the winemaker in the determination of malic acid levels in wine. The accuracy of the SC Series devices carries over into the functionality and reliability of the MLF Analyzer. With its easy to use vial insertion assembly, the MLF Analyzer gives you fool-proof readings down to 0.1g/L accuracy. The SC-50 MLF analyzer eliminates the need for paper chromatography – and it saves you time too!

All Vinmetrica products and reagents are distributed by Bosagrape Winery Supplies. http://ecom.bosagrape.com/home.php

SPECIALIZED MULCHERS FOR GRASSY VINEYARDS & ORCHARDS !

New Nestable Pallet

• General purpose pallet or custom fit for berry flats • Available in 40”X48” footprint • 2,650 lb dynamic and 8,800 lb static load capacity • 9 reinforced feet uniformly distribute the load • Ventilated deck • 4-way entry accomodates fork trucks and pallet jacks

Check out Gerard’s Equipment for any orchard or vineyard supply, located just south of Oliver on Highway 97.

• Light-weight design - 18 lb for easy lifting Berry flats, blueberry lugs, fruit/ vegetable boxes and agricultural containers made with the finest materials and available at very affordable pricing.

5592 Hwy 97 Oliver BC 250-498-2524 250-498-6231

At Thunderbird Plastics Ltd. we stand by our pledge of quality, service and on-time delivery.

Canada: Toll free: 888-77T-BIRD • United States: 503-744-9112 www.thunderbirdplastics.com

Innovation 2014

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New Ideas & Innovations Beco Protect® CS CellStream CS cartridges built with the proven BECOPAD® material Fine filtration is vital to the beverage industry, so the introduction of the new CellStream depth filter cartridge is happy news. What makes this cartridge unique is that a BECOPAD® depth filter sheet is wrapped inside to maximize the filter area and all the advantages which come with the BECOPAD® and more. It has been proven that this cartridge can be backwashed/steam sterilized for 50 cycles and more. It supplies optimum downstream membrane protection with a high retention of particles and colloids.

Now available at A.O. Wilson LTD, please call 1-855-857-1511 or 250-764-2645

Vine Tech App, for Smarter Spraying New from Vine Tech Equipment is a free smart phone app to help growers calibrate their sprayers for orchards, berries and vineyards. This app makes sprayer calibration easy by selecting your row spacing, MPH, PSI and then selecting the combination of nozzles that meet your goal of gallons per acre. The app will work for any sprayer using Teejet® nozzles. A calculator to assist in banded spraying, such as herbicide application, is also in the app.

The Vine Tech app is available for free download from iTunes and Google Play and is available for Android and Apple products.

View other products at www.vinetechequipment.com

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Wind Machines

LOWER MAINLAND OF BC AND VANCOUVER ISLAND Farmers Equipment Company 410-19th Street, Lynden, Washington Ken Sturtz & Fred Polinder Phone: 888.855.4981 (toll free) ksturtz@farmersequip.com fpolinder@farmersequip.com www.farmersequip.com OKANAGAN/THOMPSON WEB Metal Fabricators Ltd. 3650 Hwy 97 S, Osoyoos, BC Sales: Rob Webster Phone: 250-495-7245 or Cell: 250 485 8862 wmetfab@telus.net ONTARIO Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc. 40 Lakeshore Rd. RR #5, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Phone: 905-646-8085 or Toll Free: 1-866-677-4717 sales@lvequipment.ca www.lakeviewvineyardequipment.com

Outsmart Jack Frost with an Orchard-Rite® wind machine.

Innovation 2014 11

Cool Apps & Websi

By Darcy Nybo Technology for farmers isn’t limited to the big stuff like sprayers and tractors. Good things come in small packages and in this case that small package is your computer, iPhone, iPad or smart device.

We’ve highlighted a few websites and apps that will help bring consumers directly to you or your product. If you're not listed on these sites, get on them and get noticed!

BUY LOCAL, EAT NATURAL http://buylocaleatnatural.com/ What it does: Connects consumers to local BC farmers, producers, restaurants, retailers and vendors Coverage: BC How: Website and We Heart Local App on iTunes Buy Local, Eat Natural is a great app for those who want an easy way to support local. It allows consumers to search locally produced food and beverage, events and what’s in season. The app lists farmed and harvested foods within the Province of BC and any processed food, beverage or natural health product processed and packaged entirely in BC. Getting listed on this app is as easy as going to their website and filling out a form. You qualify if you are a restaurant, a retailer, a merchant, market vendor, a food truck or farm that meets minimum requirements.

LOCAVORE http://getlocavore.com/ What it does: A seasonal, local food network showcasing farms and markets Coverage: North America How: Locavore App through iTunes and GooglePlay This handy app covers it all. You can search which foods are in season, where to buy them and even how to cook them.

The app shows farms and farmers’ markets in the area and the times they are open.

Users can “follow” other users, and find local farms that sell direct as well as farmers markets. Getting listed is as easy as sending them an email to support@getlocavore.com

12 Innovation 2014

ites to Find Local Food BC ASSOCIATION OF FARMERS MARKETS http://markets.bcfarmersmarket.org/ What it does: A comprehensive listing of BC Farmers’ Markets Coverage: BC How: Website, mobile website.

Consumers can search a complete listing of BC farmers’ markets by area or market name. The site gives dates and times of openings, as well as which crops are in season and recipes to match what is available.

FARM STAND http://www.farmstandapp.com/ What it does: Connects consumers to over 8700 farmers’ markets around the world Coverage: Earth How: Website, mobile website and Farm Stand App through App Store This is a handy app for anyone who travels and wants to still eat local. This app allows users to sort through farmers’ markets by location, distance from where they are and days and times open. App users can post comments on where they are and what they’ve found.

Markets, U-picks and farm stands can add their location simply by clicking add on the app.

THE FIELD GUIDE http://www.thefieldguide.ca/ What it does: Helps plan day trips by interest; includes markets, wineries, events and agritourism Coverage: Thompson/Okanagan/Similkameen How: Website, can be viewed on smart devices It is part trip planner and part event guide for the area. Once you’ve created a trip you can save it on the site and even publish it for others to enjoy. You can also email the planned trip in order to coordinate your day with friends and family. Business participation is by membership; however you must meet certain criteria to participate.

Innovation 2014 13

More Cool Apps & Websites to Find Local Food WHAT’S AT THE MARKET http://whatsatthemarket.com What it does: Connects consumers to their local markets and products.

Coverage: BC, mostly Lower Mainland How: Website What’s at the Market™ (WATM) is a website that connects vendors to consumers by location and product through farmers’ markets. Once on the site you can look up markets in your area, pick which ones you like and subscribe to market e-newsletters.

During the market season WATM sends out a regular email reminder about the markets you follow and any special events or news. This site lets the consumer search by area market, by product or by their favourite vendor.

A great site to be registered with for those who move from market to market in BC.

SOIL MATE https://www.soilmate.com/ What it does: Links local farmers, markets, and wineries to area customers.

Coverage: Covers 40 States and 11 Provinces How: Fully responsive website that reads easily on all smart devices and computers.

Matt Gomez launched Soil Mate earlier this year because he couldn’t find a place to source good local food. The response has been great and he now has farmers, wineries and markets from across North America participating.

Soil Mate is a directory that helps buyers find local food and drink information that has been posted online by the farmers/ producers. Once on the site, you put in your location and Soil Mate searches for every farm, market or winery within a 160 km (100 miles) radius. Users can leave reviews on each market/farm/ producer and it also routes the most efficient way to hit all their choices. Soil Mate links the user to the agriculture community.

U-MAP http://maps.youngagrarians.org/ What it does: Interactive map for farmers and consumers.

Coverage: Canada and Oregon How: Website The U-Map on the Young Agrarians site is equally as useful to consumers as it is to farmers. This interactive map will show you what agriculture related businesses are in the area, events, farms, markets, and even where to find jobs, land, and information on farm business.

14 Innovation 2014

#BacktoAg

By Ronda Payne In an innovative experiment, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and the Rick Hansen Foundation launched the first component of the new Back to Ag program through social media.

Optimizing Vineyard Quality and Profits

• • • • • • •

The program is designed to provide up to $10,000 in support to farmers or agricultural workers who are Canadian citizens, 18 years of age or older and are attempting to return to work on the farm after a life-altering injury.

Marcel Hacault, executive director with CASA, explained the program has two phases, the first being the May 29 to June 13 social media launch and fundraising drive.

“It’s kind of a first,” said Hacault about the program. “It’s a bit of an experiment on all of our [CASA, FCC and the Rick Hansen Foundation] parts. For every like or share on Facebook, or a retweet or tweet with the hashtag #BacktoAg [FCC] will donate a dollar to the campaign to a maximum of $100,000.”

improves nutrient availability promotes mycorrhiza increases stress resistance optimizes vine & leaf growth reduces need for chemicals enhances quality greater income & profitability

PENERGETIC CANADA info@penergetic.ca

1-888-737-0907

www.penergetic.com

Based on his own social media accounts activity and that of CASA, Hacault feels the first step went well.

“I’m not sure what Rick Hansen [Foundation] is finding, but I’m seeing a fair bit of tweets and what not,” he said.

The second phase will be when CASA begins receiving applications through the program on Oct. 8.

Those interested in finding out more about the program can visit the CASA site at: http://casa-acsa.ca/Back_To_Ag_Program.

Innovation 2014 15

State-of-the-Art Storage Facility Opens Wineries needing temperature controlled storage in the Okanagan finally have an answer to the problem.

Commercial Logistics Inc. / ContainerWorld has expanded on their existing storage and delivery services for the beverage industry with a new, cutting edge facility in Kelowna.

“We wanted to serve the BC wine industry in a bigger way, and that is taking the form of providing a state-of-the-art, temperature controlled storage space,” says Director of Marketing and Business Development Geoff Barlow.

Prior to the opening of the new facility, Commercial Logistics & ContainerWorld provided transportation services and could also store wine and other spirits at their massive, 650,000 square foot warehouse in Richmond, BC. Now the company has expanded the operation with storage space in Kelowna, the heart of wine country.

The 40,000 square foot warehouse includes 25,000 square feet dedicated to long-term storage, with the latest in security and temperature control technology. As well, Commercial Logistics / ContainerWorld provides its customers with the ability to constantly monitor their inventory via an online inventory management system.

have their products stored in Kelowna, or shipped anywhere in the world, with a single phone call.

“It’s pretty simple,” says Barlow . “Just put in your user name and password, and you can manage your inventory 24/7 from your home or business.”

“We make it as simple as we can for the customer,” White says. “They have better things to do than worry about shipping and delivery. That’s our worry!”

There are other service providers who do offer wine storage capability in the Okanagan, but none are as modern as the new Commercial Logistics’ facility, says Commercial Logistics’ General Manager, Jim White.

The temperature controlled long-term storage facility can hold about 2,600 pallets, each with a standard 56 cases of wine.

The biggest advantage, however, is that the warehouse is part of Container World’s wider offering of transportation services as well. The company offers pickup and delivery services, so wineries can

“It’s a one-stop shop approach says Barlow. “This full service capability is a practical solution for wineries, because we keep a large fleet of trucks and have tractor trailer service up and down the valley.”

In case you’re wondering, that ‘wine cellar’ can accommodate 1.75 million bottles of wine!

For more information, go to the Container World website at: www.containerworld.com

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED

NEW KELOWNA 40,000 SQFT TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED WAREHOUSE FACILITY

With our recently completed facility in Kelowna, Commercial Logistics now offers producers in the central interior easy access to an ultra modern, fully secured warehousing facility. Linked with our Kamloops and Vancouver facilities, CLI offers the most complete warehousing and logistics network dedicated to the beverage industry. Call us and get your product moving with Commercial Logistics.

1-604-276-1300 | CONTAINERWORLD.COM | SALES & MARKETING DIRECT: 1-604-276-1308 | SALES@CONTAINERWORLD.COM

Kamloops | 15,000sqft | 250-852-4650

Kelowna | 40,000sqft

Vancouver | 650,000sqft | 1-604-276-1308

16 Innovation 2014

| 250-491-9316

A convergence of factors is fueling a resurgence of hop farming in B.C. Not the large scale producers of yore but, “small scale hop yards employing new technology that will serve the province’s craft brewers.” reports the Chilliwack Museum Hops Exhibit “Brewer’s Gold”.

The hop farming/craft brewing story is not unlike that of grape growing and the wine industry in the late 1980s, when the North American Free Trade Agreement resulted in radical surgery in the vineyards, and led to the creation of the VQA program.

The Resurgence Of

HOP FARMING The Boom in Craft Brewing is Driving Demand for Hops

By Michael Botner

Raising the standards for B.C. wine set the industry on a fast track of growth and viability in a competitive market place. Like grapes, hops add flavour (bitterness, spice, citrus, etc.) and aroma components to beer, which explains why crafts generally use more varieties and greater concentrations of hops than mass-produced brews.

HISTORY The beginning of serious hop farming in B.C. dates back to 1892 when Englishman Henry Hulbert purchased 50 acres of farmland in Sardis and planted the first successful hop-growing field in the province.

U.S. prohibition between 1920 and 1933 pushed Canadian brewing and hop growing to ever greater heights in order to supply the vast American market through illegal channels.

“By the 1940s, the Fraser Valley communities of Agassiz, near Chilliwack, and Sardis were the largest hop producing regions in the British Commonwealth,” according to Brewer’s Gold.

In the 1990s two factors contributing to B.C. hop farming’s collapse included; market focus of fewer and bigger multinational brewing companies and competition from lower cost producers in Europe, Australia and the north-west states of the U.S. China is also a growing player.

HOPS REVIVAL Given the demise of the industry, how is it that hop growing is undergoing a revival in B.C. and the rest of Canada? Basically, it is the rise of craft breweries.

“There are now over 65 craft breweries in 33 communities across B.C. that use local ingredients and traditional practices in their beer-making processes,” says Ken Beattie, the executive director of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild. “With 10 crafts opened in 2013 and the trend continuing in 2014, craft beer is on the rise in B.C,” he adds. “Crafts now account for 19% of domestic beer sales and that number will continue to increase…We are also seeing positive spin-offs through increased construction, skills training, technological production, agri-tourism and, as we look to local producers to source our ingredients, the revival of the agricultural sector.”

Innovation 2014 17

We would like to replicate what was done in Oregon…where craft beer is now a $2 billion dollar industry.

Ken Beattie

Go no further than Sorrento outside of Salmon Arm for the origins of B.C.’s current wave of hop farming. When Vancouver native Brian MacIsaac opened Crannôg Ales, a 10 acre diversified, organically-certified farm in Sorrento in 1999, before the craft beer resurgence, he vowed to “make beer the way they were before the industrial revolution.”

After running into difficulties sourcing the right kinds of hops from New Zealand and Germany, MacIsaac decided to grow his own hops on his diversified, organic farm. Starting in 2000, he has planted 400 plants comprising 14 varieties on 2 acres on 2 fields of his farm. “As we only have enough for our own production, we only bring in hops from elsewhere if we find something unique and interesting,” he says. Concerned about the environmental effects of packaging, Crannôg Ales are only available as draft beer at licensees and in growlers and reusable party pigs at the brewery. Using hard water from a well on his property, MacIsaac is willing to wager that his is the only brewery in the world on a certified organic farm with a zero-waste system.

The resurgence of craft brewing created a new demand for locally-grown hops.

18 Innovation 2014

Coupled with world shortages of hops and higher prices, growing hops started to look a lot more attractive. When interested growers turned to MacIsaac for advice, he established Left Fields to supply hop rhizomes, root cuttings of the hop vine, and hop growing information.

“It grew into an enterprise unto itself with 500 customers in Canada including home brewers and farm owners seeking more profitable uses for their land,” he says.

The first B.C. farmer to embrace hop growing’s potential was Christian Sartori, owner of Sartori Cedar Ranch, a 160 acre pig and cattle farm in Chilliwack’s Columbia Valley. “A crash in the hog market threw the future of the farm into question,” says Nick Sartori, Christian’s son. “Replacing pigs with goats provided part of the answer,” he explains.

After hail in Europe caused a shortage

This specialized tractor rig with hoists is used for picking hops

Photos by Michael Botner

To “level the playing field” for “B.C. Made” beer, Beattie looks to the VQA model and stronger government support. “Working with government, we would like to replicate what was done in Oregon…where craft beer is now a $2 billion dollar industry,” he says. A leading beer expert, Beattie knows something about hops, having “worked at the last hop farm in B.C. when it closed in 1997.” The best hops in the world, he maintains, “grow in the vicinity of the 49th parallel.” It is part of the reason for the growth in hop farms in B.C. which went from zero to a dozen or more currently.

Brian MacIsaac (right) opened Crannôg Ales, a 10 acre diversified, organically-certified farm in Sorrento, in 1999.

of hops about 7 years ago, hop farming presented a new opportunity for the Sartori family. No stranger to beer, Christian Sartori owned a restaurant in Germany and sold a lot of beer before immigrating to Canada. After consulting with hop specialist Rick Knight, the last manager of the Haas hop yard in Sardis until its demise in 1997, Christian Sartori decided to take on the challenge.

Planted about 6 years ago with 13 acres, Sartori’s commercial hop farm was the largest in Canada. Not long after, Molson Coors came knocking in search of B.C. hops for one of its iconic brews. To recreate Molson Export using John Molson’s original recipe, they needed B.C. hops, and Sartori’s Chilliwack hops more than made the grade, giving the business a big boost, both financially and in the media. No less satisfying for Nick Sartori, a craft beer aficionado, is the success of Driftwood Brewery’s Sartori Harvest IPA. The seasonal, wet-or fresh-hopped beer is the most anticipated craft brew in North America,” he says. “The hops are harvested, freshly-packed and rushed to the Driftwood in Victoria to make a beer brimming with the character – earth, water and air – of Chilliwack’s Columbia Valley.” Enthusiastic about the future of B.C.’s booming craft beer industry, the Sartoris have developed their own palletizing, he says. “We can ship 20 or 100 lb. packs by the next day in B.C. at prices that are competitive, without the complications of cross border transportation.“

Photo Courtesy of Kwantlen Polytechnic University

at Sartori’s hop farm in Chilliwack, BC.

Growth and the drip irrigation system at Hopyard 1 School of Horticulture (Urban Ecosystems) Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Other hop growers are at different stages of planning and building their operations. They include craft brewers looking to grow their own hops such as Mt. Lehman Brewery, or develop partnerships with hop growers such as Phillips Brewing Company in Victoria. Also on the list are hop supplier Hops Connect in Pemberton, Bitterbine Hop Company in Lillooet, which bills itself as the hops capital of Canada, and the Langley Campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which is adding a hop field, in conjunction with their new brewing program.

In sync with the upward curve of the craft brewing industry, B.C. hop farming is on the upswing. If the soil conditions are right and good advice or training on growing practices are available’ and local craft brewers are supportive, a hop field is an option well worth considering for B.C.’s enterprising farmers.■ Innovation 2014 19

BC WINERIES INVEST IN NEW

By Gary Symons

In the Okanagan wine business, success depends just as much on the experience you offer guests, as on the quality of the wine.

Mission Hill, for example, does produce superb wines that stand with the best in the world, but there is another and blindingly obvious reason it is the largest winery in the Valley: It’s just incredibly cool.

When visitors come to the Okanagan Valley, they’re drawn to that 12-story bell tower like moths to a flame, and they end up fluttering around the wine shop checking out a bottle or 12 at the cash register.

There is, quite simply, no better investment in a winery than the appearance and quality of the winery itself.

That philosophy is catching on in a big way throughout the Okanagan Valley as several wineries are opening wine shops and tasting rooms that are noted for their architectural flair.

Vibrant Vine in Kelowna, part of the Fab Five wine train, more than doubled the size of its wine shop and added a second tasting bar. The new space is much more open, with better light, and lets guests wander about and admire the artworks on the wall.

Vibrant Vine owner Wyn Lewis and family have been very clever with their design and branding. The architecture is downhome country, fitting in with the farming region of East Kelowna, but they adopted a very cool and absolutely unique bottle design, featuring wild, psychedelic art by Wyn’s son Phil. More of Phil’s art is sprinkled around the walls, and each piece is actually in 3D. Staff hand out 3D glasses, and guests can be seen peering myopically at each painting.

20 Innovation 2014

BRANDING & ARCHITECTURE Again, Vibrant Vine offers an experience along with their very good wine, and this is what brings people back time and again.

Kelowna’s most venerable wine establishment downtown - the headquarters of the Calona and Sandhill brands also got a major facelift in May this year.

Sandhill makes some fantastic wines, and is branding itself heavily as a single vineyard type of wine that gives oenophiles the ability to really dig into the Okanagan terroir, but their tasting room didn’t fit the bill. Old and faux-Mediterranean dowdy, it badly needed a facelift.

Instead, Sandhill gave it an entirely new face. The new wine shop rose on Richter Street as a sleek and chic tribute to urbane architecture. It fits with the demographic Sandhill wants to attract; the successful professionals who are more likely to go on a wine tour, and more likely to buy and appreciate a higher end wine.

Appearance now matches product, and Sandhill is now an attraction as well as a wine producer.

Up in Lake Country the owners of 50th Parallel have travelled a similar route.

Curtis and Sheri-Lee Turner-Krouzel hired Grant Stanley from Quail’s Gate, because they want to focus on high-end Pinot Noir. But, to attract the kind of people who really appreciate and are likely to buy a top-end Pinot by the case, they needed to upgrade the brand. So, they’re pouring some big money into a new winery designed by Zeidler Partnership and Hribar Design Group, with landscape design by Scatcliff + Miller + Murray Inc. It’s a two-year project, with the winery opening this year, and the tasting roomslash-bistro next year.

“We wanted to be a destination and an experience, and we wanted to be sure that when people are drinking 50th Parallel they remember where they drank that wine, and go back home and tell that story,” says Turner-Kreuzel. “Architecture and design is critical to the overall success of this vision.”

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean a Photo by Gary Symons

Continued on page 24

Innovation 2014 21

WINE + ART + DESIGN = AN UNFORGETTABLE FORT BERENS This daring enterprise by Dutch immigrants Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek was launched in 2005, and was the first serious winery in the Fraser Canyon.

BLUE GROUSE ESTATE WINERY The Brunner family - Paul, Christina,and their daughter Paula - are making a major investment to create a sense of place for the Vancouver Island winery.

They are rebranding the wine, created a new website, and are building a modern winery that opens its doors this fall.

The architects took inspiration for the building’s shape in their namesake, the Blue Grouse. The lovely curve of the grouse’s head and neck inspired the roofline. Inside the tasting room, a curved ceiling reminds visitors of a grouse’s belly, and the new entrance will highlight a beautiful shade of blue from the grouse’s tail feathers.

The winery is constructed using locally quarried stone and Island lumber, and uses geothermal energy for heating.

SANDHILL This venerable winery run by Kelowna legend Howard Soon celebrates its single vineyard approach to winemaking with a sleek, 8,000 square foot wine shop that opened to the public in May this year.

Clean lines and towering ceilings create a temple space for the winemaker’s art, while ‘interactive wine tours’ transport visitors to the various vineyards where Sandhills grapes are grown. The central tasting and purchasing area creates a circular aspect to the winery; you come in via the entrance, and circle around that central pillar. While the winery's style is new and modern, the wooden water tower on the roof hearkens back to the early days of the wine industry in the Okanagan.

22 Innovation 2014

With the expertise of legendary wine consultant Harry McWatters and major investment from their partners, Fort Berens has embarked on construction of a sleek, 9,500 square foot winery building, with an 1,100 square foot tasting room.

The Fort Beren’s team realized they had to turn their winery into a unique destination, and have poured $7.5 million into realizing the dream.

When complete the new winery will allow guests to view the winemaking process, and offer a gravity fed fermentation room, barrel chambers, a crush pad, wine bar and bistro. concrete lower floor of the building will be sunk into the ground to help mitigate swings in temperature and humidity in the barrel rooms. The use of materials, the orientation of the building, and an overhanging roof will help make the building as efficient as possible and help manage ongoing energy costs.”

EXPERIENCE FOR WINE TOURISTS MISSION HILL As if the Grand Dame of Canadian wineries didn’t have enough on offer, the team here has dipped into the well of their artistic inspiration and put on a whimsical display of androgynous, anonymous, but entirely charming statuary on the grounds.

50TH PARALLEL

Photo by Gary Symons

The ambitious owners of this fabulous Lake Country winery are creating a temple to the demanding Pinot Noir grape. Curtis and Sheri-Lee TurnerKrouzel hired one of the foremost practitioners of this noble wine, Grant Stanley, and put together an ambitious two-year construction timetable to create a 20,000 square foot destination winery.

Phase 1 of this elegant, chic winery will be completed this summer, while Phase 2 will open next year.

DIRTY LAUNDRY Bob Campbell and his team have always understood that the story and the experience are as important as the wine itself … and this year they have expanded on Dirty Laundry’s attractions with a massive new patio and improved wine tasting room.

The patio is constructed over a massive retaining wall that suspends visitors over a lovely vista of vineyards, mountains and Okanagan Lake.

Overhead, a sturdy trellis provides support for a decades old grape vine, shading the guests below.

Photo by Gary Symons

Cleverly, Dirty Laundry provides a wide variety of victuals for a picnic lunch (including the basket), and the patio has become incredibly popular for wine travellers dropping by for a cheese and charcuterie plate while enjoying a bottle from the wine shop.

VIBRANT VINE Vibrant Vine always had sensational designs for their bottles, and turned out some very impressive wines, but until now the tasting room itself was small and closed in.

Photo by Gary Symons

Problem solved this year, as the Kelowna winery renovated by opening up the existing structure, more than doubling in size. The result is a light and airy space, punctuated by heavy wood beams and two separate tasting bars.

Vibrant Vine’s psychedelic, 3D art lines the walls, making this space as much art gallery as tasting room.

Innovation 2014 23

BC WINERIES INVEST IN NEW BRANDING & ARCHITECTURE Continued from page 21

winery has to rebuild from the ground up. The big thing is to offer an interesting experience and a theme or brand that sets you apart.

The earthy crew at Dirty Laundry Vineyard in Summerland turned away from haute cuisine sophistication, and went straight for some bawdy, ill behaved fun.

Dirty Laundry bases its aesthetic on the historical tale of a Chinese labourer who opened a laundry in 19th Century Summerland, but found business improved substantially when he added a brothel and gambling den upstairs.

A temple to the God of Wine, the Sandhill designers went for a sleek, urban design, softened by wood roof beams and a towering ceiling. The central area is dominated by tasting bars, and guests can circumnavigate the space creating a natural flow.

Dirty Laundry is like a brothel theme park, with lady’s underthings hanging from an oversized clothing pin.

The result is one of the most pleasant places in the Okanagan to enjoy a glass of wine, and at the same time, gives one a story to take home.

This year, however, the owners also figured out that the overall experience and architecture had to improve, so they renovated the wine shop and extended a massive patio under a heavy trellis, laden with vines.

Not to be outdone, Mission Hill has again upped their game, adding a new art installation to the grounds; dozens of androgynous statues that catch the eye and make the winery experience just that much more interesting.

The Navajo people had a saying that applies to wine marketing: “Live in Beauty.” As marketing experts are now moving more heavily into BC’s burgeoning wine industry, we can expect to see in future that the winners will be the ones who incorporate a story and architectural excitement into the wine touring experience.■

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THE CUSTOM CRUSH

By Dona Sturmanis

Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad is a progressive winery that has made bold business moves, resulting in impressive accolades in the three years since it began. In 2013, it was recognized by BC Business magazine as a top innovator. The same year, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) awarded the winery its Technology & Innovation trophy.

Innovation 2014 25

Photos Contributed

Okanagan Crush Pad's cutting edge facility produces high-end wines for seven different wineries in the Okanagan Valley.

The recognition co-owner Christine Coletta is most proud of was when Okanagan Crush Pad was named 2014 Business of the Year by the Summerland Chamber of Commerce. “It is great to be so young and recognized for what we’re doing,” she says. “We’re contributing to the Summerland economy. It’s really neat to see how they support us.”

The winery’s unique 'custom crush' business model and its trademarked, egg-shaped concrete wine fermenters are the obvious innovations but there are others, and they keep coming.

Okanagan Crush Pad is co-owned by Christine with general manager Steve Lornie, who oversaw construction of the state-of-the-art winery facility. Responsible for all client branding, marketing and communications, Christine has been in the wine industry since 1990, instrumental in establishing the VQA program in BC, and working on many provincial wine brands and national marketing programs.

Christine Colletta, co-owner of Okanagan Crush Pad, seen here with the winery dog. Coletta's background in marketing allows Okanagan Crush Pad to not only help with producing wine for newer wineries, but also help them in creating their brand and their marketing plans.

The 7,750 square foot Okanagan Crush Pad Winery is located on the ten-acre Switchback Vineyard in Summerland. The thoroughly modern winemaking facility, built partially underground, is open to the public on a seasonal basis.

Okanagan Crush Pad was the first openly custom crush winemaking facility of its kind in Canada, and is the only one to do this. The team can make wine for grape growers and those who are entering the wine industry, yet also offers guidance and advice from vineyard to marketplace, to help clients establish profitable businesses.

The owners were inspired to start the crush facility to accommodate their own needs.

According to Christine, they were making 2000 cases of their own wine a year, the Haywire Pinot Gris, and using other people’s facilities to do so. “We scrambled to get people to help us,” she says. “We needed a home where we could make our own wines. And there were others who wanted to get into the wine industry and

26 Innovation 2014

didn’t know where to turn. We made our facility larger than our needs so we could rent it out to help others.”

Planning Okanagan Crush Pad took a lot of time to make sure it could legally comply with licensing for the production of wine. The result is that they can now help new wineries get into business, although they only work with wines made from VQA commercially-grown grapes.

“We have a very detailed contract with our clients,” says Christine. “In essence we own the product until it’s sold. This is a way for the government to encourage artisanal wine making, like they’ve done with cider and spirits.”

Okanagan Crush Pad offers their clients the services of the same top tier team responsible for their own wines, Haywire and Bartier Scholefield: winemakers Michael Bartier and Matt Dumayne, Tuscanbased consultant Alberto Antonini, wine expert David Scholefield and Chilean terroir specialist Pedro Parra.

“What’s key to us is that we have the best of everything – equipment, wine team and the capability of making any kind of wine,” says Christine. “We’re dedicated

to making high quality wine for our own brand and for clients as well.” Okanagan Crush Pad even helps clients in their own vineyards, making sure the grapes are optimal quality.

tion. “It’s been a lot of work but is beginning to pay off,” says Christine. “We see the balance coming back into the vineyard, the wine quality has improved leaps and bounds.”

Okanagan Crush Pad is also the first winery in Canada to extensively use concrete tanks to ferment and age their wines, which carry the Raised in Concrete™ designation on their labels. They have taken a centuries-old winemaking technology and modernized it with new features like temperature-control tubing. With a capacity for 140 cases of wine, the tanks weigh 3674 kilograms when full.

Okanagan Crush Pad’s other vineyard, 312 acres up Garnet Valley Road, was organic from the start, and was designed by terroir expert Dr. Pedro Parra.

“They are a nice, cozy place for yeast to thrive and live and good bacteria to grow,” says Christine. “We use native, not commercial yeast.”

Okanagan Crush Pad grapes come from their own vineyards and contract growers for themselves, and are also available to their clients.

Switchback Vineyard, home to roaming sheep and chickens, was not organic in the beginning, but as of May this year,has been so transformed, that the winery has applied for organic certifica-

While many Canadian wineries hope to export to China, Okanagan Crush Pad is the first in BC to launch wines specifically for the local Asian community, which comprises a third of the Lower Mainland population. They are offering specially labeled Haywire red and white wines to celebrate 2014, the Year of the Horse, and a food and wine education program for people in the food business. “We find the wines we make in the Okanagan – the lighter reds and aromatic whites – balance nicely with Asian foods.”

Christine is very pleased with Okanagan Crush Pad’s progress so far. “And most of the people working with us have been here since day one,” she says. “It’s the people who make our business, not the building.”■

It's a 'hands on' experience for Okanagan Crush Club staff, as they prepare to crush grapes on the crush pad in Summerland.

Innovation 2014 27

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Consumers increasingly base their buying decisions on a desire to support environmental sustainability. Farmers who have an implemented Environmental Farm Plan are serious about reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment. Join over 4,000 B.C. farmers and ranchers who have an Environmental Farm Plan by signing up for your on-farm visit with your local Planning Advisor today at www.bcefp.ca Do you want to improve product traceability or improve your on-farm food safety? Cost shared funding up to 90% is available for some programs. Apply online today at www.bcac.bc.ca/ardcorp

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28 Innovation 2014

UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY

New Programs at UFV will make for Berry Good Results

By Ronda Payne Plants aren't the only thing growing at the University of the Fraser Valley's agriculture department in Chilliwack. First, there was the official opening of the Agriculture Centre of Excellence by Premier Christy Clark. Since then, the campus has added a 'bio-dome' that will allow the department to experiment with a variety of agricultural innovations.

Photos by Ronda Payne

Tom Baumann, UFV’s Agriculture Department coordinator and director of the Pacific Berry Resource Centre, is guiding the growth at the department with all the pride of a hen watching over her chicks.

Domes for clean stock “The bio dome will be for trying out different ways of growing herbs and berries,” Baumann said. “It should be finished by August.”

Tom Baumann is coordinator and director of the Pacific Berry Resource Centre in Chilliwack.

With one dome already in place, the new dome is a second three-layer bio-dome poly house. On the inside is a wide mesh layer to prevent accidental damage to the middle layer – the bug screen, The outer layer is electronically adjustable poly for temperature control.

“This is where we’ll keep certified, virus-free stock for nurseries to come and take cuttings and buds,” Baumann said.

“We’re working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on it.”

All of his teams’ work is in response to industry need. Hazelnut, elderberry, pear, cherry, apple and more make up the mother plants in the facility.

“To bring root stock from outside the country is so difficult with the virus screening that we want to have our own stock here,” noted Baumann.

Expansive spaces for new exploration

Berries grow condo style at UFV labs.

Fish poop becomes fertilizer at UFV's hydroponics lab in the UFV biodome.

Next to the biodome is a nearly 12-meter high, three-hoop green house. The poly carbonite used for the greenhouse allows for diffused light rather than just overhead light.

At 30 meters wide and 20 meters long it’s surprising that another two hoops will be added, but this is where aquaponics will be added.

“It lets 80 per cent of the light through,” Baumann explained. “Glass let’s 90 per cent of light through, and this offers 95 per cent light diffusion.”

Aquaponics is a fancy phrase, but in layman's terms, Bauman says, “The fish poop will become the fertilizer for the plants.”

A trial model of the aquaponic system is already growing lettuce. Roots dangle down through drain holes into fertilized water. When the system is up and running, the fish will live in the water below the plant and root layer.

Fish for fertilizer

“All we need is fish and we have aquaponics,” Baumann said.

Innovation 2014 29

In a similar vein, multi-layer strawberry towers will be arriving at the greenhouse shortly which will also be connected to a fish rearing facility. With 13 layers, Baumann was skeptical about the ability for light to reach all plants but the light diffusion eliminates this concern.

“If this tower proves economical, we will get more,” he said.

Beneficials on tap A small four-plex system houses native beneficial insects living on mullen and feeding on eggs of one of their favourite pests. According to Baumann, the Dicyphus hesperus colony came from Dr. Dave Gillespie of Agriculture and AgriFood Canada a few years back. When Gillespie finished his work with the insects, he didn’t want the colony to go to waste so passed it along. Baumann’s team now rears the beneficial bugs and provides them to various greenhouses.

Grow rooms for breeding In the summer, two specialized grow rooms will be built to support the berry breeding program. The main testing will be of different light sources and light durations.

“They will be almost the size of classrooms,” Baumann said.

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Advanced construction for advanced agriculture Sustainability is key for everything in the greenhouse and polydome spaces. There is no spraying of chemicals, and the building makes use of systems from around the world to ensure the best structure is in place for the most advanced research.

“There will be three zones in the greenhouse,” Baumann said. “The majority of it will be for the berry industry.”

Get your message read in the Fall and Year End Issues Contact us today to get started.

PRINT • ONLINE To Advertise or feature your business or products Contact: 250-769-2123 or info@orchardandvine.net www.orchardandvine.net

30 Innovation 2014

For those who think agricultural work done at universities is simply academic, a look at UFV’s Chilliwack campus will show that practical applications to benefit and advance the industry are top of mind.

The next big fruit or berry breakthrough may well come from a strawberry tower, poly dome or aquaponic project. ■

INVESTMENT AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION

Less Hands On and More Local Love

By Ronda Payne From a Summerland cherry orchard to a Vancouver Island winery and apiary, the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia is helping make things easier for a pair of small farms who want to see their businesses grow, as well as their industries and local economies.

A hands off approach For Carajou Fruit Company, it was technology that was needed to increase profitability while reducing the “hands on” aspect of the cherry orchard business. Erin Carlson manages the family-owned operation and noted that IAF funding allowed for the purchase of an optical defect sorter and grader.

“It is the latest technology to ensure that we can pack and ship more delicious cherries more efficiently,” Carlson said.

Photo contributed

Like most orchards, payroll is one of the largest expenses and although the equipment far from eliminates human involvement, any reduction helps the bottom line.

Carlson says the technology cuts the need for staff by about one-quarter to one-third. “Another benefit is that when we have a good year, the machine does a good job. When we have a bad year, it still does a good job.”

• Cabernet Franc • Cabernet Sauvignon • Chardonnay • Gamay • Gewürztraminer • Malbec • Merlot • Muscat Ottonel

• Orange Muscat • Pinot Blanc • Pinot Gris • Pinot Noir • Riesling • Sauvignon Blanc • Sovereign Coronation • Seyval Blanc

Cameron Gray, Erin Carlson, and Scott Babin of Carajou Fruit Company looking at the instructions for the new optical sorter.

• Shiraz • Syrah • Vidal • Viognier • Zinfandel • Zweigelt

NOTE: Many different clones are available. Rootstocks available are SO4 and 3309

contact:

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Innovation 2014 31

Carlson explained that while the cherry industry is sizeable, it is still small enough that growers know each other. After Carajou took the step as the first grower to put an optical defect sorter in, Carlson said growers from around the valley came to see it.

“It certainly isn’t cheap equipment and you have to do a renovation to get it in your packing facility,” she said. “But that’s what [IAF and the bank] are there for.”

According to Carlson, the sorter’s infrared and RGB cameras assess every single cherry and will sort based on imperfections, size, shape, softness and colour.

Witnessing the benefits Carajou experienced in their first year with the machine has contributed to a handful of other growers following suit.

The local land of wine and honey According to Abel O’Brennan of Coastal Black, the Courtenay Comox region is a hotbed for local food sales.

“It’s amazing how much people gravitate towards it,” he said. “We’ve hit that kind of food culture in Courtenay Comox, where the valley is already so turned onto that idea.”

O’Brennan’s mother learned about IAF funding and O’Brennan immediately saw the benefit of creating a buy local campaign. With berry fruit wines, a bistro, large event space and honey products he embarked on print and radio advertising with some supplemental signage.

While it’s hard to measure accurately, he feels there have been positive results from the program with about an 18 per cent increase in winery sales and some growth with honey sales.

“Marketing is such a tricky animal,” O’Brennan noted. ”I absolutely would do it [apply for a grant from IAF] again.

So many farmers are intimidated by the application process, but it’s not that bad.

It’s a great program and I’m 100 per cent happy we did it and support it.”■

32 Innovation 2014

PARC

A Century of Innovation at Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre

By Gary Symons It will take a LOT of candles to celebrate the ‘birthday’ this year for the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre.

PARC turns 100 this year, and has a lot to celebrate, says Acting Director of Research Development and Technology Kenna MacKenzie.

“You can just look at one statistic that shows some of the influence PARC has had over this past century,” says MacKenzie. “Just consider that 75 to 80 per cent of all the cherries consumed worldwide came from varieties developed at PARC.” The Summerland research station, as it is often called by locals, is best known for its work with tree fruits, having developed several varieties of apples and cherries that are now among the most popular in the world.

But the work at PARC is actually more farranging, and includes everything from animal husbandry to researching plant viruses. PARC is all about practical hard science, and the scientists who put eye to microscope here are highly regarded on the global research scene.

One of those scientists is Frank Kappel, now retired, who was a featured speaker at the first seminar of the centennial year, on June 11.

Staff at PARC in the 1920's.

Just consider that 75 to 80 per cent of all the cherries consumed worldwide came from varieties developed at PARC. Kenna MacKenzie

Kappel told the capacity crowd that PARC was actually the fourteenth agricultural research stations established in Canada when the barn doors opened in 1914. At the beginning of the First World War the BC Interior was primarily used for rangeland, but was shifting toward more intensive farming, Kappel said.

In the beginning, research work under the first superintendent, R.H. Helmer, focused on feeding trials for livestock, growing cereals, work on commercial fertilizers, and even the growing of hemp, which later became illegal. Summerland also did early work on experimentation with new varieties of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants.

Helmer’s replacement in 1923 was William Hunter, who built more critical infrastructure, including a water storage

Crop estimating at PARC 1932.

Innovation 2014 33

dam, barns, housing, and the Superintendent’s house that still stands in the Ornamental Gardens.

Hunter continued the station’s work with fruit, vegetable and ornamental breeding, but in 1924 brought dairy cows on to the property, and in 1925 initiated research into spraying for fruit pests.

It was the dairy program that brought PARC early fame, as the small herd won major awards around the globe, and became stars of the dairy cow firmament. Calgarth Starlight was the diva of the group, becoming World Champion for Lifetime Butterfat Production. It would be fair to say Calgarth Starlight may have acquired more fame than the scientists themselves!

The next superintendent, Richard Palmer, began working at PARC in 1920 as a student assistant, and was promoted to superintendent in 1932. He continued there until his death in 1953.

It was also PARC that during this era helped develop dwarf rootstocks by importing Malling IX rootstock from England for experimentation in the Okanagan. The station also launched new innovations in chemical blossom thinning of apple trees, sprinkler irrigation, and introduced the so-called ‘Vee’ peaches (Vedette, Valiant, and Veteran) from Ontario.

Still, it was the breeding of apples and cherries that pushed PARC firmly onto the world stage. The Spartan apple was named in 1936 and remains one of the most popular apple varieties today, and the cherry breeding program launched in 1936 resulted in the first of PARC’s cherry varieties (the Van) being named in 1943.

This research into cherries is having a huge impact on BC agri-

Photo by Gary Symons

Palmer changed the focus of the research station, pushing more heavily toward fruit and vegetable processing and continuing work on dairy, field husbandry and forage crops. But it was the fruit industry that was surging, and the research station under PARC was instrumental in the formation of BC Fruit Processors Ltd., which helped the industry develop value added products such as apple juice and cider, particularly as Sun Rype grew to become a giant in the industry.

Historian David Gregory shares a laugh with the crowd at the first of PARC's centennial series of seminars at the Summerland Research Station.

culture today, as exports have now reached $43 million annually, with BC now approved for a huge expansion into mainland China.

MacKenzie also points out the development of BC’s modern wine industry was heavily influenced by PARC. “We actually have one of the best small-lot experimental wineries in the world here at PARC,” MacKenzie says. “And it was the work done here that ended with the VQA (Vintner’s Quality Alliance) being adopted, although it was moved out from PARC to the industry.”

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While the research at PARC remains vital today, historian David Gregory told the crowd it was the unique history of Summerland that made it all possible. Few people outside the area know it today, but Summerland at the time was primarily developed by the richest and most powerful businessmen in Canada.

The early European settlers in Summerland came from the famed Harrow School in England (Winston Churchill was a schoolmate), where the romantic idea of emigrating to the wild, adventurous lands of Canada was quite in vogue.

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Among those early Harrow grads was George Barclay, who later put together a deal to sell his ranch lands to Lord Shaughnessy, the President of Canadian Pacific Rail. The CPR was looking for a place to grow fresh fruit for their luxury hotels … but as it turned out, the directors of the CPR board themselves took an interest in Summerland.

Many of them ended up buying part of the land, and that area became known as ‘Millionaire’s Row’.

In addition to Shaughnessy, the owners included CPR co-founder RB Angus, whose immense wealth was only outstripped by fellow director Sir Robert Holt, who at the time was among the world’s richest men; Horace and Henry Joseph, two brothers whose brokerage firm made them among Canada’s wealthiest men, and the latter being one of the most famous athletes of his day; Sir Edward Clouston, manager of the Bank of Montreal; Charles Hosmer, the president of the Canada Telegraph Co. and West Kootenay Power and Light; and Charles Smith, who owned a shoe company and was director with many of the largest companies in Canada at the time.

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Due to the investment pumped in by this Who’s Who of Canadian commerce, Summerland developed the first real agricultural operations in the Okanagan, and of course made sure the CPR line ran right through these agricultural operations.

Due to their powerful connections, capital investment, and the development of PARC, Summerland remains arguably the centre of agriculture in the BC Interior, and its influence is felt all over the world.

■

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Innovation 2014 35

An Explosive Problem

By Gary Symons Coravin, the maker of a wine preservation device costing $300, faces an explosive problem.

The Massachusetts-based startup has reported seven bottles exploded during or after use of the Coravin system. In one case a customer received a cut lip and chipped tooth.

Coravin stopped shipping their product and put out a voluntary alert right away that advised customers not to use the device until they received a neoprene sleeve that fits around the bottle.

All existing and new customers will receive the neoprene sleeve free of charge.

“Testing neoprene sleeves, we feel they completely contain the unlikely rupture that could happen,” says founder Greg Lambrecht.

So, how serious is the problem? According to Coravin, a bottle must already be damaged to cause a rupture while using the Coravin. The odds are very low that a rupture will occur, estimated at about one in 78,000 bottles, and in fact, Coravin has been unable to replicate the reported bottle explosions in its lab.

Medium

Maxi

Despite the reported ruptures and the one reported injury, the Coravin still appears to be getting overwhelming support from current users on various wine forums.

Said one reader of Wine Spectator: “For what it’s worth I’ve had a Coravin unit for several months, and use it many times a week with no issues. I can’t tell you how much money it has saved me.”

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Coravin also advises users to inspect their bottles for chips or flaws before using the Coravin. Wine bottles are designed to withstand pressures more than 20 times higher than the pressure caused by using Coravin, but bottles with a manufacturing flaw, such as a large bubble in the glass, or that have been dropped and have an undetected crack, would be at risk of exploding.

The neoprene sleeves are being shipped to customers in July, Coravin says. ■

Summerhill Develops Revolutionary Process for Low Sulphite Wines Summerhill Pyramid Winery has released this year what may be regarded as an historic vintage for the Okanagan Valley.

The 2013 vintage that came out this spring is the first of Summerhill’s ultra-low sulphite wines, made with a new process developed by the winemaker.

Summerhill has been working long and hard on reducing or eliminating altogether the addition of sulphites to wine.

To achieve this goal, winemaker Eric von Krosigk installed a large nitrogen compressor that collects nitrogen from the air, and pumps it into their massive wine tanks.

Nitrogen is an inert gas, and pushes out the oxygen, so

there is nothing to feed bacteria that would normally be suppressed by the use of sulphites.

As a result, Summerhill now uses very little sulphites.

So, what’s the benefit? Well, for people who are sensitive to sulphites, it’s obviously a big deal; sulphite sensitivity can cause asthma attacks for those unlucky few who suffer from it.

For the rest of us, there are two main advantages. First, taking out the sulphites results in a fruit forward wine that presents the true taste of the grape, without that added taste of the sulphur. Secondly, the wines age better and longer. The more oxygen a wine has been exposed to in the beginning, the less time it

Photo by Gary Symons

By Gary Symons

Summerhill winemaker Eric von Krosigk shows off the nitrogen generator that collects nitrogen from the atmosphere and pumps it into the wine tanks. The new process allows Summerhill to eliminate up to 90 per cent of the sulphites in their wine.

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Innovation 2014 37

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Orchard and Vine arranged a taste comparison between two different vintages of Summerhill’s wines. Eric and Summerhill’s CEO Ezra Cipes lined up two bottles: A 2012 Ehrenfelser with sulphites, and a 2013 Ehrenfelser with 90 per cent of the sulphites removed. Both were made of grapes grown in the same fields, and otherwise went through the same wine making process. The one difference of course is that one wine has aged longer than the other.

To put it simply, there is a huge difference, and to my palate, that difference is well worth the effort. The 2012 vintage was excellent, but I was startled with the 2013 to taste how completely the pure fruit taste comes through both in the bouquet and on the tongue.

At first taste, it actually appeared the 2013 was more acidic, but that’s an illusion created by the fact there is more fruit flavor. In fact, the 2013 is notably less acidic than the 2012.

It’s a different experience, and one I think reflects where the best winemakers are going in the Okanagan and around the world. There is a strong trend in higher-end wines today to be more simple and pure, and not simply overcome bad grape growing or winemaking with a lot of sugars, sulphites and other additives. With fewer additives to cloud the issue, wines better express the quality of the fruit and the terroir in which they are grown.

Michel Chapoutier, one of the most highly regarded winemakers in France, spoke recently at the Vancouver International Wine Festival on the topic of consumers seeking no sulphites, saying, "The people who are making wine without sulphites are pioneers and should be celebrated for their innovation."

In the case of this Ehrenfelser, the wine is very crisp, very bright, and very pure, with just a hint of fizz from the natural C02 that’s preserved from the fermentation process.

According to von Krosigk, it is the taste of the future at Summerhill. "We are on a no-sulphite program at Summerhill, which means we use little or no sulphur wherever we can," von Krosigk says. "However, we will not sacrifice a wine to oxidation if it does need some. We have adjusted everything to make this work, and continue to research new and old techniques to reach the goal of zero added sulphites.

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“While sulphur has been used for 5,000 years in winemaking, it has its own taste and smell that takes away from the wine, so we are very focused on making improvements at every stage from bud to bottle. We hope at some point to put an ingredients list on the bottle with a single entry: grapes. That is our goal."

CEO Ezra Cipe and his family are pioneers in organic production and environmental sustainability. He says Summerhill will share their design and their experience with other winemakers.

"We are committed to share our data and knowledge from the pilot testing with our provincial industry, and at the same time continue to encourage the wine industry in BC overall to work towards producing quality wines of provenance with sensitivity to healthfulness and to the environment,” Cipes says.

So, hopefully, we’ll soon see many more wines from BC adopting this approach.■

 STEP INTO THE GREEN | ANGELA NAGY

5 Tips for Going Green sustainability can also reduce operating costs by an average of 20%, and increase profits by attracting new guests and improving customer loyalty.

some 1.6 billion eco-inspired trips taken by 2020.” Harrison Group 2013

T

he prospect of going green and doing so in a way that customers won’t poke holes in can be daunting. Yet, consumers are demanding it and there is no shortage of evidence to prove it.

These are the kinds of questions I hear when talking to tourism businesses interested in sustainability and going green. Some are already doing it and want to go further, and some are just starting down the path.

“Seventy-one percent of travellers will actively make environmentally friendly choices when travelling this year.” – Trip Advisor 2012

Sustainable Tourism has been defined by the Global Development Research Centre as “an industry, which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems.”

“Sixty percent of Canadians consider themselves ethical consumers and 50% are inclined to buy environmentally friendly products.” Business Development Bank of Canada 2013 “Green is the new black when it comes to vacations. The U.N. World Tourism Organization predicts there will be

So what are you doing to tell your green story? If you don’t think you have one yet, what are your goals and how are you measuring progress?

Where do you even start?

To help you get started or go further along the sustainability journey of your business, here are my top five tips.

1. Make a Commitment to Sustainability This can be as simple as integrating sustainability into your existing corporate mission or purpose, or working with your team to create a new over-arching vision for how you see your business operating in a sustainable future. Imagine a headline about how socially and environmentally responsible your business is in 2020 or 2030.

What would it say? From here, you can start changing or creating policies to help support this overall commitment.

Improving environmental and social performance is enough motivation for many businesses to get started, but for some it’s not enough. The good news is that taking action on

2. Measure, Measure, Measure!

I can’t repeat this enough. If you don’t know where you

are starting from, it is going to be very difficult to know where you are going and if you’ve arrived! It also can prove to be a problem when you’re trying to report on your progress to your guests and other stakeholders. Start simple. Measure your annual energy, water and waste for the previous business year, and then compare quantity and costs to a useful metric for your business. In the wine industry it might be hectolitres produced, for the accommodation sector it is often room nights and you can always just stick to gross revenues. If you want to get more advanced, plan to measure and reduce your carbon footprint too.

3. Set Goals Once you know your “baseline,” or what your starting point is, you can then set reduction goals. For example, “reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2017,” or “achieve zero waste by 2020.” I would also suggest creating some shorter-term goals by quarter or year to help you monitor

Innovation 2014 39

your progress. Post your goals somewhere that all staff, and ideally customers, can see them. Your lunchroom and website are both great places to do this.

4. Create an Action Plan With your goals established, you now have to figure out how to achieve them.

This is where the action plan comes in.

Keep it short-term and accountable, with the name of the person responsible next to the action, and its deadline. Ask your staff and customers to help you come up with actions that will help you reach your goals, and then post your action plan next to your goals and update it frequently. Make reviewing it a part of your regular staff meetings.

5. Track Your Progress and Share Your Success, Repeat!

Monthly, quarterly, or at very minimum annually, compare your current energy, water and waste data to your baseline and measure your results. Your progress towards your goals is great news to communicate on your website and via social media to help you get recognized for the actions that you’ve taken. Once you’ve achieved most of your action items, go back and update your action plan, or make your goals more ambitious.

For specific ideas and actions that you can take to green your businesses, join me and Green Tourism Canada for one of our regular free webinars. Check for upcoming dates at www.anymeeting. com/greentourismcanada. ■ Angela Nagy is the CEO of GreenStep Solutions Inc., which delivers the Green Tourism Canada certification program.

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 TOWN HALL BRANDS | LEANNE FROESE

I

nnovation is loosely defined as a new method, idea or product, or some sort of change or breakthrough, so it's interesting to reflect and think about what it is that makes things innovative as it relates to the work we do with our clients.

I truly believe innovation starts with keeping an open mind. If you have an idea, or if you're at the point where you're sharing ideas at a brainstorming session with your team or within a client stakeholder team, do not stifle or criticize any ideas; allow them to flow.

Allow yourself to daydream, and if you're trying to stimulate ideas and innovation within the company, think

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to yourself and ask others to think along the lines of "Wouldn’t it be cool if…."

If you start voicing your ‘blue sky’ goals, rewards and dreams, you'll find that your mind opens and ideas may start to flow. At the very least, the dreams that you want to accomplish begin to emerge and then you need to start to think about the creative ways to get there.

activity that solves issues and improves life, then that is a real innovation.

So now you have an idea, but what do you do to make it a reality? What would be an innovative or a different way of doing something?

Also - and many people will love this - try being frugal, or think: 'How can we save the most money?' Sometimes out of necessity we are forced to come up with creative solutions.

Question everything. Question your processes. Question procedures. Look for a new or better way to do things. Look for new partnerships and mergers. Collaborating with other minds or referencing what other companies are doing can lead to beautiful new initiatives.

One of my favorite thoughts to share with clients is that the difference between having a good idea and making a good idea to come to life is action. Otherwise it is just that; a good idea. Well, even the actioning of ideas can be innovative. Another way to stimulate creative thoughts is to think of them in practical terms. What is the problem you need to solve? Will it make life better? If you can do something new, or do an

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With new solutions and ways to do things in mind, it's important to note that innovation is synonymous with change. With innovation there will always be things that change, that are different than the status quo. Not everyone is comfortable with this, but that’s OK. Be willing to take risks, to try something you've never tried before.

To take risks and try something uncharted takes a lot of courage, and sometimes requires an expenditure that may not produce a guaranteed return. Be willing to fail. Become strong enough to know that if you make a mistake it’s all right, because a mistake or failure can present a wonderful learning opportunity. When we learn, surprising innovation can emerge. If you get uncomfortable that's a good thing, because taking risks should by definition take you outside your comfort zone. This is where growth, innovation and action happens.

So you have outside-thenorm thinking that has led to a change. When it comes to implementing something that's innovative, new, or different, it can sometimes be a challenge to implement in a structured company. Communication becomes very important because fundamentally people are change resistant; we are lazy and we don't like to do new things, and we like

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Innovation Starts With an Open Mind

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to stay where we are comfortable. It’s called being human, so we need to make sure that we have buy-in from all stakeholders and employees when innovation and change occur. Even projects that make things better, easier or more efficient need to have communication and buy-in from people. To do this, we must be as detailed as we can be with our core teams and communicate the benefits of any new innovation or project and share the basics on what the change outcome is expected to be from doing something in a brand new way.

In summary, to innovate, you need to keep your mind open, be willing to take risks and try something new, and then clearly communicate and manage the implementation of the change.

INNOVATION IN ACTION Some examples of how innovation can come into play in communications and branding are a couple examples of how we have innovated at Town Hall.

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For our media relations and communication team, we looked at the way communication has changed over the last decade or so, and how we could innovate our communication style.

The broadcast model of outreach is no longer with us, so now we look at ways to try to reach people on a one-on-one basis.

This is challenging and expensive as it takes a lot more time to reach out to people one by one. So we've tried to create an advocacy program where we ask people to reach out to each other with our messages. In comes word-of-mouth and social media. On all of our communication material we include our social feeds, and we feature what we call ‘suggested tweets’ to try to encourage dialogue of the messages we want people to share for us on Twitter. We're asking questions on our social channels such as Facebook and Instagram in order to encourage dialogue. These are some real examples of how we have innovated our styles from a communication standpoint.

From a design standpoint, I asked our design team what they see as being innovative, and asked them what has made them particularly innovative. From the design team's perspective, sometimes budgetary considerations will force them into a design that might be more innovative.

Our creative team shares a short list of ways to innovate with their design work, and notes tangible things like creative use of die cuts, foils, and less colors of ink; less value adds, but using them in a creative way. The use of new packaging materials and finishes are innovations that also have an application in design. An example of this is the use of wine label papers that are capable of keeping water out and withstanding immersion in ice buckets. Note that these are not innovations that we've created, but they are innovations that have led to better packaging and collateral for our clients, so they are innovations we can get behind.■ Leeann Froese is co-owner of the Town Hall agency based in Vancouver, BC, which does strategic marketing and communications, with a specialty on wine, food and hospitality.

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 ANALYSIS | GARY SYMONS

ALR Review Process Was Deeply Flawed

D

epending on your perspective, the core review of the Agriculture Land Commission and the land reserve itself is either clumsy politicking at its worst, or a cleverly engineered campaign with a hidden agenda.

Either way, the review process has not been good for the public, nor will it benefit agriculture. In fact, there are some who doubt that was even the intent. Some food security and environmental activists believe the real agenda is to ensure that Liquefied Natural Gas pipelines can be built over agricultural land.

Bill 24 limped into the legislature like an ugly and unloved dog that no one quite has the heart to kill. The bill was

protections in the rest of the province. Suddenly, there’s a two-tier system, and farmers on both sides of the divide were not happy about this unlevel playing field.

conceived after some very closed door talks with industry groups like the BC Agriculture Council and the BC Fruit Growers. How closed? Well, attending reps had to actually sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement to make sure the foolish public didn’t learn what was being discussed!

Food security advocates like the BC Food Systems Network (who, by the way, were not invited to the ‘public consultation’ process) pointed out a lot of BC’s best growing land is covered under the weaker Zone 2 regulations. They argue this weakens BC’s longterm food security, and commitment to agriculture as an industry.

When that ugly dog emerged from the ensuing process, the BC Agriculture Council quickly came out in flat-out opposition.

“The council cautiously supported the legislation when it was tabled, based on verbal information,” explained new president Stan Vander Waal.

“After reviewing the actual legislation, and hearing farmers’ and ranchers’ concerns, the council had no choice but to withdraw its support.”

With farmers on the war path, newly appointed Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick sensibly announced he would be doing a full review of the Bill, and consulting the public. “The opportunity is everything from amending the bill to leaving it alone to removing the bill,” said Letnick. “I’m not finished my consultation process.”

Without getting into the notso-fine details, Bill 24 Version 1.0 sought to maintain the ALR’s protection in certain areas, like the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan, but weaken those

Well, that didn’t last long.

Letnick was quickly grabbed

by the scruff of the neck by Bill Bennett, whose task it was to both create and push that ugly dog into law.

“Government is not interested in fundamentally changing or delaying the bill,” Bennett declared. “The bill will pass.”

So much for consultation. So much for public opinion.

However, Letnick did manage to make enough minor changes to the bill to get some grudging support from the BCAC. In their latest statement, the BCAC says they’re not happy with the general direction of the bill, but accept Letnick’s promise to consult on how the legislation is phased in.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get everything we asked for, said Vander Waal. “The council remains firmly opposed to fracturing the reserve into two zones. The council supports a one-zone system that provides reasonable opportunities for regional representatives to consider community need.”

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So, the government has tied a pretty pink bow on it, but that just means Bill 24 is an ugly dog with a pretty bow. There is really no one connected to agriculture either as a producer or a consumer - who supports the intent of this bill. The bill itself does not even pretend to address the real concerns of farmers who would like to use their land more efficiently by creating value-added products.

Opposition critic Nicholas Simons rightly says the process was flawed from Day One. “I’ve been talking to members of the government caucus about this, and my sense is that they’re concerned about the legislation as well and I just hope that they have the strength to stand up to the minister. This was done badly,” said Simons. “This is probably the worst piece of legislation I’ve seen in this house.”

The truth is, a real reform of the ALR would not be a bad idea. Just as the Liberal’s recent review of liquor laws has created new opportunities for both grape growers and alcohol producers, so a thoughtful review of the ALR and agricultural policy in general could have created new opportunities in our third largest resource sector.

Instead, what we got was an ill-conceived, poorly thought out Bill that has been conceived largely behind closed doors, and doesn’t reflect the real needs of farmers or the BC public.

I’ve said it before, and sadly, I’ll probably have to say it again; the ALR review has to go back to square one, with a process that includes ALL the stakeholders, not just a couple of riled up MLAs and a few agricultural reps whose advice is ignored anyway. In the meantime, it would be fair to say this government has lost the confidence of both growers and consumers. One has to hope Letnick is prepared to work very hard to get that trust back. ■ Gary Symons is a writer at Orchard & Vine, and editor at WineTraveller.org.

 WANDERINGS | SANDRA OLDFIELD

Education + Technology = A Winning Strategy

T

here is much in the news today about how technology is driving a wedge between people. Children and adults spend too much time with heads bent downward looking at small screens rather than talking to the person beside them, or the obsession with taking “selfies”.

It's easy to concentrate on how technology detracts from personal connections rather than promoting them, but technology has also brought our world closer together. You can speak to family and friends across the globe on video, you can organize those in your community quickly around an issue and you can be transported to anywhere at anytime with the tap of a screen or the click of a button. But, how can you apply these tools to your dayto-day operations at a winery, vineyard or farm? More specifically, how can technol-

that can be viewed later. Just search on Google for the many companies offering these services.

ogy be used to educate both consumers and employees without detracting from the main part of your business? I will discuss three examples of how free or inexpensive technology can be used to better inform consumers and train employees.

They are not intuitive to do when you start out so I recommend practicing with people in your own company first. Once you get the hang of it, webinars can be used as a support for your regular marketing efforts. We have used webinars to talk to our agents about a new wine release in two provinces at once, and we use them monthly to discuss one topic with consumers who tune in to ask us questions from far afield. Imagine siting at your winery in the winter, no visitors knocking on your door, but you are able to still interact with them.

First is the simple video. It takes absolutely nothing to film a video about what you do and upload it to YouTube for sharing. The video can be planned in advance to cover a specific topic or be completely spontaneous. It can be meant to tell your customers what you’re doing but it can also be used to help show employees how you want a job task done. What better way to explain to people how or why you do something than for them to see it visually?

Recently a vineyard worker at our winery spontaneously took out his iPhone and shot a quick 30-second video of us planting vines this spring. He put it on Facebook, and we've already thought of a dozen places we can use that video.

Online education is one of my favourite technologies, and we’ve used it often to train employees. From YouTube demonstrations to online certifications to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), there are all kinds of online learning options out there.

Online learning allows your employee to schedule the learning when it fits with his or her work schedule; it

A bit more advanced than the simple video is making use of webinars (web seminars) for two-way communications

is done on site so there is no need for travel time and expenses; and the cost ranges from free to low cost to administer. Some examples of how our winery has used online learning include simple safety training from YouTube on fire extinguisher usage, paid certification for WHMIS (there are many out there, we use YOWCanada) and fully free (again, free!) university classes from Coursera, EdX or Udemy covering topics such as learning Excel, or exploring why consumers will choose to buy your product over your neighbors’.

Do you have time to do any of these things? It is possible you don't, but they can be great to use when times are slow. We work in seasonal businesses and making short videos, hosting a webinar and learning online are ways that education of both consumers and employees can continue year round. ■ Sandra Oldfield, winemaker and owner of Tinhorn Creek Winery in Oliver.

Follow her blog at www.sandraoldfield. com or on Twitter at #CabFrancTuesday.

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Evolution Gives Rise to Wine Kegs and Pouches There are few shortcuts in evolution and two of the most astonishing advancements in wine packaging are no exception. They took more than 6,000 years for the stainless steel keg and the wine pouch to evolve from a common ancestor.

“Kegs promise improved quality for bythe-glass on-premise sales and stronger profits for both wineries and retailers,” says Thomas Deegan, PhD, a wine packaging consultant for TricorBraun WinPak. The company is one of North America’s largest suppliers of rigid packaging to the wine industry.

Kegs eliminate the predatory financial threat associated with by-the-glass wine sales. A restaurateur opens a bottle for a by-the-glass customer with the hope the remaining wine will not oxidize before other customers finish it.

The keg overcomes the spoilage issue caused by oxygen because the wine withdrawn is replaced by an inert gas, such as nitrogen, extending its “life” to as much as six months. They hold the equivalent of 26 bottles, require less storage space, and eliminate the problems associated with breakage.

For wineries, kegs are an economic step into financial modernity. Bottles devour $24 to $36 per 12 unit case. Bottles, capsules, corks, labels and cartons typically add $2.00 to $3.00 expense for each wine bottle.

A wine keg is a onetime expense ranging from $80 to $100. It holds the equivalent of 2.5 cases of wine and typically pays for itself within three uses. It can be reused for 30 years. Keg leasing programs are also available for wineries.

Wine shipping costs, which are determined by weight, are reduced with kegs.

Each full keg typically weighs 58 pounds.

The equivalent of 2.5 cases of wine typically weighs approximately 100 pounds.

Wineries may either fill the kegs or use an independent filler.

The final judges of wine-by-the glass served from a keg are the customers who can be assured their wine has not been spoiled by oxidation, a bad cork, bottle shock or bottle variation. “Kegged wine is served at the correct temperature and 46 Innovation 2014

is uniformly comparable to the first glass served from a bottle that has been properly stored,” says Deegan.

Kegs also represent an important step in reducing the carbon footprint by decreasing the cost of transportation and avoiding the recycling associated with bottles. A single keg will potentially eliminate 3,000 bottles from the wine distribution process.

Wine pouches are another evolutionary step forward. They are a generational advancement over bag-in-a-box wine packaging. Currently, ranging across North America in increasing importance are the Millennials, a generation of people who have different expectations. This distinctive group of wine drinkers want to drink wine in many places where glass containers are not acceptable. Unlike their ancestors, drinking from pouches is not unusual for Millennials and they frequently stuff them in backpacks, beach bags or hook them to bike racks. However, Millennials will not accept a decrease in wine quality.

Wine pouches most important evolution-

ary advancements are improvements in the materials that maintain the wine’s quality and reduce weight, which also trims shipping costs. Pouches are available in 750 ml, 1.5 ml, 1.75 ml and three liter sizes.

The one-way tap is specially designed to prevent O2 from entering the bag during filling. Taps come attached to the pouches and are designed to be shorter then BIB Taps because there is no need for them to extend outside the box.

Some wineries have chosen to purchase filling machines for pouches while others have taken their first step with a copacker.

A viable option for any size winery is the Bag-in-Box Cask system, which offers tremendous opportunities for retail, tasting room and by-the-glass restaurant sales.

Benefits include packaging wines at a lower cost, sustainability, and high product protection.

For more information on these exciting packaging evolutions for wine, please contact us as 707-399-5800.

Your Options, Our Promise.

As North America’s largest wine bottle distributor, TricorBraun WinePak shares your commitment, dedication and passion for winemaking.

We are proud to provide the highest quality glass sourced from the entire global marketplace to help package your wines beautifully – but that’s just the beginning.

From decorating services to warehousing, we are dedicated to fulfilling our promises of quality, efficiency, ingenuity and sustainability in everything we do.

We’re here to help. What can we do for you?

Now offering ultra-sustainable stainless steel kegs and versatile, easy to dispense flexible pouches.

BOTTLES | CAPSULES | DECORATING | DESIGN | ENGINEERING | REPACKING

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Innovation 2014 47

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