By Keith Gibbons (as found on www.craftbrewingbusiness.com)
The science of commercial beer goes beyond the chemistry of brewing. The process of packaging it is an equally impressive engineering feat, requiring bottling, canning, kegging, labeling, sorting, accumulating, boxing, palletizing, shipping and so much more in between. Visit a packaging and distribution center at a brewery like New Belgium Brewing Co. and the automation of the packaging process can look a little like an ultra-complex Rube Goldberg Machine. As craft breweries grow, their bottling, canning and packaging lines will become interconnected chains of automated systems ranging from filling lines and labelers to bottle conveyors and case erectors. The process of engineering and re-engineering these packaging lines (as brewers grow) can be quite complex and expensive. To help prepare upcoming brew barons for their future packaging needs, we tapped the big brains of some of the industry’s most successful craft brewers and some of the industry’s most well-respected manufacturing brands. Those awesome insights are below, ranging from production systems engineering to packaging hall design. We raise a hearty toast of thanks to everyone involved. The importance of preventive maintenance Matt Smith, packaging manager Ninkasi Brewing Co. (Eugene, Ore.) Whether you own a shiny brand new packaging line or a boneyard of random packaging equipment, there is one important item to keep focus on. That item is preventive maintenance. It’s the only way to avoid machine failure and to help prevent future breakdowns. Greasing the same zerks every week may seem redundant at times, but something so small will help ensure the longevity of your packaging equipment. Initiating a preventive maintenance schedule is fairly easy to create and implement. A good place to start is to go through all of the current machine manuals on hand, and review and record the recommended maintenance schedules listed in those manuals. An even better idea would be to call the machine manufacturer just to make sure all of the information in the manual is accurate and up to date. If no manual can be found, then contacting the machine manufacturer is the best option for replacement. Gather all the information you can and make a specific three-ring binder for each machine with all of the scheduled repairs and overhauls listed very clearly for the operators to understand. This will also help maintenance personnel know which machine needs attention and how frequently. Setting a specific date every week or month for scheduled maintenance is another great way to ensure your packaging equipment will last and perform how you need it to. Staying on top of preventive maintenance will not only prolong machinery life but will also improve the quality of the product you are packaging. Cheers! READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
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NEW Texas Hill Country Wineries Brochure is Out! It Features 42 Wineries, a New & Updated Map, & 28 Eat, Sleep, Travel Partners. You can download (.PDF) it here: http://texaswinetrail.com/images/uploads/misc/FINAL2014Brochure.pdf
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Rain or shine, we're under drought conditions - be good stewards of a precious resource. By Mark Greenspan. (Source Article) Quantification of water relations is key. That means we need to measure things. I’ve been a big fan of plant water status measurements, and you can refer to my previous articles on irrigation for deeper descriptions. The two pieces of plant moisture equipment that I rely on most are the pressure chamber and the porometer. I’ve described both in previous articles, but both are portable instruments that we use primarily during midday to measure plant water status. I find both tools to be indispensable. I only wish there were ways to make those measurements automatically because the short afternoon window, travel time and expense make extensive measurements with those instruments difficult and costly. I am looking at other options for these measurements; but until then, we are getting our money’s worth out of them. Knowing the water stress level of the vine allows us to modify our irrigation regime to dial in specific stress levels in the vines at certain times of the growing season and avoid going overboard with stress, potentially causing crop loss or quality reduction. ... Soil moisture monitoring has also allowed me to reduce the irrigation quantities applied once irrigation cycles begin. By monitoring the total amount of moisture being stored in the soil from an irrigation and then depleted by the vine, I almost always apply between 18 to 22 percent of crop evapotranspiration (Etc) as a maintenance (non-deficit) level. That is far less than is being applied by many growers, who believe that they are “deficit” irrigating at 50 to 60 percent of ETc. I believe the issue with the ETc model, in general, is that it does not account for stomatal pore closure, which occurs in the vines as the season progresses, even without water stress, but is greater (i.e., more closed) under desirable levels of water stress for fine winegrapes. Because I’ve discussed these measurements before and have not changed my practices, I will not go into their use further in this column but rather discuss general practices under drought conditions. ... Drought Management Practices There are many other practices that should be applied during periods of drought. Here is a brief list:
... To me and my certified crop advisor colleagues, irrigating deeper than the root system is a no-no. It not only pushes water past the root zone, where it cannot be taken up, but it also moves nitrate and other potential pollutants (think persistent and mobile pesticides) past the root zone and into the vadose zone (the zone between the root system and the water table). The soluble materials and water are either lost, or they move into the groundwater or in surface or subsurface run-off, all of which will occur in wetter climates. TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, VISIT WINE BUSINESS MONTHLY. Why does your winery need insurance? Winery tours are incredibly popular these days and a great way to spend a weekend, especially in Texas and New Mexico. However, with each wine special event — whether a tasting, tour, catered dinner or wedding — there are risks that should be insured. If the event is hosted on the winery’s property, there are “two big things,” according to Peter Liesenfelt, account executive for Wine American Insurance Administrators. “If someone at a tour or event slips on the floor and falls, it is covered under general liability. The other thing that comes up is liquor liability, where there is a risk of someone drinking too much getting into an accident. Laurie Infantino, president of the Insurance Skills Center, agrees that a winery needs both a commercial general liability policy and a liquor liability policy. The CGL protects against bodily injury for things like slips, while the liquor liability policy protects against negligence in serving liquor either to a minor or to someone who becomes too intoxicated and causes an accident. Insuring wineries becomes more complicated when the special events are more than just a tasting, insurance experts say. For example, if the winery is taking guests on a tour on a mechanized car or train, or has amusement rides, there’s a bigger exposure. Or, if the winery has a house on its property that it rents out to guests, there is additional risk. If an outside caterer is hired for a special event, wineries should collect certificates of insurance naming the winery as an additional insured and making sure coverage is in force for general liability, workers’ compensation and even auto insurance, advises George Hunt, an agent with United Valley Insurance Agency. “You want to make sure they have auto in case they back over someone with their vehicle while delivering the food,” for example, “and make sure they have workers’ comp for workers doing the serving so that if someone gets hurt, the person can’t come back against the winery,” Hunt adds. These are just a few of the basic reasons why your winery needs insurance. To learn more about all the insurance coverages Regnier Insurance can provide for your winery, please visit www.regnierinsurance.com/wineries or feel free to contact us at [email protected] or (800) 252-9435. How many acres of #vineyards does it take for a #winery to go from small to large? | Ask Dr. Vinny - http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/49492 Congratulations to our clients who were winners of the Texas Monthly's Best Texas Wines of 2013! Congrats to: Brennan Vineyards (Lily 2012) Brennan Vineyards (Tempranillo 2011) - HONORABLE MENTION Calais Winery (Roussanne - La Cuvée Principale 2012) Calais Winery (La Cuvée Du Manoir 2011) - HONORABLE MENTION Flat Creek Estate (Pinot Grigio 2012) - HONORABLE MENTION Hye Meadow Winery (Viognier 2012) - HONORABLE MENTION Pedernales Cellars (GSM 2011) Pedernales Cellars (Viognier Reserve 2012) Wedding Oak Winery (Sangiovese 2010) To see a full list of winners, check out the full article HERE. Original article can be found at www.socialmediamanager.com. How a Winery Uses Social Media to Increase Sales and Brand Loyalty How can wineries use social media to increase sales when the law prohibits them from giving away product samples? Whitehall Lane, a 20-year-old Napa Valley winery run by the Leonardini family, has hit on a winning social media formula that pays dividends in both increased sales and brand loyalty. Wineries face special challenges in promoting their business on social media. The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, known as the TTB, considers social media “advertising,” and regulates what wineries can do. The regulations primarily affect Whitehall Lane in two different ways. They cannot run contests that give away wine, and they must monitor user-generated content for anything that might promote irresponsible drinking. “We don’t fool around with the TTB regulations,” said Katie Leonardini, direct sales manager for Whitehall Lane. But that hasn’t stopped them from successfully using social media to grow a loyal fan base outside the tasting room. This in turn has increased both wine club membership and direct sales. Here’s how they do it. Whitehall Lane Winery uses Instagram as one way to foster brand loyalty. Organization: Whitehall Lane Winery Social Media Handles & Stats
Whitehall Lane started using Facebook and Twitter in 2009. They’ve since expanded onto Instagram, Pinterest and a blog within the last year and a half. By keeping an eye on their brand while experimenting through trial and error, they’ve hit on a social media formula that reaches beyond the tasting room by: 1)partnering with complementary brands, 2) rewarding loyal fans and 3)educating and telling stories vs. selling. Partnering With Complementary Brands Contests and giveaways are standard tactics on social media for retail brands. But TTB regulations prohibit wineries from giving away alcohol. Whitehall Lane has overcome this challenge through some creative thinking. Leonardini identifies complementary brands that fit with their objectives for contests. The winery has given away wine glasses and cookbooks, for example. They’ve also done giveaways with Whitehall Lane estate olive oil. Whitehall Lane partnered with Govino glasses for this Instagram contest. Finding complementary brands is a way for wineries to do giveaways. Whitehall Lane also retweets content on Twitter and likes Instagram photos of complementary brands that promote tourism in Napa Valley. Rewarding Loyal Fans Whitehall Lane does not run contests on social media to get new followers. They run them to reward existing fans. “It’s never a refer-a-friend type of contest,” said Leonardini. They would rather use contests to collect email addresses of current fans for their database than inflate follower numbers with people who aren’t true fans of their brand. Whitehall Lane also does not advertise on Facebook. “All of our fans are genuine,” said Leonardini. “Whitehall Lane isn’t about hundreds of thousands of fans, it’s more about the quality and the conversation,” she said. The winery also rewards fans informally by liking their photos on Instagram and giving shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter. In return, fans naturally share Whitehall Lane content. “We’ve found that when you have genuine, authentic followers, you don’t even have to ask them to RT or share your posting, because they’ll do it on their own,” said Leonardini. Their focus on growing a fan base organically has an added benefit--they almost never have to remove user posts or comments for spam or encouraging alcohol abuse. This makes it much easier to comply with TTB regulations. Educating and Telling Stories vs. Selling When Whitehall Lane first started using Twitter, they would search for people who were asking which Napa Valley wineries to go to or who had checked in at another winery. They would then tweet with a 2-for-1 offer to come in to their tasting room. It did bring in traffic. “But they were people looking for free tastings,” Leonardini said. Although numbers in the tasting room went up, sales did not follow. They decided to change their Twitter strategy. Now the winery uses Twitter primarily to educate fans about food and wine pairings and share facts about Napa Valley and winemaking. The interaction they receive tells them this is what their followers want. “When we tweet something that’s educational, we get an average of four to seven retweets,” said Abbi Whitaker of the Abbi Agency, a public-relations firm that works with Whitehall Lane. The winery has also started a blog where they post recipes, updates from the winemaker and harvest notes. Though blog subscribers are fewer than they would like right now, they’re focusing on consistency and quality content and believe the numbers will follow. “We’re not just going to buy a list and shoot out our blog to them,” said Leonardini. “We want it to grow because people want to [subscribe].” Results: Successful Wine Dinners and Increased Wine Club Sales Subscribers to Whitehall Lane’s wine club get three to four shipments of wine a year; the club is a big part of the winery’s business. But they were getting calls from subscribers, often after three shipments, asking to cancel. When asked why, subscribers would often say they loved the wine, but they belonged to three wine clubs and had to let one go. “We’ve been able to greatly reduce that [problem] because of social media,” Leonardini said. Whitehall lane encourages club members to follow them on social media. “Even though they live in North Carolina or Nebraska, they get the feeling that they’re still here in touch with us, and our retention rate has changed dramatically,” said Leonardini. The winery also partners with fine restaurants across the country to put on wine dinners. The dinners are not a new idea. What’s new is the response they now get.
Because of their social media following, restaurants now approach them about helping to promote the wine dinners. RSVPs are now up to the point that the dinners sell out—a win-win for the restaurants and the winery. “Wine sales at these dinner events now exceed a busy Saturday in the tasting room during the high season,” Leonardini said. In addition, the number of wine club signups at the dinners has increased dramatically. “It’s a whole new outlet for us,” said Leonardini. “Previously the only venue to sign up club members was through the tasting room, but now we can sign them up at these dinners throughout the country.” Over to You Despite federal advertising regulations, Whitehall Lane has found a way tosuccessfully use social media with tangible results to their bottom line. What do you think? Is your business in a regulated industry? How have you used social media to increase brand loyalty and sales? Include your comments and questions below. |
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