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Bottling at Stags Hollow
Spring bottling at Stags Hollow Winery with the crew all wearing masks.
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Curbside Pick up
Black Widow Winery offers curbside ordering. Call and they will assemble the order while the customer waits in the car.
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OCP Hand Sanitizer
Many companies like OCP started to produce hand sanitizer to help with the shortage.
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Stags Hollow servcie
Stags Hollow has been offering socially-distanced parking lot pick ups.
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Stags Hollow Pick Up
Looks like a long way to the parking lot.
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Castora de Oro Estate Winery
How to speak to your lover during the pandemic
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Castora de Oro
You'll see our smiles again once COVID Lockdown is relaxed.
It’s hard to believe that just six months ago people had never heard of Covid 19, but today the coronavirus now defines every aspect of our lives.
We questioned those from the industry on how they are dealing with the pandemic, and found that most are managing, but are justifiably fearful for the future.
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Almost all (93 per cent) of winery owners or managers told us they are most worried about lost revenue and 75 per cent worry cash flow won’t cover expenses this year. “Future sales look iffy,” said one winery operator. “We are very dependent on tasting room sales from May long weekend through October.”
The key for wineries has been adapting to the lockdown by finding new ways to sell product. While most were already selling online, more than two-thirds said their online and wine club orders have increased. Wineries have adopted curbside pickups, home delivery, offered discounts and free shipping, and many have organized virtual events or tastings.
Results were similar for fruit growers, with 72 per cent saying they are concerned about future product sales, 44 per cent concerned about the financial viability of their farms, and 39 per cent worried about servicing their debts during the pandemic.
One grower added that it’s hard to run a profitable farm during the pandemic, saying, “The rules being imposed on our farm business appear to be at a much higher level than other businesses that remain open, and far above any restrictions on the public,” while another said, “We have challenges training staff, (and there’s) not enough for summer staff to do if growers pull out of export programs because there’s no labour to pick fruit.”
Another important question we asked was regarding the safety of families and employees and 46% of winery operators felt safe day to day, an equal number said both yes and no to feeling safe, and 72% of growers felt safe due to there are not many others working in their vicinity.
“In the workplace, we all feel safe. Early on, we adopted new distancing and disinfecting protocols as well as closing the doors to any non-staff members. The entire staff limited any time in public, shopping as needed while another practices a high level of immune boosting, microbiome enhancing and natural pre and probiotic intake."
Innovations from Leo Gebert
Leo Gebert physically distancing from the wine pouring.
Leo Gebert
The other big concern about workers was whether the farm would have enough labourers to raise and harvest this year’s crop, with 47 per cent of fruit growers and 36 per cent of wineries saying labour shortages are a major concern, as 44% of growers and 39% of wineries employ foreign workers who have had difficulty getting to Canada. At the time of the survey, 34% had their foreign workers in place.
“We’re still waiting to hear what the national decisions will be on Covid,” said one grower, and others said they approved and found it helpful to have the 14-day quarantine done in a central location.
On the other hand, 46 per cent of wineries are also worried about having to lay off staff, as wineries have been closed to consumers for months.
“We are hoping to hire two or three back, depending on what the parameters are for the tasting room,” said one winery operator, so it is possible the reopening of BC businesses will see some jobs return.
Not surprisingly, given the stress of managing a business during the lockdown, 37 per cent of respondents were worried about mental health issues cropping up during the pandemic.
One big difference between growers and wineries is that very few growers (19%) intend to apply for new funding (May 5th) from the federal government, This may mean the larger accent on retail consumer sales for wineries has caused their businesses to be hit harder in the early days of the pandemic. One grower insisted the aid is important for those who need it, although he doesn’t intend to apply personally. “I think the farmers should have funding to help through this pandemic,” he said, but added, “We do not carry enough debt to warrant having to pay back the government.”
The other group impacted by Covid 19 is the industry suppliers who sell products and services, 75% of the businesses surveyed have been designated an ‘essential service’. Almost half (46%) of suppliers were still able to deliver their products with 33% saying they were experiencing “business as usual.” Although, two-thirds said their sales had decreased compared to last year, with one supplier saying, “Our revenues have been severely impacted,” another indicated, “They had sales ‘on the books’ prior to the pandemic.”
While 69% of respondents had no company layoffs, some continued to work from home and had staff at their building, but, “We are limiting access to the inside of our building, with locked doors and having walk-ins or pickups call the inside sales staff for assistance.”
Orchard & Vine also asked readers if they had experienced any gifts during the pandemic, they expressed that they appreciated, the extra family time, especially with kids out of school, time to walk the dog, catching up on office work, improved their online communications and more time to think and plan for the future
Photo by OCP
Virtual Wine Tasting
Virtual wine tasting with Okanagan Crush Pad.
Other respondents said the lockdown has left them overworked and overwhelmed because they had less staff and more work, working 10-hour days.
”We've had to lay off staff or not hire new staff, leaving us to take on all tasks. The vines don't stop because of Covid-19.” Yet another said he was dreaming of a time when things slow down. "We have been just as busy,” he said. “I would like the gift of a slower period."
Overall, the survey appears to show suppliers and wineries have been hardest hit in the early days of the pandemic, with one supplier saying his revenue was down 35 per cent, and a winery operator saying, “Our wine shop sales have decreased dramatically and our restaurant sales are zero.” Another added, “I think this summer is a write off,” while a third predicted, “I think locals will support local businesses more but that will be a drastically small number compared to the tourists we normally see coming to our valley.”As the country opens up for business, one winery owner is expecting the status quo for remainder of year, a very slow re-opening and with a totally different atmosphere in tasting room. With all the safety measures in place, tastings will be different. Advice from another is, do not live a fear-based existence. Be smart, wash your hands, stay your distance. All in all, work to accommodate everyone's needs, as they all differ.
Click here for the complete Winery and Vineyard Survey