The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Born Collective to develop a marketing plan for the emergent third-party certification for sustainably-grown grapes and wine in New York.
Born Collective is a strategic branding agency with an affinity for storytelling and a fervor for audience experience. b+cause is the nonprofit arm of Born Collective, dedicated to providing outstanding, full-service marketing to organizations that exist to make our communities and our world better. “At Born Collective, sustainability has always been a priority for our agency. Now, through our partnership with the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, we have the opportunity to help growers and consumers alike enjoy the excellence of New York wines and the social, economic, and environmental benefits of certified sustainable winegrowing,” said Chief Operating Officer Armando Delgallego.
Project Background
The basis for this certification will be the VineBalance Guide to Sustainable Viticulture, a grower self-assessment workbook codeveloped by the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Soil and Water Conservation Committee of the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets in 2007. This workbook is widely applied across the state, but it lacks a system of third-party verification and logo for special labeling. Growers who achieve certification will be permitted to use the logo for direct-to-consumer marketing. This market-based approach will provide a continuous incentive for value-added producers to purchase sustainable grapes and increase the visibility of sustainable wines in the marketplace.
The goal of this project is to develop a marketing plan that addresses the needs of grape growers and farm wineries as well as the preferences of Millennial consumers who drive the premium for certified sustainable wines. “We are thrilled to partner with Born Collective whose extensive experience in green marketing and deep roots in the New York wine and grape industry will be key to helping us realize the direct-to-consumer marketing strategy for our sustainable wine certification,” said Whitney Beaman, Sustainability Program Manager for NYWGF.
Project activities will include market research that focuses on Millennial wine consumers and the sustainable grape commodity market. Deliverables will include a certification program positioning statement and strategy, promotional campaign playbook, and certification logo style guide.
To learn more about New York’s Sustainable Winegrowing Certification visit newyorkwines.org/sustainability.
