Barwon Ridge Wines has won the Clever and Creative Sustainable Business category at the 2019 Deakin University Geelong Business Excellence Awards.
Barwon Ridge Wines was established in 1999 with a vision to deliver premium products and personalised service as part of a sustainable small farm.
“We have a strong commitment to sustainable practices, which are integrated across all facets of our business, farm and community engagement,” says the vegan wine producer’s business awards entry.
“These are strong points of difference to similar businesses.
“Recently we have entered a new phase of growth, with grape production increasing by approximately 15 per cent and wine sales around 20 per cent.”
The company’s wines have won “many accolades”.
“They are sold in Geelong, central and west coast Victoria, and Melbourne. We have a strong cellar door and wine club,” the entry says.
Barwon Ridge Wines’ vineyards cover four hectares of its 36-hectare property. Large areas of the farm have been replanted with indigenous vegetation.
“Our business grew slowly over the first 15 years due to the slow vine growth, drought, partners working full time off-farm and a commitment to self-fund developments,” the awards entry says.
“Over this time we have improved the quality of the wine and built the brand so that it has a high level of customer and peer recognition.
“Recently, the strong growth has led to a reassessment of our business priorities. We have refocussed the roles of the owners to ensure that we can maximise the benefits and address the challenges from growth.
“We feel that we are in great position to take the business forward to the next level of development.”
