Resilience Forged By Fire, Flood & Quake: Best Practices in the Wine Industry to Prepare for Natural Disaster

Author: Armand Gilinsky, Jr., Ph.D.; et al.

Publication: WineBusiness.com

Publication Date: February 8, 2019

Abstract:
>The topography and climate so conducive to grape growing is also often vulnerable to wildfire, earthquakes and flooding. Expectations from employees, trade associations, retail groups and customers to be prepared are rising, and wineries need to proactively plan. Yet, studies conducted by the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University found less than half of winery employees were familiar with any kind of disaster preparedness plan. Subsequent in-depth interviews at Napa and Sonoma county wineries revealed that the wine industry faces some unique challenges. Fortunately, these interviews also revealed some best practices, which fall into four primary categories: communication, operational preparation, organizational trust and community resilience.