EcoWinery

So they decided to seize this opportunity and, after hours of planning and development, decided to orient the business with a focus on environmental sustainability, specifically in the wine sector. The team put everything down on paper and presented the idea. After a long wait, the wonderful news was received – You are the winner of the competition, and your idea can finally become reality. Thus was born the EcoWinery digital portal.

Management structure and governance

EcoWinery is a for-profit company. The board is composed of Simone Perdonò (Founder & General Director), Marco Scrocco (Co-Founder & Head of Marketing) and Stefano Raimo (Co-Founder & Head of Finance). The board represents three young people with different professional backgrounds but united by the desire to modernise the wine sector and contribute to the progress and preservation of the ecosystem.

Principles of work, objectives and activities

The goal is to lead the wine sector towards a profound change, using digital tools as a lever to counteract the current climate change. EcoWinery is convinced that to bring about this revolution, it is necessary to combine technological progress with an environmentally sustainable production philosophy. This is the only way to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity.

For the team, it is essential to inform and raise consumer awareness on environmental issues and ethical consumption. The team is formed by wine enthusiasts and nature lovers who want to communicate these values by promoting high-quality wines made by hand and with respect for nature. In addition, the team is committed to fostering the development of responsible wine tourism, connecting wine lovers with the various wine realities that enrich the Italian wine scene.

Target groups

Potentially, the target group is the entire audience of wine consumers. The aim is to get them used to combine sustainability and taste. EcoWinery moves simultaneously in two directions: producers and consumers. Concerning producers, the focus is currently on Italian wineries. Regarding consumers, the team provides help to those who want to discover the virtuous realities of the Italian territory, also paying special attention to wine tourism.

Innovation

EcoWinery is the first Italian digital platform that focuses its core business on the principles of environmental sustainability applied to wine production. The intention is to create an exclusive showcase for wineries that meet a certain number of sustainability indicators, to guarantee transparent and truthful information for the ‘ethical’ consumers who choose to interface on our website.

Through digital tools, EcoWinery aims to:

• Create a portal aimed at reducing the time it takes to search for producers who make wine with minimal environmental impact
• Communicate effectively and transparently the sustainability of the different production phases through selected indicators
• Offer consultancy to help companies embark on a path towards more sustainable production
• Creation of a network of consumers and producers attentive to environmental sustainability to allow meetings and exchanges of opinions
• Consolidating and disseminating the brand identity of wineries, communicating their unique production philosophy through social platforms
• Stimulating Italian wine tourism through the promotion of events in the winery and vineyard

Key partners

EcoWinery partners are wineries that meet specific sustainability requirements in their business model. They are Amantis (Tuscany), Caiaffa (Apulia), Funiati (Apulia), I Caprini (Piedmont), La Cedraia (Piedmont), Mandirola (Piedmont), Passalacqua (Apulia), Solimando (Apulia) and Tenute Rossini (Sardinia)

Thanks to the PIN Programme, Ecowinery also works with the Apulia Region.

Impact and Evaluation

EcoWinery demonstrates that it is possible to combine an online sales system with conscious and sustainable purchasing. Especially, due to the pandemic, online sales volumes have increased exponentially, but we must always ask ourselves how sustainable our web purchases are. The need to comply with certain parameters prompted the wineries wishing to collaborate with our company to review the production system and orient it towards sustainable processes.

Moreover, the activity of discovering the economic realities that take advantage of the web portal brings with it further benefits: thanks to the organisation of events aimed at promoting these realities, a contribution to wine tourism and its supply chain can be guaranteed.

Recommendations

The experience is easily replicable for the sale of other products and in different countries. It would be beneficial to our planet and our behaviour as consumers. The only guide to keep in mind to replicate the EcoWinery initiative is love for our planet. It is easy to prove that sustainability and online trade are not contradictory.

Italy is rich in realities in the field of oenology, and its enthusiasts, including foreigners, are not lacking. For those who want to replicate the EcoWinery experience abroad, it is advisable to focus on the strengths that each territory offers both entrepreneurs and consumers. Providing a showcase for those who favour sustainable production can provide a strong impact on local economies, linking the producer-consumer relationship with other aspects such as consumer education and tourism.

Lessons Learned

The companies shall respect the environment through sustainable production systems promoted on the market. Introducing producers and consumers to strict sustainability parameters proved to be a tough challenge from the outset, but it must be understood that this is a long-term process. In other areas of commerce, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the issues behind EcoWinery, and these sensitivities will gradually become more decisive in all areas of the market.

References

EcoWinery website.

PIN program profile of the company.