Trinity Oaks, its journey to being
green started in 2008 when the
company partnered with nonprofit
Trees for the Future to plant a tree
for every Trinity Oaks bottle sold.
That led to a more environmentalfocused brand, and Trinity Oaks
now uses 100% post-consumer
recycled paper for labels and craft
cartons, and will eventually use
some type of plant-based cork.
In Huntsinger's experience, environmental efforts can take some
time for consumers to get behind.
"When our sales people talk to customers about our green initiatives,
sometimes customers get excited
and get behind it, but you have to
badger people about these things,"
he said.
Nomacorc's Slater said the
response to Select Bio has been
surprisingly strong, with its main
market being small to midsize wineries – often organic or Biodynamic
– where sustainability is a core part
of their brand. But Nomacorc has
also attracted the attention of bigger producers. "We've seen strong
interest from large, international
players who see 'zero carbon footprint' as wonderful message they
can communicate on their package," Slater said.
R&D INTENSIVE
For Nomacorc, creating a new
closure that mimics the inherent
properties of natural cork proved
to be a challenging undertaking,
necessitating a fair amount of
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V I N EYA R D & WINE RY M ANAGEM ENT
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Jan - Feb 2014
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