Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/450509
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower FEBRUARY 1, 2015 25 Northwest FCS relationship manager, Mandy Galbreath with customer, Kameron Jenks Northwest Farm Credit Services is a cooperative. When you become a customer you also become an owner. You have a voice and a vote in how our association does business. Plus, when we do well we share profits with you in the form of patronage. No bank does this. You borrow. You own. You earn. You grow. Learn more about the benefits of being a customer-owner. northwestfcs.com | 800.743.2125 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. She is also a member of the Wine Advisory Committee and Extended Research Committee, both under auspices of the Washington Wine Commission. Detail oriented Kock describes herself as a "monster record keeper." "When you're growing high-tier fruit, the devil is in the details," she said. "It's all the little stuff you do that makes a difference." Nearly every vineyard activity, from pruning to har- vest, is done by hand. This gives Kock total control, but it also makes quality of her workforce paramount. The vineyard annually produces about 400 tons from mostly red varieties. Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are the only white varieties grown. She employs 15 to 20 workers full-time, adding family members during harvest when more hands are needed. Many of the workers have been at Klipsun longer than Kock. "We pay at the upper end of piece rate for harvest (double what some neighbors pay), because I'm really picky about what gets picked. We're not a high-tonnage grower, so we must sell our grapes for top dollar. Fruit must be really clean, with no leaves and only the best clusters." For pruning, she pays an hourly wage because she wants her workers to be thorough. As general manager, she serves as farmer-in-chief for 30 different wineries and makes sure year-round tasks are done on time and meet high-tier wine specifications. There's a waiting list of wineries wanting to buy Klipsun grapes. At harvest, she works closely with each winery, reporting results of biweekly maturity samples and coordinating picking dates. She also does payroll and manages the business side of the vineyard. Part of her job is to match each winemaker with a specific block of grapes. Klipsun is known for produc- ing fruit with intense flavors and bold, tannic structure. However, flavor profiles of the fruit vary with vineyard location and, for some winemakers, it takes a few years to find their sweet spot. "But once they find it, I make every effort not to move them," she said. It's a team effort at Klipsun, from the owners to the workers pruning the vines, Kock said. From the begin- ning, the pioneers of Red Mountain—Jim Holmes, John Williams, Tom and Marie Hedges and the Gelles—con- sidered themselves wine growers and were choosy about who they sold grapes to. Kock has adopted that same "growing wine" men- tality. She cares about whom the grapes go to and how the wines are made. "We don't see ourselves as grape farmers, but as wine growers. For us, it's all about the wine." • PHOTOS BY TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Kock holds green material that is removed by hand during harvest.