Winderlea® Vineyard & Winery Receives B Corp Certification

DUNDEE, Ore., April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Winderlea® Vineyard and Winery, a boutique winery specializing in the limited production of Pinot noir and Chardonnay from Oregon, announced today that they have successfully completed and received B Corp certification by the nonprofit certifying organization B Lab.  Winderlea® achieved certification after meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.  Winderlea® is just the 2nd winery in Oregon and 4th winery globally to have achieved this comprehensive business sustainability certification.  B Corp certification is to sustainable business what LEED® certification is to green building or Fair Trade® certification is to coffee.  Today, there is a growing community of over 1,250 Certified B Corps from more than 38 countries and 60 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to redefine success in business voluntarily by meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability and performance.

Upon the purchase of a 32-year old vineyard in 2006, Winderlea® Vineyard and Winery owners Bill Sweat and Donna Morris built their business with these concepts in mind.   Over the course of two years, Winderlea® introduced sustainable farming practices that enabled the vineyard to earn its LIVE® and Salmon Safe® certifications in 2008.  In 2009, Winderlea® began employing biodynamic practices and became one of just 14 wineries in Oregon to achieve phase 2 compliance in the carbon reduction program established by the Oregon Environmental Council.   Winderlea's® vineyard Tasting Room was designed by Portland architect Ernie Munch to employ both passive and active energy reduction strategies and in 2008 became the first Oregon tasting room to install an electric vehicle charger.  From the time they opened their tasting room in 2008 thru 2011, Winderlea®  donated 100% of their tasting room fees to iSalud!, the organization that provides healthcare services to Oregon's vineyard workers and families.  Since 2012 Winderlea® has made a monthly contribution from tasting fees to support iSalud! as well as participating in an annual auction that further supports iSalud's! funding.  In addition to their support of iSalud!, Winderlea® contributes over 5% of company revenue to non-profit organizations focused on education and the arts.  

Winderlea® owners Bill Sweat and Donna Morris were intrigued when they first learned about B Corps and their mission to "use business as a force for good."  This complemented what they were doing with their vineyard, building, philanthropic and people practices and their goal of building a business that reflected their values.  Donna shares that they were motivated by their desire to make great wine as well as to create a holistic sustainable business.  Bill adds that for him the B Corp experience gave them the opportunity to assess their practices with the most sustainable businesses in the world and that it gives them a process to continue to improve their practices.  While the couple feels there is still a great deal more to be done, being a B Corp gives them a map that will lead to ongoing improvement and connects them with a community of like -minded business owners. 

Winderlea® wines can be purchased directly on-line, through Club Membership, at their sustainable estate tasting room in Dundee or winery tasting room in McMinnville, Oregon.  A selection of Winderlea® wines are also available at fine restaurants and wine shops throughout the country.  For a listing of states to which Winderlea can ship and a list of distributors through which restaurants and wine shops may purchase, visit the Winderlea® web site at www.winderlea.com

Contact: 
Donna Morris
503-554-5900
Email

SOURCE Winderlea Vineyard & Winery

Related Links

http://www.winderlea.com