January 2023 Newsletter

Explore the 2023 MWC Media Kit, Register for the exclusive Commerce7 x MWC seminar, Upload your 2023 events for the Vintage Michigan Event Calendar, Help MWC recruit new sponsors for 2023, Mark your calendars for 2023 events, Participate on MWC Sustainability efforts, Take advantage of the new Grower’s Database from the Michigan Craft Beverage Council, and More!

2023 MWC Media Kit

MWC is excited to announce and release our 2023 Media Kit. This spectacular production aims to serve as a general introduction to the Michigan Wine Collaborative and includes information about who we are, what we are working on, who we serve, what we believe, and how you can get involved. We are excited to continue working with the Michigan wine industry and related industries to grow the Michigan grape and wine industries. We hope you will join us as we work towards a bigger, better, faster, tastier wine and grape industry.

Click Here to Access the Media Kit!

MWC Members are Invited to Participate in an Exclusive Seminar Hosted by Commerce7

The Michigan Wine Collaborative is offering its members this exclusive online seminar, compliments of Commerce7 in partnership with WISE Academy and Community Benchmark!

Please join us at this virtual seminar for:

-A Community Benchmark overview to better understand your Tasting Room metrics such as AOV, conversion to purchase and club!

-WISE Academy’s seminar on Tasting Room Sales Best Practices: Top 10 Success Tips! Lesson learned from over 5,000 mystery shoppers on what works, what doesn’t work and how to leverage best practices to not only improve guest engagement but also for the Triple Score (getting sales, wine club signups, and data capture)

-Plus, Growing DTC Sales – Learn the tangible steps you can take to sell more and grow your average lifetime value, order value, and direct-to-consumer sales this year and beyond, presented by Commerce7.

March 21st Schedule:
11am-11:30am – Community Benchmark
11:30am-11:55am – WISE Academy
11:55am-12:05pm – Break (warm up your lunch and come back)
12:05pm-12:30pm – WISE Academy
12:30pm-1:10pm – Commerce7
1:10pm-1:15pm – Final Q&A

Click the button below for registration instructions. MWC members will need to log into their Wild Apricot account to access this page. If you would prefer us to send you the registration link directly E-mail Emily HERE!

Click Here for Registration Instructions!

Let Us Help You Promote Your Events on the Vintage Michigan Event Calendar!

MWC members and Vintage Michigan participants are encouraged to share any events they would like promoted to us at the button below. The shared events will be uploaded to the Vintage Michigan event calendar on Wild Apricot as well as promoted on social media via Vintage Michigan, Taste Michigan, and/or Michigan Wine Collaborative accounts. Additionally, we are planning targeted e-mail blasts to promote the calendar to the over 4000 Vintage Michigan members, This list of contacts are loyal Michigan wine consumers and we hope to assist in driving sales to the tasting rooms and vineyards with these communications.

There is also an option to adjust your Vintage Michigan listings and/or offerings located at the bottom of the Google form. Please reach out to Emily with any questions or for assistance OR to enroll in the Vintage Michigan program.

Share Your Events Here!

MWC 2023 Sponsorship Drive

Help Michigan Wine Collaborative grow and succeed by aiding us in recruiting sponsors for 2023 and beyond. We are planning lots of exciting things for this year which require revenue to make them happen. Additionally we are seeking new partnerships to collaborate on growing a stronger Michigan wine industry and strengthening the Michigan wine brand image.
Please reach out to any contacts (with Emily at [email protected] CC’d) you think may be interested in sponsoring by sharing the link below as well as our new media kit which can be found on the web HERE!
michiganwinecollaborative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Michigan-Wine-Collaborative-2020-Sponsorship-Levels-1.pdf

You can also directly send Emily any potential sponsor leads or contact information for us to follow up with directly.

Save the Dates! 2023 Industry Events.

We have updated our event calendar on Wild Apricot to reflect wine and grape industry events of interest including 2023 MWC board and committee meetings, The Eastern Winery Exposition, MSUE events, and more! We will continue updating this calendar as events are announced. MWC members are encouraged to log into their Wild Apricot accounts to access exclusive member events like the upcomning Commerce7 seminar.

Did we miss an event? E-mail Emily HERE to share industry event information.

Click Here to Check Out the 2023 Event Calendar!

Get an Update and Involved with MWC’s Sustainability Efforts

The MWC is working to assist Dr. Karen Chou with a Sustainable Agriculture Management app for growers. The goal of the app is to make it easier for growers to oversee farm operations and make management decisions all in one convenient location. The centralization of all of this information makes it easier to stay organized and be in compliance with certification programs.

The app has many features that are helpful for growers. For example, growers can use the app to assign and manage farm tasks to other app users (such as spray applications) allowing them to oversee and have a record of all inputs. The app shows weather forecasts to help determine if conditions are optimal for the scheduled application, and will record weather conditions as well as a GPS path of the spray during its application making it easy to review. App users can also upload pictures to help record and identify any pests or diseases that they may come across while out in the field and can specify the location so that farm managers know precisely where the problem is, allowing them to assess the best way to move forward in dealing with it.
All of these features make it easy to stay organized and review management practices. This is helpful to be in compliance with certifications such as the MDARDs Restricted Use Pesticide Certification, MAEAP, and other Sustainability certification programs such as the VineBalance program that MWC is hoping to pilot in the next year.

We are looking for growers who are interested in using the app in the upcoming season to help provide feedback. Please sign up for an account at https://sustainableag.msu.edu/SAA/public/login/, create your farm in the web application, and then download the app in your smartphone to access chemical application tasks and more functions in the field. You may also watch a brief introduction video https://sustainableag.msu.edu/SAA.php made by Computer Science students who participated in the software development in 2020.

If you have any questions regarding the app we will be hosting an informative Zoom presentation on January 24th at 11 am to go over its functions. A Zoom invitation for this meeting will go out in a separate e-mail blast as well as posted on the Wild Apricot and Basecamp calendars and MWC website. Additionally, Dr. Chou will be at the Northwest Orchard and Vineyard show as well as the Southwest Hort days presenting the app, so keep an eye out for her!

Please consider joining us at any of these events to learn more. Please also spread the word to any other growers you know who may also be interested in using the app.

Click Here to Join the Sustainability Committee!

Take Advantage of the Grower Directory from MI Craft Beverage Council

The Michigan Craft Beverage Council is recently announced a new tool to connect specialty crop growers with craft beverage producers. The CBC are launching a database to be promoted to the craft beverage industry that contains information about growers in Michigan. These businesses can search for crops by variety, location, and other identifying characteristics.

As a grower, uploading your information to this database couldn’t be easier! Click this link and fill in the information you want craft beverage producers to know! The directory promotions will begin early in 2023 once it has been populated with your information.

Click Here to Visit the Directory!