Thank you for entrusting me to help lead the Michigan Wine Collaborative, and a huge thank you to Dr. Dave Miller, who has served as president since the Collaborative’s inception in 2016.
I say “help lead” because the Collaborative’s success depends on the industry’s willingness to take ownership of its own future. In 2019, when the Michigan Wine Collaborative sent representatives and Michigan Rieslings to participate in FLXcursion, an international consumer, press, and industry event much like Michigan’s “City of Riesling,” I looked around amazed at the sheer number of volunteers. When I took the organizers aside and asked how many volunteers they had, it was 160! For one event! I would love to see 160 people (which equates to less than 1 person per Michigan winery) actively volunteering with the Collaborative at least once in the next two years to help our industry grow, improve, and achieve the recognition and success we deserve.
Of course, we all have different agendas and definitions of “success”. For our largest wineries, that might mean finding more channels of distribution across the US and world. For our smallest wineries, it might mean piquing the curiosity of tourists locally and from all over, making the idea of Michigan wine irresistible, so their feet lead them to our tasting rooms to taste and buy Michigan wine. BUT WE ALL HAVE A COMMON GOAL: TO MAKE AND SELL GREAT MICHIGAN WINE! I promise, by sharing your time and expertise on an MWC committee, you’ll gain at least as much as you give in networking opportunities and resources for reaching your own goals while advancing our collective cause. Everyone wins.
In the next two years while I serve you in this position and our board welcomes many new faces, I invite you to:
• Be a part of branding Michigan’s identity so that all Michigan wineries benefit (You can do this by coming to the table—i.e. MWC committee meetings—with your ideas, time and passion.)
• Build and strengthen our relationships and reputation with the press and trade (You can do this by hosting and/or enthusiastically participating in our press and trade events by showing up to network or by sending wines.)
• Expand our talent pipeline with the next generation of winemakers, grape growers, wine program/ag students, and hospitality professionals so that the torch will be passed to trusted and sustained for many years to come. (You can do this by participating in MWC’s mentorship programs or actively seeking to diversify the staff at your company by offering paid learning opportunities for the next-generation of the MI wine industry.)
We have roughly a half-century of recent wine-growing history in Michigan, and while it’s crucial to learn from and honor our past, now is the time to run, not walk, to embrace our future. Let’s go!
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