Water Management: Shale Oak
 
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Water Management: Shale Oak


May 11

2023

While consumers name food and beverage as one of the most important industries when it comes to sustainability, more than 1 in 4 US adults said they don't know what makes a product sustainable (2022 Morning Consult, What Sustainability Means to Consumers).

There is a need for consumer education on sustainability, and this is a great opportunity for your brand! You can help educate your customers by sharing specific things that your brand does to be sustainable. Build a bond over your mutual care for the health of the people and the planet!

Sharing your practices is easy. Just reference your Sustainable Story worksheet!

If you and your team have not completed this simple yet powerful free tool yet, what are you waiting for? Just follow these three steps:

  1. Download the "Our Sustainable Story" worksheet (Worksheet for Print | Worksheet for Electronic Filling)
  2. Write your unique stories with your whole team (viticulturist, winemaker, tasting room, sales, marketing).
  3. Share your stories!

As a vineyard and winery on California's Central Coast, Shale Oak embraces Water Management as a top sustainability initiative. Here is just one of the things they do to help conserve water.
 

Water Management at Shale Oak

One of California’s biggest sustainability concerns is water. In 2022, about 75% of California was declared to be in a severe drought.

Shale Oak addresses this critical resource concern by using their tasting room and winery roof to capture rainwater.
 

This water is stored in five 100k-gallon water cisterns atop their hill, and is used throughout the year to deficit irrigate their 5-acre vineyard and maintain landscaping during the drier months.

Deficit irrigation is a water management strategy that helps limit water usage by being very meticulous with watering schedules. Shale Oak relies on mother nature to supply the vast majority of the water used at their operation, and they are able to give the vines supplemental irrigation at critical stages during their life cycle.
 

Sustainability is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean? Shale Oak believes that true sustainability is implementing farming practices that can be passed down for generations to come – practices that will keep their great-great-grandchildren in business, too!

Shale Oak helps to lessen the demand on California's water supply by reducing the amount of water they need to pump into their vineyard. Proudly telling their Sustainable Story surrounding Water Management practices helps their customers know that they are supporting a business that cares about protecting natural resources, and inspires their peers and future generations to follow suit!

Read the second story in the Sustainable Stories Series article published in Grape & Wine Magazine!
 

Does Your Team Know Your Sustainable Story?

Need an easy way to help your team talk about your sustainable practices?
Use the Our Sustainable Story worksheet!

Go through the worksheet as a team and you will walk away with 7 specific sustainable practices to talk about during tastings and sales calls, use in your marketing and wine club material, and so much more!

Worksheet for Print | Worksheet for Electronic Filling