Whether your business is seasonally-driven or you are evaluating a new quarter of operation, developing and utilizing an expectation checklist is key to a successful venture. This type of checklist spells out what you plan to achieve throughout the year, how the plan will unfold, who is responsible for each part of the plan and how, eventually, you will evaluate its success. The checklist evolves through four sectors: MECE – Mission, Expectation, Crisis and Evaluation. (more…)

by Courtney Llewellyn

SYRACUSE, NY – The National Association of American Wineries, better known as WineAmerica, deals with a lot of issues on a much larger scale than any one winemaker – or even one viticultural area as a bloc. They work with lawmakers to help make the changes that benefit those who focused on creating quality American wines. Michael Kaiser, vice president of WineAmerica, recently presented an overview of the group’s various projects at the Eastern Winery Exposition. (more…)

Brewery design includes tanks in an isolated room for Brett and other strains.

by Sally Colby

The Leedy family isn’t new to the business of serving people. Brothers Wade and Drew Leedy are third generation owners of the popular Tommy’s Pizza on a busy corner in Gettysburg, PA. (more…)

The Recycling and Sustainability Panel was comprised of Wendy Worley, NCDEQ; Bill Clark, Strategic Materials Inc.; and Chad Beane, Moore County Public Works.
Photos by Tina L. LaVallee

by Tina L. LaVallee

In March the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild teamed with the Ardagh Group to present a sustainable brewing and packaging workshop on the grounds of the Ardagh glass manufacturing plant in Wilson, NC. Panels from local and national craft breweries joined with recycling representatives and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to give brewers insight into the development of their own sustainability and recycling programs. (more…)

In another Oregon State University experiment, former research assistant Topher DeBoer uses an instrument to measure the photosynthesis of vines receiving different amounts of water.
Photos courtesy of Alexander Levin

by Aliya Hall

Oregon State University has specialists available for a variety of subjects, and one of its areas of expertise is irrigation. Each Extension agent brings their own focus, from irrigating wine grapes to the policies that surround irrigation. (more…)

There’s gold in that thar brewery!

by Enrico Villamaino

Historic Lead, SD was founded in 1876, shortly after prospectors struck substantial veins of gold. A small but vibrant mining town rapidly sprung up in Lead, located in the heart of the Black Hills Mountain Range, as those caught up in the excitement of the gold rush relocated to the edges of the map to seek their fortunes. By the first half of the 20th century, after the gold supply had been exhausted, Lead became another of the many ghost towns scattered across the openness of the American West. (more…)

Fainting Goat Spirits is the brainchild of father-son team Bill and Andrew Norman. The name Fainting Goat Spirits comes from the fact that even if they fall down, they get back up. The distillery is also known locally as Greensboro Distilling. Photo by Karl H. Kazaks

by Karl H. Kazaks

GREENSBORO, NC – In Greensboro’s south end, in an old warehouse which once served as part of a commercial laundry, a distillery was founded in 2016. (more…)

The current expansion project at Two-EE’s focuses on expanding the winery’s production space and tasting room. The outdoor patio space will be looked at in phase two of the project. Photo courtesy of Two-EE’s Winery

by Courtney Llewellyn

Winter has passed, the ground is thawed and so construction season is upon us once again. Two-EE’s Winery hit the ground running this spring with their planned expansion project. (more…)

While rice is the well-known base for such alcohols as sake, the Japanese rice wine, only a few distilleries worldwide make vodka from rice. Photo courtesy of Frugé Spirits LLC

by Enrico Villamaino

When you’re in in Acadia Parish in Louisiana, the very heart of Cajun country, and you find yourself with an abundance of surplus rice, the obvious question presents itself: Should you use the rice to make gumbo or should you use it to make jambalaya? (more…)

Food waste has been a headline – and a real concern – for several years now. Ways to reduce this waste and utilize as much of the food grown as possible have included efforts to promote “ugly” produce, to reduce portions served in restaurants, to recycle food scraps into feedstock for bioenergy and to glean unsold produce from fields and direct it to hunger relief programs. (more…)