Sonoma, Ca (February 14, 2020) – The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance (SVVGA), a non-profit trade association representing more than 100 wineries and 140 grape growers in Sonoma Valley, announced yesterday at their annual State of the Alliance Meeting a new and unprecedented partnership with Community Benchmark, an online data-mining platform that allows wineries to better understand their own numbers by comparison with their peers.
Founded by John Keleher, the platform uses proprietary algorithms to measure the relative success of tasting rooms within a geographic area, and, through a private website, anonymously shares personalized, actionable metrics. SVVGA has partnered exclusively with Community Benchmark to bring this intelligence to all vintner members of the organization. Additionally, SVVGA will receive a regional subscription and gain insights and comparative analysis on the Sonoma Valley region compared to other wine regions in the United States, to unlock insights to new growth strategies.
“One of our themes for 2020 is Business Intelligence,” quotes Maureen Cottingham, Executive Director of SVVGA, “after surveying our wineries, the majority of our vintner members stated their number one priority to their business was driving qualified visitation to their tasting rooms. As the leading organization in the Sonoma Valley region, it is our job to meet the needs of our members and provide resources and expertise to help them reach their goals. By partnering with Community Benchmark, Sonoma Valley wineries will have the data to better identify their blind spots and in turn run their businesses more effectively which will result in positive growth.”
“The business of operating a winery presents one of the great double-edged endeavors of American entrepreneurial life. The promise: come to the country, get close to the land, live the good life, and make something people all over the world love. But there is also the challenge: making money in the winery business can be a painstaking task,” says Founder, John Keleher. “Proving the adage that a rising tide lifts all boats, Community Benchmark provides wineries with a refined layer of pooled data to give you exclusive insight into your business.”
“We are able to target exactly what we need to dig into and see how we can improve, since the art of the impossible is now tangible.” – Sharon Leachman, Senior Financial Analyst, Gundlach Bundschu
More than 150 vintner, grape grower, and business associate members of SVVGA gathered at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa to learn the major initiatives and partnerships the organization will roll out in 2020.
About SVVGA
The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance (SVVGA) is a non-profit organization serving over 500 members who share a mission to promote awareness of Sonoma Valley’s grapes, wine and history as the birthplace of the California wine industry. Sonoma Valley comprises six of the seventeen American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) of Sonoma County: Bennett Valley, Los Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley. To learn more about the SVVGA visit www.SonomaValleyWine.com or call 707-935-0803.
