Jean Hoefliger to introduce sustainable, anti-fungal technology to US wine industry
NAPA VALLEY, CA, January 20, 2022—UV Boosting, an effective, sustainable ultra-violet light technology that stimulates a plant’s natural defenses to reduce or eliminate the use of vineyard fungicides, will make its US debut at the 2022 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium®. Already active in 70+ vineyards in France, Switzerland and South Africa, the UV Boosting team has engaged noted wine consultant and entrepreneur Jean Hoefliger to introduce the technology to the US wine industry.
“UV Boosting is thrilled to present its technology to US winemakers for the first time,” says Baptiste Rouesné, CEO of UV Boosting. “I am convinced that our equipment will help US producers to reach their goals of a greener and more sustainable viticulture.”
UV Boosting’s mission is to offer a credible solution to reduce dependence on fungicides. The technology can be adapted to the protection strategy of each winegrower, in order to reduce their use of inputs while enhancing crop protection. By exposing a vine’s leaves to controlled doses of UV light, it takes the plant by surprise and primes its defense mechanisms, stimulating the vine to produce salicylic acid. This naturally boosts resistance to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, and Botrytis in lieu of chemical inputs.
“The potential this technique has to protect and improve vine health in a way that doesn’t have negative effects on the environment is extremely promising,” says Hoefliger, who plans to utilize UV Boosting on a number of vineyards for AXR, The Debate and other clients this growing season. “We have an obligation to the land and the environment to farm organically and responsibly, and technologies like this allow us to move away from chemicals and other harmful alternatives.”
UV Boosting will be on exhibit at Unified on Jan. 26 and 27, 2022 on level 2, booth A2422.
About Jean Hoefliger
Winemaker and entrepreneur Jean Hoefliger is a man with a quixotic mission: He is inspired and driven by the quest for creative perfection while knowing full well that it can never be achieved. An artisan who has always been motivated to push the envelope, he relies on a commitment to constant scientific research matched by an open-minded, entrepreneurial creativity. With his background in international finance and decades of wine industry experience—from Bordeaux and South Africa to Spain, Italy and California—Jean brings to his clients a rare combination of expertise in winemaking, viticulture and real-world business acumen. Clients include AXR, The Debate, V. Vineyards, Sunshine Valley Vineyards, Denali Estate, Theorize and more. For more information, please visit https://www.jhwineconsulting.com.
About UV Boosting
UV Boosting specializes in agricultural equipment innovation and has developed a process for stimulating plants’ natural defenses, based on the exposure of crops to UV-C flashes. It was founded in 2015 by Ecophysiologist Laurent Urban and Physiopathologist Jawad Aarrouf at Avignon University, when they discovered that UV flashes increased the resistance of plants to pathogens. The idea was to trigger a plant’s natural defense mechanism, not to have a direct effect on the pathogen. Based on these innovative results, a first patent was filed in 2015. The following year, after improving the process, they joined forces with TechnoFounders, a specialist in the valorization of technological innovation in France, to create the company UV Boosting. For more information, please visit www.uvboosting.com.
