Bringing economies of scale to certified craft wineries through extraordinary access to commerce and marketing
Sacramento (September, 18, 2019) – Carole Lawson, founder and CEO of the Craft Wine Association (CWA), is celebrating the multi-member trade organization’s third year with new craft winery members and greater commercial benefits. The CWA helps small craft wineries make national inroads to compete with some of the largest wine producers in the United States. More than three dozen winery members from all over the country, all certified as craft producers, have access to wine consumer groups, fine wine buyers, and game-changing direct-to-consumer services that in the past were available only to producers with large budgets.
The CWA provides nearly all the basic services a small winery needs to survive fierce industry competition. Everything from marketing to packaging and shipping is available to CWA member wineries because of the organization’s collective buying power, combined with Lawson’s extensive artificial intelligence background.
About Certification
Membership in CWA is open to any active participant in the wine industry that qualifies for craft certification. To qualify, an identifiable winemaker must be a partner and decision maker throughout the winemaking process, grapes must come from a traceable source, and wines must be made in 5,000-case lots or less. Certified craft wineries are voting CWA members, with access to all member advantages.
Member Advantages
CWA provides ongoing networking, connecting member wineries to communities, events, marketing opportunities, and strategic partners. CWA continuously researches and shares the latest in vineyard, cellar, and marketing technologies through its website: craftwineassoc.org. Member wineries can post their events and news on the website. Using CWA’s strategic partnerships, member wineries can take advantage of competitive pricing on products and supplies that Lawson has negotiated on their behalf, using the economies of scale that larger corporate wineries enjoy.
Soon to be announced is a member-only online store, Nxt Crush. The service offers certified craft wineries direct shipping capability, including licensing, permitting, and direct customer contact.
Membership
In three years the Craft Wine Association has certified nearly three dozen wineries from all over the United States. The newest member, Layton’s Chance Vineyard and Winery, is the first certified craft winery in Maryland. Other members include E-16 Winery and Black Sheep Winery, both in California; Dauntless Wine Company in Oregon; and Spirits of Norway in Wisconsin. They all enjoy the power of economies of scale by taking advantage of CWA services.
About Carole Lawson, Founder
Carole Lawson spent decades in high-tech as an artificial intelligence (AI) specialist. She left tech and, after a failed attempt at retirement, pursued something that touched her on a deeper level. She enrolled in the International Culinary Center in Palo Alto, California, and became a certified sommelier through the center’s Intensive Wine Studies program. Keeping one foot in the world of AI, she founded and is chief data scientist for Creekstone Creative, an AI-based ad placement agency. Recognizing that she could help craft winemakers compete against large wine brands by combining her wine education and her AI expertise, Lawson founded the Craft Wine Association in 2016.
