LEON, VA (August 14, 2024) – Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, one of the most innovative, woman-owned wineries on the east coast, is the first vineyard in Virginia to partner with Vanguard Renewables® to enhance sustainable winery operations. Vanguard Renewables is a leading provider of sustainable food and beverage byproduct and organic waste management services.
Founded in 1982 by French entrepreneurs Jean and Sylviane DeLuc, Prince Michel was purchased in 2005 by current owner Kristin Easter, who assembled an award-winning team to help secure the vineyard’s reputation as an industry leader. Prince Michel has won several awards for its wines, and the property is named a top Virginia winery to visit in numerous industry publications.
“What sets us apart is our commitment to innovation and integration; we have equipment, plentiful storage, as well as crushing and bottling capabilities onsite, which allows us to produce beautiful wine while also providing services to our fellow winemakers in the Monticello Virginia American Viticultural Area (AVA),” said Chief Executive Officer Reo Hatfield of Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery.” We are always looking to innovate and to operate more sustainably, and that is what led us to discussions with Vanguard Renewables.”
“We are currently in a phase of expansion at Prince Michel” said owner Kristin Easter. “We are enhancing our services group, wine club membership, brewery, food, lodging/suites, and merchandising, and this partnership with Vanguard Renewables complements our existing commitment to quality, service, the environment, and the community. Our entire team is committed to these principles; from our CEO Reo Hatfield to our winemakers Bryan Jones and Mat Bryant along with our general manager Mike Haney, Karen Newton our head of merchandising, and Kristie Twomey our director of marketing, we believe in hiring and partnering with the best in class.”
Vanguard Renewables partners with food and beverage manufacturers, retailers, and institutions across the United States to recycle inedible and unsalable food material via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Companies work with Vanguard Renewables’ in-house logistics team to create a custom organics materials recycling program; whereby Vanguard Renewables combines the food and beverage waste along with dairy cow manure into renewable gas and a low carbon biofertilizer.
The Company handles process byproducts, packaged waste, fats, oils and grease, process water, discards, and many other organic materials through its network of farms, food and beverage partners, and strategic end site and hauler partners. This helps its clients achieve increasingly challenging zero waste to landfill and sustainability goals.
“It is an honor to work with a forward-thinking organization like Prince Michel,” said Kent Bartley, President of Organics Solutions at Vanguard Renewables. “They are paving the way in the region to sustainably manage their byproducts, showcasing their commitment to innovation and to the planet. We could not be more thrilled to serve as their partner.”
Vanguard Renewables recently announced the groundbreaking for its newest Farm Powered anaerobic digester in the Commonwealth of Virginia, one of several that will start construction or commissioning in 2024 across the United States.
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About Anaerobic Digestion
Inedible or unsaleable food and beverage waste from the manufacturing and retail sectors is collected, sorted, depackaged on-site, and combined with dairy farm manure in a sealed biodigester tank. Once combined in the biodigester, microorganisms that naturally occur in manure digest the waste, converting sugars, fats and other compounds into biogas. Harnessing the waste’s energy captures as much as 95 percent of the potential greenhouse gas emissions that would result if food and beverage waste were sent to a landfill or if the farm manure were field applied. The process produces RNG that is upgraded to pipeline-quality gas and injected into the existing pipeline infrastructure on-site, displacing traditional fossil fuels. The biogas is then used for heating and cooling or can be used to make Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles. The by-products of the anaerobic digestion process include a low-carbon and nutrient dense fertilizer (digestate) that reduces the farm’s dependency on chemical fertilizers, and a dry by-product which is used for animal bedding. When food and beverage manufacturers send their organic waste to a Farm Powered site and purchase the RNG created by their waste to power their plants, they are creating a closed-loop solution that helps to address Scope 1 and 3 emissions in their business practices.
About Vanguard Renewables
Vanguard Renewables®, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company owns and operates on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and currently operates manure-only digesters in the south and west for Dominion Energy. Vanguard Renewables is expanding nationwide and plans to complete more than 100 anaerobic digestion facilities by 2028. Vanguard Renewables is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of BlackRock’s Diversified Infrastructure Fund business. To learn more visit: www.vanguardrenewables.com.
About Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery
Founded over four decades ago by Jean and Sylvan LeDucq, Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery stands as a testament to enduring quality and innovation in the Virginia wine industry. Under the visionary leadership of its founders, the winery gained acclaim for producing award-winning wines that brilliantly capture the essence of Virginia’s wine country. Today, as a woman-owned business led by Kristin Easter, Prince Michel continues to honor its rich legacy while embracing a forward-thinking approach. With a dedication to both tradition and cutting-edge techniques, Prince Michel continues to be a leader in the industry, celebrating the heritage and future of Virginia winemaking. This storied winery not only crafts exceptional wines but also offers a memorable experience to its visitors, solidifying its reputation as a premier destination in the Virginia wine landscape.
