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“The successful associations are the ones that develop a plan and work together,” said Burns. He explained that having had some clients from outside the wine industry has helped him with clients within the industry. “We have to understand that in the wine business we have one product and we need to focus on that. It’s what holds us together.” Today at O’Donnell Lane, LLC, a marketing firm owned by Burns and his partner, Burns continues helping wineries and wine associations spread their message. Current clients include the Wine Institute of California, Middleton Family Winery, Chateau St. Michelle, and the Oregon Wine Board, all of whom are reaping the benefits of his energy and insights.

Positive supplier relationships have always been important in the wine industry, but even more so during tough economic times. With increased global competition and pressure to reduce costs, wineries often scrutinize suppliers more closely to obtain better pricing. At the same time, long-standing relationships are also a primary consideration. So what factors really drive a winery’s decision in supplier selection?

There are people in the Wine Industry that don’t own vineyards or make wine, yet their impact on our business is indisputable. They are...

Writer: Jim Brumm Printable PDF Version “Would you pay a few hundred bucks an acre for a spray that would guarantee you seventy-five percent of your...

There are people in the Wine Industry that don’t own vineyards or make wine, yet their impact on our business is indisputable. They are...

Writer Jim Brumm Are you getting all you can from your tasting room? The most profitable way to sell wine has always been to sell it...

Writer: Jim Brumm While few non-lawyers want to deal with the often scary and nearly always confusing world of law, a winery owner may find that...

Writer Jim Brumm Wine Industry Trade Show season is fast approaching. For exhibitors, trade shows are an opportunity to showcase new products, advances and innovations,...

by Jim Brumm Making great wine is hard enough, but layer on the marketing, compliance, employees, taxes, permits, distribution, vendors, receivables, etc…it’s easy to see...

by Brian Wright It’s no surprise that wineries are pioneers in a green industry like solar as the success of the grape grower can be...

We recently celebrated the completion of our 175th wine industry related promotional video and had several people ask us what the "secret" is to...

Do you need to get your winery, brand, or business involved in Social Media just because everyone else is? The better questions to ask are:...

For the last two years, like just about everyone I know, I’ve been friending, posting, and indulging in a lot of general voyeurism on...

No…you don’t really need a video, but one of the greatest characteristics of our industry (lucky for us) is the curiosity our customers have...

The last few years have seen more growers in Northern California wrestle with canceled contracts, a decline in grape prices or the worst case...