Business Name: Willamette Valley Vineyards
Name: Jim Bernau
Location: Turner
Establishment (Year): 1983
Category / Industry: 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 & 𝐁𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
Sub Category / Sub Industry: Food and Beverage
Number of employees: >100 employees
Website URL: https://www.wvv.com/
LinkedIn URL: LinkedIn
Company Detail:
The mission of Willamette Valley Vineyards (WVV) is to tell the Oregon story through wine while serving as stewards of the land and community through wine enthusiast ownership. Willamette Valley Vineyards grows cool-climate varietals to create elegant, classic Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley Appellation. they treasure their environment and use sustainable practices in farming and vinifying their wine grapes, with a vision to be the wine enthusiast's choice for quality, values, and experiences.
Specialization Product/Services:
Founded in 1983 by Oregon native Jim Bernau with the dream of creating world-class Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region's leading wineries, earning the title "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers" from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Owners of Willamette Valley Vineyards are helping bring the Oregon wine country experience into some of the Northwest's most exciting areas with their new Tasting Room and restaurants located at the Vancouver Waterfront, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, and soon Bend. Domaine Willamette at Bernau Estate Vineyard in the Dundee Hills is Oregon's first sparkling wine facility that produces world-class méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines with an underground aging cellar at the biodynamically-farmed Bernau Estate Vineyard. The winery offers Oregon-inspired hospitality with wine and food pairings, stunning views, educational tours, and beautiful gardens overlooking the Dundee Hills.
Unique Value Proposition:
In 1989, Willamette Valley Vineyards became the first SEC-authorized community-funded U.S.business and continues to grow through wine enthusiasts' Owners. In 2021 Oregon Wine Press named Founder and CEO of Willamette Valley Vineyards, Jim Bernau, Person of the Year in part to Bernau's leadership, innovations, and impact on Oregon viticulture and winemaking. Willamette Valley Vineyards is one of the region's leading wineries, earning the title "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers" from Wine Enthusiast. In January 2023, Food & Wine listed Willamette Valley Vineyards as one of the 20 best Oregon wineries to visit. Recently, TIME Magazine listed Oregon's Willamette Valley as one of the World's Greatest Places for 2023. Willamette Valley Vineyards has developed novel new wine experiences designed to educate and entertain wine enthusiasts visiting their winery locations. These innovative experiences support Bernau's vision of telling the Oregon story through wine and their environmentally sustainable farming practices. Their unique winery experiences create a welcoming destination for their Owners and wine enthusiasts alike.
The blending system technology records and reports on the daily blending totals allowing
Willamette Valley Vineyards to perform data analytics on the blend and taste profiles of winery guests. This information aids in developing new blends and supports the company's strategy of building direct-to-consumer sales.
A customer’s review:
Best value for the cost, Best Service, Most innovative products/services
Community / Society Service:
Willamette Valley Vineyards supports charitable organizations and causes in their local community, from spearheading projects like Oregon Solidarity, which assisted Southern Oregon winegrowers and Rogue Valley Vintners in a time of crisis, to supporting ¡Salud! and their mission to offer healthcare to vineyard workers. Willamette Valley Vineyards strives to impact their community and inspire others to do the same. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Willamette Valley Vineyards was named one of Greater Portland's most generous companies in the Portland Business Journal's Corporate Philanthropy Awards.
There are many worthy causes they proudly support. they give special attention to the projects highlighted below yearly to ensure they thrive and continue providing their essential services: ¡Salud!, Oregon State University Foundation and Fermentation Science Program, Family Building Blocks, Health Community Initiative, Oregon Environmental Council, and Rogue Valley Vintners.
Willamette Valley Vineyards also hides Golden Coins under the foil of select bottles of their classic Oregon wines. Every coin supports local food banks, plus finders receive winery experiences, Willamette Valley Vineyard gear, or a chance to win an Oregon Wine Country Getaway!
their unique value proposition has enabled the company to expand the number of employees from 210 (pre-COVID) to 404 employees (today), a growth of 92%.
