Justin Livingston, CFE

A positive culture is the backbone of any thriving winery. It boosts employee happiness, improves retention, and drives better business results. Join us for the third (and final!) event in our Healthy Winery Webinar Series: “Building and Maintaining a Positive Winery Culture”! 🚀✨ I’ll be joined by an incredible panel of female winery executives — Remi Cohen (CEO at Domaine Carneros Winery) and Janie Heuck (Managing Director at Brooks Wine). Together, we’ll share insights and real-world experiences on creating a workplace where your team can truly flourish. What to expect: 1️⃣ Key elements of a positive winery culture 2️⃣ How to measure cultural health 3️⃣ Practical tips to implement right away 4️⃣ Live Q&A 🔗 to register in the comments!

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🍷I had an amazing conversation with Paul Kalemkiarian about my journey into the wine industry, the creation of Fly Wines, and where I see the future of the industry heading. 🚀 We explored both the challenges and exciting opportunities facing independent wineries as they carve out their place in the wine world. Tune in to learn more about the evolution of the wine industry and what’s on the horizon for Fly Wines! 🍇🍷 🎥 Watch the full conversation here:

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🍾 PRESS SEND: Email Marketing Mastery for Wineries 🥂 We are officially open for enrollment. PRESS SEND is the exact system we use with our one-on-one clients to sell millions of dollars of wine online, and we’re giving it to you so you can achieve these kinds of results yourself. Because we believe EVERY winery can sell more wine online by sending better marketing emails, and we can show you how. Ready to go all in on email marketing to close out 2024? The link to enroll is below (and I'll be keeping the bubs on ice for ya) Getpresssend.com :: :: :: #getpresssend #emailmavens #emailmarketingforwineries

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Why are so many people in the wine industry being so darn helpful to me? I'm serious-- and I think I know why. Over the past 3 days, I've had 3 different conversations with people who are genuinely rooting for Currently to succeed. Two of them sell wine of a similar price point and are on the cutting edge of new aluminum packaging. You'd think they would be competitive and hold their cards close to the vest. Nope. Total open books. Spent an hour with me. I used to work in software. I wasn't sharing go-to-market tips with the CMO of Highspot, I'll tell you that. This industry has an incredible pay-it-forward culture. I think this is the reason: the people I speak to, they genuinely love wine. Not necessarily as wine snobs, but as lovers of the category. And they see their mission as bringing a beverage that has been enjoyed for centuries, by rulers (and now by Taylor Swift, our modern day cultural ruler), to the masses. I think in our conversations, we recognize we have this in common: we love wine. And good wine (because wine that isn't good isn't worth drinking imho) pairs best with close friends, family and food. I'm so new to this that I don't yet have that much advice to share. But you bet that when that next upstart entrepreneur reaches out and I see their passion for building a wine brand, I'll go 30 minutes over the scheduled call time. #wineindustry #wineculture #payitforward

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Don’t blame your local #grocer for the high cost of #food | Opinion Published: May. 17, 2024, 2:39 p.m. By Alex Baloga By Guest #Editorial #PFMA #stores #retail #supermarket #foodindustry #business #companies #impact #associations #update The numbers bear it out. One longtime Pennsylvania-based grocery chain reported net sales for 2023 totaling almost $5 billion. That’s a lot of sales, for sure. But net income — meaning the amount kept as profit after taxes and other expenses are factored in — was less than 2.5%. That’s about the industry average for food retail. For every dollar sold, the grocer makesless than 2.5 cents. With such low margins, groceries stay in business based on volume; they have to sell a lot of stuff to make the numbers work. https://lnkd.in/gdgVBriU Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association PennLive.com

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An interesting snippet of data from a new Hartman study about restaurant vs. non-restaurant sourced eating occasions: "66% of restaurant-sourced occasions are motivated by a need for convenience — hence the fast-food channel being the dominant source (39%) for these occasions." Seems like there is a real opportunity to bring more convenient options to other channels like grocery, doesn't it? Of course, those options should still deliver on taste, quality, and discovery/delight.

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📚 Thompson Square Gardens Restaurant Company's Inspirational Book of the Week: "Brain Wash" by David Perlmutter, MD & Austin Perlmutter, MD 🧠 This week, we're excited to spotlight a truly transformative read: "Brain Wash". This powerful book dives into how our modern lifestyle choices—from the food we eat to our screen time habits—are affecting our brain health, decision-making, and overall happiness. The authors, a father-son duo, offer a science-backed guide to detoxing your mind, improving your mental clarity, and fostering deeper, more meaningful relationships. "Brain Wash" is a must-read for anyone looking to take control of their mental and physical well-being, especially in today's fast-paced world. Whether you're seeking personal growth or aiming to enhance your professional life, this book provides practical insights that can make a real difference. For a detailed review of "Brain Wash" and how its principles can be applied by entrepreneurs and beyond, check out the full article on our "Tasteful Blog" here: https://lnkd.in/gt-jvDnS Stay inspired with Thompson Square Gardens Restaurant Company! 🌟📖

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Over 10,000 jobs lost in the QSR/fast food space in California alone according to the California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA) Operators needed to raise prices and lay off workers to avoid shutting down Some still shut down These 10,000+ workers need to be repositioned in the workforce because QSR/fast food operators will turn to automation to stay afloat Food/beverage operators can't fight economics and math with heads in the sand Any job or repetitive task that can be automated will be so let's focus on how we can leverage workers in other roles that can't be automated #automated #repetitivetasks #workforce #operations

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👋 Introducing the dynamic #FoodStartupHelp squad! Chef Kathryn, Jeff, and Jessie are seasoned industry pros ready to help you launch your food product or kickstart your dream food business. From bakery and restaurant operations to food product development and culinary curriculum, we've got you covered with top-notch consulting services. And don't forget to check out our game-changing resource portal, #Launchafoodproduct, designed to give food entrepreneurs access to essential startup tools. Join forces with us and turn your culinary dreams into reality! DM us for more details or visit our website www.foodstartuphelp.com #Foodstartup #Foodstartuphelp #foodexperts #chefs #foodindustry

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Positive reviews can make all the difference for your winery. Watch our recent content "A simple tactic to get more tasting room traffic" to learn how to get more of these valuable online reviews: https://lnkd.in/gGjvvUjf :: :: #emailmarketingforwineries #sellmorewineonline #tastingroomtraffic #googlereviews #customerreviews

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My latest for Grape and Wine magazine focuses on a recent survey of more than 9,000 wine club members from across the U.S.: • An income of $200,000 puts those individuals in the top 12% of U.S. household incomes. • The average wine club member is 59 years old. Though the majority are still working full time (54%), 40% are retired. • Reasons for leaving a wine club were varied, with 32% saying the expense was too high, while 27% said they switched to another club they liked better. https://lnkd.in/gGHs2Krx

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Often, I am asked what I do, and my response—considering the depth and skillset involved and the importance many fail to grasp—is this: "I teach companies how not to kill their customers, or at the very least, how to avoid making them sick. I also teach others to do the same." 🚫🍽️ This usually gets the message across. Many of the points in the article Bill Marler wrote and I am sharing below are things good consultants often recommend💡 – like developing a relationship with your regulators. Get to know them – they are not the enemy. If you have a question, pick up the phone and call them📞. If there's a problem, reach out to them immediately – don't wait for them to call you🚨, develop a crisis management plan - before you need one. When we suggest these things, some industry leaders react like we just landed from Mars👽! Maybe from Bill Marler, it will have more of an impact 🤷🏼‍♀️ I mean, I can only educate/consult them - I am not going to represent the clients that will sue them. As consultants and food safety advocates, we encounter significant challenges in conveying the gravity of foodborne illnesses, deaths, lawsuits, fines, and prison terms until they make headlines in the national media. 📰⚖️ And even then, there is the "it won't happen to me" mentality. I am delighted to see this piece and hope its message resonates deeply with everyone who reads it. Somehow, we as an industry must change this mindset. 🛠️🌍 We will never eliminate foodborne illnesses, but we can certainly do more to minimize the current numbers. "Yet, companies who have followed the above find their passage through an outbreak, recall, and litigation temporary. The companies that struggle for unfounded reasons will seldom exist in the long run, or they will simply pay my clients more money." ~ Bill Marler Jonathan Needham Michelle Wollenzien Elena Montoya Dr. Darin Detwiler, LP.D. Matt Regusci Justin Dwyer, MPH-EH, LEHP, REHS/RS Cori Muse #FoodSafety #FoodSafetyCulture #ConsumerAwareness #SafeFood #PublicHealth

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As we get closer to the American Distilling Institute Conference this month, I thought this article from Maria Pearman, CPA on the 'best practices' for budgeting in your distillery was a good re-read. #ADI24 #craftbeverage #ADI

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Not only do you have to try this wine, but check out at the words that Dr. Lee uses to describe the wine. These are some of the common descriptors that you could use while tasting wine that would help others understand what you are tasting. What are some of your favorite words used to describe wine?

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