Monte Creek Winery in Kamloops has been nominated for the 2022 SBBC Business Impact Award and we’ve got 5 reasons why they deserve your vote.
1. Focus on sustainability has a positive impact on the land
· Every aspect of Monte Creek winery and farm — including soil, water, climate, crop, people, and even buildings — is scrutinized as to how it relates to the other aspects to improve sustainability.
· The Winery practices regenerative agriculture, which includes the rehabilitation and conservation of the ecosystem. The vineyards are farmed organically with permaculture in mind, an approach that looks at all the functions of plants and animals together, rather than treating them as a single product system.
· Monte Creek Winery installed chicken tractors, a mobile home for chickens that gives them access to fresh food while fertilizing the soil and controlling pests. As the chicken tractors move around the vineyard, the chickens leave their nitrogen and phosphorus rich manure behind, which increases sustainability.
· Cover crops are used to utilize indigenous plants to ensure they are achieving high-quality wine while giving customers an accurate representation of the terroir.
· The winery is committed to biodiversity. They partnered with local bird expert Dr. Tom Dickenson to place 20 nest boxes around the winery for birds to use to raise their young. The Honeybees on the Monte Creek Winery property not only pollinate their grape vines but also produces as much as 400 liters of honey every year.
· The winery is a certified Biosphere Committed company. This international certification verifies that they are committed to the well-being of the company, customers, community and environment.
2. Making the winery a better workplace for staff
They offer a student co-op program that allows them to further their commitment to education and innovation as well as mentor a future generation. A past student recalled that “Monte Creek Winery was a great experience, and the managers were very supportive. I’d recommend them highly to any future co-op students.”
3. Improving their carbon footprint
They partnered with Thompson Rivers University and Telus for their Community Carbon Accounting Program (C2AP). They worked closely with a masters student to conduct an in-depth audit of the winery’s carbon footprint and to assist with providing the student with real-life work experience.
4. Looking out for BC badgers
· Monte Creek Winery supports the conservation of endangered Badgers in BC. The team has been working with the BC Wildlife Park to raise awareness and funds to help support and care for their resident badger, Bloom.
· The winery partnered with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the Manager of the Wildlife Program to ensure badgers are able to travel more safely.
· This program was selected as the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)’s Sustainable Project of the Year in 2021.
5. Monte Creek Winery has been recognized by its community
In addition to the TOTA award, Monte Creek has been received the following awards:
· Kamloops Chamber of Commerce & BCLC – Innovation Award - The selection committee, made up of 28 community leaders, determined that Monte Creek Winery was a leader in innovation amongst Kamloops’ best businesses. This award recognizes those who instill a culture of innovation and continual learning.
· Best of Kamloops Awards 2021
o GOLD – Best Winery
o GOLD – Best Wedding Venue
o BRONZE - Best Tourist Attraction Outside of City Limits in Kamloops.
Voting for SBBC Business Impact Award is open until Feb 28th, so make sure cast your vote here.
Learn more about the Monte Creek Winery online at montecreekwinery.com and on digital networks Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.