Innovation

Organic material contamination - called biological oxygen demand - is one of the key contaminations caused by food and beverage industry. If not treated, water with high BOD facilitates the proliferation of micro-organisms that use up the water’s oxygen, harming fish and other fauna.

The cleaning system implemented uses tanks containing membranes where micro-organisms grow and digest the organic material, releasing cleaner water. This system has lowered the bio-contamination of the wastewater produced by Cave Spring by up to 98 percent.

The success of this initiative sparkled other initiatives such as the conversion of lighting systems to LED and skylights installation, auditing of solid waste generation and a company-wide commitment to recycling.

Inspiration

The spark for the implementation of the new wastewater treatment system came as the winery was facing potential surcharges in thousands of in annual waste-water sewer surcharges from Niagara Region with new legislation being discussed and dealing with odour concerns from the old treatment system, which was also a factor preventing the expansion of wine production.

At that time, Dave Hooper got in contact with Wine Council of Ontario’s sustainability committee to discuss water treatment options and got in touch with Bloom Centre in Mississauga who introduced Dave to Rob Davis, president of EcoEthic Inc., who had experience in implementing the Bio-Gill filtration system in Australia.

“Small/medium and family-owned companies are more willing to try because they have a long-term vision”, said Dave Hooper. After an 18-month pilot project and $170,000 for the equipment – which was partially offset by Growing Forward 2 agriculture-improvement fund – the company reduced BOD emissions in 98%, reducing potential costs to the company and took the burden off the public system.

Overall impact

Inspired by the positive impact of the wastewater treatment system, the company decided to also invest in switching to LED lighting in the wine store. "That was a low-hanging-fruit, but people resist to change", said Dave Hooper. That initiative resulted in a reduction of 75% on the electric bill, which broke the resistance and led to the adoption of LED bulbs also in the production area and the installation of natural lightwells to illuminate the office.

They also decided to measure how much solid waste they were generating and through a partnership with Niagara College, they got to a recycling rate of 93%, "That was an eye-open moment", said Dave Hooper. And it got everyone more involved in sustainable practices.

The next step was to start an auditing process to be certified by the Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) as a sustainable wine producer. "We found that our people collect data related to water and energy consumption that we didn't know about", said Dave Hooper.

After the certification, Dave is pursuing new areas to reduce their environmental impact at the same time they reduce costs. "Creating a positive economic impact on business is also part of the People-Planet-Profit objective", said Dave Hooper.

The use of
systems to track electricity, natural gas and water consumption allows the
winery to quantify how much of these resources are used in the production of
its wine. This is the first step to finding unnoticed waste in Hooper’s
experience.

Business benefit

"It all started with the water system", said Dave Hooper. Because of the sustainable practices adopted by Cave Spring Cellars, they not only avoided potential charges due to BOD water contamination, and reduced energy cost and water consumption, but they also started to get recognition, being the winery of choice for some restaurants and wine consumers.

After the initial certification as a sustainable wine producer, Cave Spring also got certified as a sustainable grape grower. To achieve that certification, they try to minimize the interventions on the vineyard. That translates to an integrated approach that combines natural techniques and elements to prevent disease on the vines and preserve the health of soil, combined with targeted and minimal interventions only when and where it is strictly mandatory.

"It all starts with the selection of the right wine varietals.", said Dave Hooper. Selecting wine varietals more adapted to the climate and soil of Beamsville Bench helps to reduce the need for interventions to keep the vineyards healthy and productive. That led to the choice of focusing on six varietals to produce most of the Cave Spring wines: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Gamay.

Social and environmental benefit

The installation of water filtration system resulted in the removal of 98% of BODs from winery's wastewater used for winemaking. That reduced the pressure on the public system that would have to treat the water before making it available for consumption.

All the practices adopted as a sustainable grape grower and wine producer are aimed to minimize the impact on the environment to preserve the natural world for future generations without losing sight that the company has to be economically viable in the long-term, fulfilling market expectations of a wine produced with the highest quality.

Cave Spring also believes in providing the best working environment, which can be verified by the low turnover in the company, with some employees being part of the company for more than 20 years. Being a valuable part of the community is also essential, with initiatives such as plowing driveways for seniors, partnering with colleges and philanthropic efforts.

Interview

Dave Hooper, Winery Operations Manager