Sonoma Wine Company, Graton Facility

Sonoma Wine Company CEO, Dennis Carroll challenged The DesignSmart Group in July 2008  to “bring us some radical ideas to make this plant more sustainable by reducing resource consumption.”   Sonoma Wine Company purchased the Hallberg Apple Plant in Graton in 2003 to house their barrel aging and bottling operations.  It was constructed in the late 1940’s and had been occupied and adapted over the years by various wineries and fruit juice processors.  Sonoma Wine Company wanted to reduce operating costs and felt there were some strong gains to be made by upgrading their systems.

Due to an enlightened management team at Sonoma Wine Company and support from The Design Smart Group, the County of Sonoma granted Sonoma Wine Company a new Use Permit to double plant capacity from 1.5 to 3.0 million cases per year with minimal extra conditions.

The DesignSmart Group delivered on the challenge by demonstrating the potential to reduce water use from 4.5 gallons per case of wine production to 1.27 gallons per case, a 72 % reduction through operational changes in winery processes. Combining operational changes with storm water control The DesignSmart Group analyses demonstrated that flows to the process wastewater system could be reduced by 45% while at the same time doubling the case capacity of the facility.   The DesignSmart Group is currently working with Sonoma Wine Company to achieve the goal of reducing water use to less than 1 gallon per case of wine through the application of new technology.

Using an analytical approach which integrates results across both water and energy resources, The DesignSmart Group examined existing data supplemented by baseline process measurements to identify areas of high consumption relative to industry benchmarks. The synergistic effects of various conservation measures are modeled by computer and strategies to identify the optimal approach for conservation and cost savings are identified.  The DesignSmart Group has identified a strategy whereby energy consumption will be reduced by 50% by replacing refrigeration units, insulating wine storage tanks and achieving improved climate control around the indoor tanks.

The DesignSmart Group findings are designed to guide management in its investment decisions to achieve the greatest long-term gains toward sustainability.   Investment options are prioritized to achieve the greatest gains in the initial stages of implementation without foreclosing maximum gains through ongoing investments.

Lescure Engineers, Inc. a member firm of The DesignSmart Group, has provided follow-up consultation for program implementation to Ed Silva, General Manager, Jim Neeley, Facilities Manager and Natasha Granoff, Business Development Director.  CEO Dennis Carroll, speaking at the recent North Bay Business Journal’s “Going Green” Conference and the Green Wine Summit, reported satisfaction with the program.