Villa Maria’s sustainable practices from vine to wine
Healthy soils and balanced ecosystems
- We plant over 700kgs of wildflower seeds every year
- All our vineyards are Sustainable Wine New Zealand certified, with over 30% managed organically
- Our food waste goes to worm farms which produce fertiliser for our vineyards
Wineries built with thought and care
- We harness natural energy using night air cooling and natural lighting
- Our new Hawkes Bay winery has Dali smart lighting throughout
- Since 2010 we have reduced our electricity use per bottle by 29%
Lifecycle focus on products
- Our glass is supplied by an NZ based manufacturer, reducing carbon emissions from freight and supporting a local business
- We reduced the weight of our bottles by 16%, decreasing the fuel required for transport
- Working with our suppliers we are removing 38 tonnes per annum of labeling waste from landfill
Reducing the impact of our operations
- Our forklifts have been electric since 2011
- Our boxes include recycled material and are able to be recycled
- 100% of our incoming plastic shrink wrap is recycled
Minimising transport emissions
- We process our grapes close to the vineyards where they are harvested
- We are moving from road transport to rail or sea freight where possible, using the lowest emissions options for wine exports
Changing the way we work
- We contribute to Sustainable Winegrowers New Zealand, Women in Wine and Organic Winegrowers New Zealand
- We are a founding partner of the Aotearoa Circle, committing to a prosperous and sustainable New Zealand economy
- Our e-Waste is recycled through Abilities, supporting a social enterprise providing people with disabilities meaningful work
Enabling responsible consumers
- We are members of the NZ Packaging Forum and are committed using packaging that is easily recycled
- To celebrate the expansion of our commercial worm farms in 2018 we gave 50 domestic worm farms away to our customers
- We are contributing to industry research on low alcohol wines to provide our customers with choice
