Winery enters new markets

Thursday, May 12, 2011

by SUSAN MANN

A Niagara-area winery received $700,000 from the provincial government that will help the company create new jobs, expand markets, source more local grapes and reduce processing waste.

Murray Marshall, president and CEO of Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd., says the company has been fifth largest buyer of grapes in Ontario and it will move to being the third largest buyer now. The company’s grape buying will increase to 3,000 tonnes this year from 1,800 tonnes. The bulk of the grapes Diamond Estates buys are from independent growers.

Marshall says the funding announced May 6 is being used to add four different pieces of capital manufacturing equipment. Diamond Estates will be entering three new market segments, including sparkling wines, reduced and alcohol-free wine, and improving efficiency on its bottling line to fulfill an export market for ice wine.

The company will create 38 new jobs and retain 142 existing jobs.

Marshall says the funding announcement “is a great vote of support by the government for an industry that creates a lot of economic impact.”

As part of improving efficiency at Diamond Estates, Marshall says they’ve brought in some components that will help with effluent processing. That will result in “less grey water going back into the environment.”

About 30 per cent of project is already in place, he explains.  It’s all being installed at Diamond Estates’ facility in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is the winery formerly known as 20 Bees.
 
Diamond Estates received the money through Ontario’s matched funding Rural Economic Development program. BF