^{Photo: Leah Jorgensen recycles her wine boxes as part of her regenerative cardboard cover no-till garden.}

Last week, I had an engaging conversation about regenerative gardening with two herbalists in Eugene, Oregon and it turned into an impromptu interview about all things regenerative, including restructuring my wine business into a regenerative business model and what that really means! I decided to take parts of our conversation, turn it into a Q&A, and share it all here in my Field Notes.

Q. How did you first learn about regenerative gardening and herbalism?

A. It all started out with lectures and coursework in my herbalism studies through Ecoversity. Sarah Wu, a renowned regenerative herbalist, permaculturist, spiritual ecologist and educator based in Costa Rica, dove into teaching about regenerative farming principles and ethics, and, really, it became apparent to me that our current models for protecting the planet and people were limited, at best, and it was clear that sustainability was no longer the appropriate benchmark for guiding businesses and other entities toward best outcomes. Sustainability is about sustaining where we are at; and regeneration is about returning to a place before human involvement caused harm in effort to level up growing/working conditions and also to preserve land, ecosystems and communities. It became very clear to me that we need to shift our consciousness to care more deeply about the outcomes caused by our behavior and practices. Sarah Wu’s course became a kind of awakening for me.

Q. How long after your course did you begin to envision your transition to the regeneration movement? And what was your vision?

A. That’s a great question! Because there wasn’t a practical a-ha moment for me during or immediately following this course. I kind of finished the module, took the exam, did my course project and moved on to the next course. But then one day I saw a reel on Instagram by Samantha Garcia of Dirty Alchemy and author of Regenerative Business. The a-ha moment came after that because while I was enrolled in my herbalism program, I was still running my wine business. And I was at a crossroads there – burned out, depleted and ready for collapse because of a number of issues that came up that were all completely out of my control – that’s when things began to feel more karmic than systemic. Starting with the pandemic. Then family illness. Personal illness. Inflation. A bad but necessary loan with unreasonable terms. Cashflow problems. Sluggish sales. These were things that had not affected my business for ten years. It was really the last three years that was pushing me over the edge and I knew something had to change. All the signs pointed to the need for a shift in consciousness and in understanding business practices that no longer served or sustained the greater good of all and everything. I had been seeing so many issues within my industry – some unique to my industry – and it was troubling to see how there was no real course of action offered by leadership – leaving many to feel blindsided. The symptom of this complex layering of challenges and issues within my industry started to land in this yucky space about recent reports on the affects of alcohol on the body. Instead of long-term thinking and taking a stand on positive outcomes to show maturity, compassion, care and concern for demographics now shifting drinking habits – it turned ugly. Some individual professionals and businesses went bananas on social media clapping back at the World Health Organization and other organizations trying to promote wellness and better outcomes for people, and it turned into a kind of witch hunt, like McCarthyism, calling this an act of prohibition and clearly not understanding the serious implications and risks association with alcohol for many adults. This became increasing disturbing to me – watching colleagues bash Dry January and Sober October. The narrative became “little ego” driven where fear was driving the ship and bad feelings about losing customers and profits became the focus. This was evidence of short-term thinking. Without leadership to guide individuals and businesses, this wave of fear has taken over and wine businesses are hurting financially. I believe adopting a regenerative business ethos and model is the way to not only better serve the community and stand for positive and healthy outcomes for all, but, will also improve business opportunities and the bottom line. People are stuck and can’t find that visionary soul-driven perspective that grows businesses, ecosystems and communities. I took a sabbatical right before harvest last year, skipped the harvest altogether, and dove into studies on regenerative business, furthering my exploration of herbalism and what my life’s purpose is and how I want to serve the world. My first step has been to restructure my business; then offer insight and inspiration for other wine businesses to adopt their own vision and version of a regenerative business model; and, finally, to move forward and evolve my herbalism platform.

Q. So, expand on your business restructure. How is it regenerative?

A. First, I examined what was working and what wasn’t working for my business. As I had mentioned, there have been significant shifts and challenges that were completely out of my control. The pivot methodology that was birthed during the pandemic was no longer effective. The combination of shifts and challenges was rooted in financials – lack of working capital, overdue pandemic loans, another ridiculous loan, a game of catch up that never got me caught up. I was the proverbial hamster in the wheel. But it kept getting worse and worse because as new loan payments were due, and long-term operations payments were due, and business expenses accumulated, and more and more bills piled up – my sales, like so many wineries (pretty much everyone – if people are willing to be honest) were becoming sluggish and, at moments, coming to a full stop. I established my business model to grow consumer awareness and to set up larger volume orders via distribution sales. 80% of my business came from distribution sales while 20% was based on wine club and online sales. But by 2020 those percentages skewed a bit – with restaurant closures and people sheltering in place, my wine sales shifted to online orders for shipping and curbside pick ups. Eventually, as people got back into the world and the pandemic fears eased up a bit with quarantine structure lifted, distribution sales never returned to pre-pandemic volumes or support. It pretty much crashed by last year. When inflation hit, it really hit the wine industry. There were other complex issues in the mix. But, by the time the World Health Organization announced its studies on alcohol and human health, the industry had had enough of the continued challenges with many businesses facing closures. So, I was and am one of those businesses facing closure. I’m not mad about it. Everything happens for a reason. I do believe the wine market is way oversaturated. It’s not really fun to go out and sell wine anymore. And, where I am in this journey called life, my health habits have needed to change. I basically stopped drinking once I was pregnant and never really got back into it for said health reasons. So, I was on this sabbatical and I wasn’t trying to figure out how to save my business. I was trying to figure out how to sustain my business so that I could personally evolve and move on. I felt really good about that. For one, I had reached my personal goals as a winemaker. I have made incredible Cabernet Franc wines that are standing the test of time just like my hero wine – Clos Rougeard – and collectible Bordeaux beauties with ample Cabernet Franc in blends like Chateau Cheval Blanc. I used time as a key tool in my winemaker toolbox – for all of my wines. I had been holding on to certain wines and vintages to build a library with the intention of re-releasing those wines and adjusting prices to reflect the careful bottle aging by me, the winemaker. So, on a personal level, there was nothing new for me to create. My signature Blanc de Cabernet Franc was now becoming less special with more winemakers following suit. It was never a proprietary wine but there was some pioneering there that, since I’m a woman, I doubt I’ll really get any historic acknowledgement for – and I’m totally okay with that. But, I was a no longer inspired to make another Blanc de Cabernet Franc after 2022. So, I have a library of stunning, age-worthy Blanc de Cabernet Francs that I will re-release in my own terms and in my own time. It became clear to me that making more wine was not the answer. Scaling my wine production was never the answer. I have always been a cerebral, small-lot, hands-on producer. My tiny production of Cabernet Franc has always been a kind of intellectual pursuit. But now I’m done. But, no, that does not mean I’m closing my business. I am shifting from producing to re-releasing special wines. I am hoping to quickly move through inventory on the fun, light-hearted, crowd-pleaser wines that were never part of the intellectualism of my Cabernet Franc program – specifically the Gamay Noir and Malbec that are interesting, tasty and fun – and allowed me to get creative to make wines that appealed to every kind of palate. So, it could take me years to work through my library and warehoused inventory. For that, I will need to make a negligible amount of wine each year to maintain a winery license so that I can continue to sell my wines. While working through this transition, I have lost my local distribution partner – a mutual parting of the ways. But, that has created more challenges for me by way of caring for the many retail and restaurant partners that continue to reach out asking for wine and in need of delivery. So, I am still very much operating this business, rolling with the punches, and really taking to heart the wellbeing and best outcomes of myself, my business, my dear customers and my business partners who have really shown their support over the years. My California, Washington and Minnesota distribution partners have been the best and the most loyal – and I would have collapsed a long time ago if not for these incredible people. I’m forever grateful. I’ve had hiccups in other markets that were probably misaligned from the get-go. So, it’s always a learning experience. But, it’s fun and truly fulfilling when you get to work with people who really get what you’re doing and who are excited to be a part of it. I’m honoring those people in this regenerative process.

Q. So you’re not closing your business?

A. Correct. My business will look the same on the surface, but I am doing things differently. I am not competing for shelf space or for real estate on wine lists. Instead, any placement of my wine will be more and more intentional with how sales transactions occur, allowing my partnerships via my distributors to hand-sell or manage specific requests for my wines, as available. This is to really support those entities that continue to support my wines. I am not doing any kind of crazy close out sale to shut down the business. Instead, I am going to sustain current releases at normal pricing, but, I will offer special pricing for large volume sales of the current releases. I am not participating in any competitions (never have) or scored reviews (stopped doing that a few years ago), and I am not participating in wine festivals or events. My time is sacred. I am living my life, traveling with my family and making the people in my life my number one priority. I will continue to offer private tastings by appointment and I will host a couple open houses as private events at my home. While the private events at my home will be complimentary, the tastings by appointment will not.

Q. You are clearly excited about regenerative gardening since you are developing your medicinal herb growing business. What’s the plan?

A. Yes, I’m super excited! I’m in love with medicinal herbs and learning about plant physiology and best gardening practices per plant. I’m setting up this year’s seed sowing and transplants to follow the lunar cycle. We have had an amazing no-till garden for several years. So, we’re going to continue to manage that one as a “chaos garden” – instead of managing traditional rows of a crop, we scatter seeds and wait to see what emerges. This was brilliant last year and really improved soil health. Also, we went wild on the sunflowers and planted so many different varieties – with tall stalks dominating the full grid. What that did was help to clean up our dirt, since sunflowers detox soil by taking up metals and other substances that may have been present in our soils for years before we moved into our home. We threw a mix of cover crops in the fall to winterize our garden with straw spread out evenly. This spring, our perennials are thriving, we finished pruning in March, and the soils are so healthy with tons of earth worms throughout. We’re setting up a grid for my five year old’s first “kid garden”- he picked out what flowers, vegetables and medicinal herbs he wants to grow. And, I’m laying out a new strictly herbal medicine garden. At the heart of our gardening ethos is improving soil microbiology and we achieve this with no-till foundations, utilizing all-natural implements like composting, and getting really intentional about sowing seeds and planting plants – from following the lunar cycle to using companion plants to establish happy, healthy, thriving plants. We don’t ever use any sprays of any kind. We have never needed to use fertilizers or pesticides. We include lots of plants that attract pollinators, including several local bee species and butterflies. And we seem to have a natural order of predatory insects like ladybugs that manage the pests. The rhythm of our garden is joyful and so alive! As soon as spring wakes things up, my family is naturally drawn to the garden where we enjoy tending to it and relaxing in its therapeutic open space.

Q. Where do you source your herbal/medicinal seeds/plants?

A. I source my own seeds from plants we’ve grown, especially annuals, and then I order from Strictly Medicinal Seeds in Williams, Oregon.

Q. You are blending your love of gardening and herbalism with your wine business this spring at your annual Open House. What’s your vision?

A. Yes! Last fall I hosted my very first Winemaker’s Wildcraft Fall Open House. These open houses are private events at my little homestead in wine country. We live on just over an acre. Last fall it was done very simply. But this spring, I’m much more focused. There will be a wildcrafted spread to go with a trio of wines featured for the tasting. I have a couple of local herbalists showcasing and selling super high quality products. I’m going to have a variety of products I made to sell – much of it sourced from my garden. And I’m hosting Gardenside Chats with, so far, three local plant ladies (myself included) leading 15-minute discussions on a variety of subjects for gardening enthusiasts – including chats on regenerative gardening, permaculture tips, and culinary inspirations for the gardener/forager. More details will be available on my socials (Facebook/Instagram – @leahjorgensencellars), including bios and schedule for the chats – and how to get on the guest list.

Q. A little birdie mentioned to us you were offered a book deal on herbalism. Tell us more!

A. I still can’t believe this is happening! I have always wanted to write books. My undergraduate degree is in writing. I’m a published writer – magazines, journals, I had a paper on yeast nutrient deficiencies for a winemaking education journal, and poetry! I haven’t had the time or energy to put a book length work together – until now! I was approached by my cousin who used to be in publishing – she worked for Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. One of her former colleagues works for Quarto Books and was looking for an herbalist to author a book of recipes for a collection of mocktail recipes with a focus on utilizing medicinal herbs. It’s an exciting opportunity and I’m having a lot of fun putting the recipes together, testing things and coming up with an educational piece to empower those who are either sober-curious or looking for alternative beverages that boost health and well-being. I already have my recipes worked out and now I’m just putting together commentary, details, guides, etc. I’ll make all of the appropriate announcements once the book is published – both on my herbalism IG account @cosmicculturebotanicals and my wine business FB/IG account @leahjorgensencellars

We continued our conversation on how to get more involved in a community of regenerative herbalists and gardeners in Oregon. We are lucky to have so many incredible medicinal herbal leaders, educators, growers and wild crafters right here in the great Pacific Northwest – like Richo Cech of Strictly Medicinal Seeds (Williams, OR), Mountain Rose Herbs (Eugene, OR), Sara Katz of Herb-Pharm (Williams, OR), Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski (Olympic Peninsula, WA), Sajah and Whitney Popham of The School of Evolutionary Herbalism (WA), among others.

While I’m evolving as a human and following my bliss and my soul’s purpose, I am not intending to alienate anyone – especially my loyal wine customers because of my practices and beliefs around herbalism. My wine business is completely separate from my interests in growing medicinal herbs and wildcrafting – save for private events intended to entertain. I do not push my own health and wellness agenda on my customers. I I do not judge anyone who chooses to make alcohol a significant part of their life. I do not judge the sober curious and those needing and seeking out wellness as their driving force. I don’t judge those who practice Dry January or Sober October. I do my best to encourage positive and healthy outcomes for all of my customers. I maintain business practices that do not and will never exploit the well-being of my customers. I follow a regenerative business ideology and continue to put into practice regenerative business strategies intended to put the wellbeing and healthy outcomes for the all and everything – my ecosystem, my community and the planet.