As I began my sabbatical year away from processing grapes to wine (yes, I’m still in business, and yes, I am still selling my wine!), I have been working remotely and studying a variety of subjects that interest me and offer profound personal and professional growth. I’m re-learning how to be an entrepreneur, but, more importantly, I am gaining a deeper connection with my purpose.

I have been reflecting on my long career in the wine industry. And one of the major guiding principles I connected with early on was that of sustainability. The past twenty plus years have developed and deepened a consciousness around sustainability and its importance and impact on all facets of industry and society.

On one hand, sustainability is “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level” or “the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance” (Oxford dictionary).

In a word, sustainability is about maintenance.

But we are at a crossroads with the worsening climate crisis, along with social behaviors and structures that are functioning at surface-level. Maintenance is no longer enough to promise ecological, social or financial balance.

One of the self selected text books I’m reading is “Regenerative Business: How to align your business with Nature for more abundance, fulfillment and impact” by Samantha Garcia.

I found this book not through my connection to the wine industry, but through my connection to herbalism. Herbalism and herbalists are leading the way with regenerative agriculture and business models.

Garcia points out “the hot buzzword in the environmental space was sustainability… when, as long as businesses and products and concepts were ‘sustainable’, then they were good. They were talking the talk… But to sustain means to be able to carry on. To carry on with how things are” (p.22).

She continues “We cannot SUSTAIN anymore. We couldn’t sustain in 2010… Sustainability is no longer enough. When something is so depleted, we can’t sustain… What we need is regeneration. Regeneration is when you leave a place better than when you got there” (p.23).

According to Garcia “in sustainable, organic agriculture, you do the same as above [‘standard agriculture – a shitstorm’], but you sub in organic chemicals for your fertilizer and pesticides. And perhaps you rotate what you grow with beans and cover crops to fix nitrogen into the soil… Here you sustain. You’re just keeping things as they are. It’s good enough to get by year after year” (p.25).

Garcia explains “with regenerative agriculture we’re flipping agriculture on its head. Instead of trying to grow food, we’re aiming to grow fertile soil. With the focus on fertility at the root, the most delicious and nutrient-dense food on the planet is the natural by-product… [declining nutrients in fruits, vegetables and grains] is directly due to obsessing over crop yields instead of focusing on soil health” (p. 27).

And beyond agriculture, regeneration has its important place in our businesses when examining the industrial mindset where “everything is a tool for us to exploit… money: how can we use it; humans: how can they be more productive; clients: they’re actually leads and sales; and time: how can we get the most done in the least amount of time” (p. 28-29).

“From the industrial lens, our business is a way to extract money, not liberate society” (p. 30).

Garcia goes on to inform how to regenerate depleted lands, bodies, and businesses.

I naturally became curious about how the wine industry measures up with regenerative business ethics. I went back to when I first started my business and considered all the lessons I was taught and advised from helpful colleagues to wine industry business leaders and conference speakers: the well-known business model for wine production is to scale, to produce more – to get to 3,000 annual case production asap, and then more.

I have been in business for nearly thirteen years and I have never made more than 1,800 cases annually. It has definitely been the root of great concern and anxiety over the years because I knew I wasn’t producing at the mythologized production numbers. It became a kind of business psychology trigger for me! And it certainly caused some serious issues and limitations, namely in my inability to hire a team to help me outside of mostly occasional temps and consultants. So burnout has been a real thing. And that’s not sustainable or regenerative.

But scaling product comes with a long list of downsides, too. I agree with Garcia when she writes – “it’s a f’ed-up perception of our society that business has to be about continual growth and anything other than that is failure… because Nature is in constant flux” (p. 81).

Nature has never been about constant growth! Nature has never been about scaling product! Nature can be those things, but Nature is also the opposite, too, because Nature is literally all over the place! Mother Nature, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is defined as “nature, especially when considered as a force that controls the weather and all living things.” Mother Nature is a dynamic force of nature. Forces of nature are in constant states of change. It is better to try to work with, rather than against, Mother Nature.

Humans are Nature, just as the forests, mountains, flowers, fruits, animals, oceans, and so on. We aren’t separate from Nature, we aren’t a part of Nature, we are Nature. And human nature never follows just one behaviorial trajectory, like the scaling up model. We are complex beings, we are all over the place, and we are constantly impacting everything else in Nature both positively and negatively.

Behaving as if constant growth/scalability is the only trajectory for successful business goes against Nature.

“Constant growth is why we’re way overpopulated for our planet’s capacity. It’s why our landfills are overflowing with things people bought that they didn’t really want or need. You don’t have to build a scalable business or an eight-figure empire. You can build a lifestyle business that brings in $250,000 a year to fund a lovely life for yourself while doing work you enjoy” (p. 81).

YES. That.

Many in my industry would say it doesn’t make sense to go backwards and make less product – especially when your less is significantly under the 3,000 case minimum recommendation. There’s a lot of accounting that has gone into that figure, based on averages, of course. It’s a number that really speaks to sustainability.

As I begin to redesign my business from a regenerative model, I’m going to flip business on its head. I don’t see great risk involved here because I have learned a thing or two after thirteen years of running my own micro winery. I practically earned an MBA! Most importantly, I learned to be true to myself and to keep my values and desires close to heart and in practice. Because I like keeping things small and manageable by myself, with some assistance as needed. I’m getting too old and tired to wash sorting lines and presses! But I don’t need to hire managers to manage things.

I don’t have to follow the rules. I don’t have to scale so that I can charge less money for my product to make a greater reach. I don’t have to increase my carbon footprint by putting more product out there in more shipping trucks and airplanes. I don’t have to build something to turn around and sell so that I can make millions of dollars.

I can do business my way, meeting my needs, furnishing a smaller segment of customers with a special, unique wine that can’t be found anywhere else, and hopefully making an impact on several levels from stewardship, female entrepreneurship leadership, community support, people over profit, etc.

For some businesses regeneration is already a buzz word being used in social media posts and on podcasts. I hope the tenets of regenerative agriculture and regenerative business are truly at work because the aim is truly to leave things better than when you got there. Preaching regeneration when really practicing sustainability isn’t right. It will take time for businesses and consumers to fully understand what these terms mean and why they’re important to our economic ethos and stability.

Regenerative business and sustainability are closely related concepts, but they focus on different aspects of environmental and economic responsibility. Here’s why some, like Garcia, argue that regenerative business may be more important than sustainability:

1. Long-Term Viability: Regenerative business goes beyond sustainability by aiming to restore and revitalize ecosystems rather than just maintaining the status quo. This can lead to greater long-term environmental and economic benefits.
   
2. Addressing Root Causes: Sustainability often involves mitigating negative impacts, such as reducing carbon emissions or waste. Regenerative business, on the other hand, addresses the root causes of environmental problems, aiming to create a net-positive impact on the environment.
   
3. Resilience: Regenerative practices can enhance ecosystem resilience, making businesses and communities more adaptable to environmental changes and disruptions, such as climate change or resource scarcity.
   
4. Innovation: Regenerative business often requires innovative solutions and technologies that can drive economic growth while also benefiting the environment.
   
5. Local Communities: Regenerative approaches often prioritize community involvement and local empowerment, leading to more inclusive and equitable economic development.
   
6. Economic Benefits: Regenerative practices can create new markets and economic opportunities, as they often require investments in regenerative agriculture, clean energy, and sustainable technologies.
   
7. Human Well-Being: Regenerative business can have a broader focus on human well-being, promoting healthier lifestyles, better working conditions, and stronger relationships between people and their environments.

It’s important to note that these two concepts are not necessarily mutually exclusive; they can complement each other. Many sustainable businesses incorporate regenerative principles to achieve a more comprehensive approach to environmental and social responsibility. The choice between sustainability and regenerative business may depend on the specific context and goals of a company or organization.

I appreciate a review of Samantha Garcia’s book on Regenerative Business by Amanda ‘Pua’ Walsh:

“Regenerative Business is a powerful guide for business owners and leaders who want to have a positive impact on the world. Using Nature’s Principles as the model, Samantha shows us how we can create alignment, balance and harmony through the vehicle of our businesses.”

What a call to action!