A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of     South Wood County

About Breaking News Program Dates Feedback Donate Contact Industry Cluster Message Board		Enterprising Rural Communities Study Tour 2004 – Australia Tuesday, November 9, 2004 Today we are touring the Yarra Valley. We will explore this beautiful valley region, a famous agricultural, tourism, and "value added" destination. Yering Station Winery The winner of the 2003 International Winery of the Year from the International Winemakers Association, Yering Station represents a wonderfully balanced blend of winery, art gallery, and environment. And the winery takes pride in its community involvement. With an art display that changes every three months, the winery donated the commission to the Leukemia Auxiliary of the Royal Children's Hospital. Held each month, visitors purchase locally produced agricultural products at a farmers market, held each month in a huge old shed, that was destined to be destroyed but instead was rebuild. The building is now registered with the National Heritage Foundation. The Yarra Valley Regional Food Group sponsors the farmers market. At the winery we met Suzanne Young, founder and driving force behind the organization. Words to describe Suzanne: Driven, visionary, passionate, dedicated. Suzanne and this organization are a textbook example of how to do thing right when promoting a concept and a region. Any agricultural enterprise may join the organization for $250 annually. With that comes tons of support: listing in the organization's beautifully produced brochures, workshops, a signage indicating their membership. In return they are required to follow strict guidelines. Members not following those guidelines are asked to leave. The organization is hugely success in promoting the region. Yet it pays for no paid advertising. The organization tells the "story" of many of its members to the media. Through the Food Group people find out about the region because of the "story" that makes each member unique. We visited the original home on the property, converted into a hotel. It was elegant and opulent, with a night's stay starting at only $750.00 a night. Lunch at a nearby winery was followed by a visit to TarraWarra Winery. The theme of art, wine, and architecture was reinforced here. With an elegant main building, the winery's owner built a $25 museum to hold the portion of his art collection that wouldn't fit in is home. We all had a chance to sample some of the wine. It was excellent. We could only stay a short time but could have spent hours exploring the museum, winery, and beautiful countryside. Mother Maria Colaneri and daughter Lisa operate Yarra Valley Pasta. This small operation overcame the challenge of producing paste for retail while operating an adjoining restaurant. They closed down the restaurant, expanded their retail space and wholesale presence. Maria says they are now making more money and working less hours. This is an excellent example of a small business able to transition its business model, using existing space and employees. The Healesville Sanctuary consists of 70 acres, devoted primarily to the preservation of those species of animals unique to Australia. Our guide noted that the Aboriginal people lived 40,000 years in the area with no negative impact on the environment. The European settlers managed to cripple it in the course of 200 years. The 200 volunteers at the Sanctuary are working to correct that damage, and preserve what's left. We ended the day at the Healesville Hotel. The hotel cross promoted several other Yarra Valley Food Group membes and their products. Something nobody had every seen before, the hotel places a chalk board at its entrance stating its present needs for produce. Local farmers bring their products to the hotel, where they barter vegetable for wine or other products carried by the hotel. Our meal was wonderful. On the left, Steamed zucchini flowers with Yarra Valley Persian fetta, roast peppers, and ravensbrook basil. On the right, peppered ravensbrook venison, sweet and sour eggplant, and truffle scented white bean puree. Yum! Our lessons for the day: Strong regional branding • Knew their target market and were successful at attracting them • Didn’t see neighbor as competitor • Strong Leadership is key their success • Know your business • Help each other – workshops were an example of that – share skills • More together than they were separately • Arrows were all going the same way – they all were on board with the same vision • They maintained the integrity of the product and offerings Lessons about food • No tactful ways of getting tomatoes off the vine while it's on your plate • No tactful way of eating pitted olives on your plate without spitting (and spitting is illegal in Australia!)
		Copyright © 2004, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome