As legend has it, on a sunny day in Mendocino County nearly 40 years ago, Fetzer Vineyards founders Barney and Kathleen Fetzer plucked a tomato from their organically grown home garden, marveling at how its sweet, vibrant taste was so much better than anything they could buy at the store. That moment illuminated a connection: If that tomato tasted that much better, why wouldn’t the same be true for the grapes that became their wine?
That question set the Fetzers on the path to launching Bonterra Organic Estates, now America’s number one organic winery and a leading voice in the regenerative viticulture movement. Built on the belief that farming in harmony with the land produces both healthier ecosystems and better wine, today the certified B Corporation and TRUE Zero Waste Certified company’s mission reaches well beyond its own vineyards. As part of a broader push to shift more of the wine industry from a linear, extractive relationship with the land to a circular one, the Bonterra team is working to translate the company’s farming philosophy into both on-the-ground partnerships and a brand story that invites more consumers, growers, and retailers into the movement.
“Bonterra has proven that you can farm organically, profitably, and at scale,” says Beatrix Scolari, Bonterra Sustainability Manager, who joined the company in 2025 after a previous role at Straus Family Creamery, where she helped develop the nation’s first TRUE Zero Waste Certified dairy manufacturing facility. Kate Herbert, Senior Director of Marketing, came to Bonterra after leading marketing communications for a $1 billion-plus portfolio at General Mills, drawn to the winery by the chance to work with a brand with a deeper purpose.
In this Q&A, Kate and Beatrix share what Bonterra’s commitment to circularity looks like in practice, how Bonterra is working to make organic wine more accessible and in-demand, and why partnerships and collaboration are the keys to unlocking industry-wide change.
Bonterra says the wine industry is its “partner in revolutionizing our relationship with the earth from a linear business to a circular one.” What does a shift from linear to circular mean and why is it important?
Kate: To me, circularity is about leading with curiosity and being willing to adjust when you see things differently. My favorite book is Think Again by Adam Grant. I appreciate his perspective on leading with values rather than beliefs. If we hold too tightly to our beliefs, we can be resistant to change; by leading with our values, we’re open to shifting as we learn new things, which allows us to grow and evolve. At Bonterra, we take that to heart. We’re open-minded with how we do business, and when we learn there’s something we can do that’s a little bit better, we put in the work to do it.
Beatrix: Circularity is a principle we seek to apply across various aspects of our operations. In farming, it means considering the power inherent in the ecosystems we steward, which is why we implement regenerative practices that work with the soil biology and landscape to yield healthy crops. But it also extends beyond our farming operations. For example, right now, we’re developing a sustainable packaging roadmap using circularity as a key principle.
Bonterra has been a leader in organic wine for nearly 30 years. What led the company to that commitment?
Kate: We’ve been doing this since 1987, and it all started with organic tomatoes in our founders’ home garden. It’s kind of strange that, still today, the connection between taste and quality is not as pervasive in the wine industry as it is in food, but there really isn’t a difference. Wine is something we’re putting into our bodies, made from a crop grown in the earth. At Bonterra, we’re working hard to show that the way we farm actually creates a higher quality, more delicious grape. Our organic farming methods are how we deliver this delicious, premium-quality wine.
How do you express that idea to consumers, and how have you seen them respond to it?
Beatrix: Wine doesn’t yet have the same consumer expectations as chocolate, for example. Those frontrunning responsible chocolate producers have pushed the industry to mainstream a lot of best practices in sustainability and transparency. We haven’t received that same scrutiny in wine, but we welcome it. We would jump at the opportunity to engage with retailers in making a real demand goal so we can then work with more outside growers on transitioning to organic and regenerative methods. We farm our own estates using regenerative practices, but we would love to bring more growers into that journey, too.
Kate: The fact that we have estate ranches people can visit is one of our most powerful brand assets. While it’s very high-touch, getting consumers onsite is the fastest way I’ve seen to make them a believer in the importance of organic and regenerative farming. When you’re there, hearing and feeling the life buzzing around you and shifting under your feet, it’s an experience you can’t manufacture.
You can viscerally feel the difference between a conventional farm system and a regenerative farm system. In the past, my work took me to almond orchards, and I’ll always remember one incredible experience: a fence line separated a regenerative farm from a conventional one, so you could literally see the difference between one side and the other. One side was humming with life and thriving, and the other side just felt flat. It was so powerful.
You mentioned that Bonterra aims to spread organic and regenerative farming practices beyond your own farms. Can you share some of the ways you’re doing that?
Beatrix: Absolutely. One thing we’re really excited about is our partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation in supporting the One Block Challenge, which is a grassroots campaign to support farmers in transitioning a single growing block to regenerative farming for one season.
We see this as a way we can help significantly lower the bar to entry for growers, particularly in a challenging wine-growing economy. Farmers are not in a good position to take on risks right now, so this program provides an avenue for them to try out regenerative methods that work for them without having to make a huge capital investment or management change. We’re sponsoring the Mendocino County chapter, and we’re really excited to kick that off this fall.
What kind of growers do you expect to participate in the program? What impact do you hope it will have?
Beatrix: We hosted an informational kickoff event for the One Block Challenge at our McNab Ranch a couple of months ago, and so many people came out, including lots of growers but also folks who aren’t growers but are part of this ecosystem and want to demonstrate that they’re advocates of this way of farming. One family showed up with three family farming generations, the youngest of whom was 2 years old. On the other side of the spectrum was a young couple who’d just bought land in Mendocino County to start their first vineyard. We had several winemakers from Bonterra as well as our local competitors, and a wine critic. The size and diversity of the crowd proved the power of this movement.
What challenges do you see farmers who are interested in growing organically or regeneratively facing? How could the broader impact community help farmers address those challenges?
Beatrix: The National Young Farmers Coalition polled a huge group of farmers 40 and under, and 86% said they were farming regeneratively. That same cohort cited access to land as the No. 1 challenge they face. So we have an issue where all these young farmers are interested in practicing regen ag, but they’re constrained by a lack of land. The impact community has the opportunity to help accelerate the transition to regen ag by creating financing mechanisms that connect the next generation of farmers to land that they can own or lease long-term.
If there are investors reading this article who want to learn more, I would point them to American Farmland Trust, which offers programs dedicated to helping older farmers figure out transition plans to younger farmers seeking land, including those who don’t come from a traditional farming background.
Kate: I would also add that retailers have a lot of power in serving values-driven consumers, which carries over into the whole ecosystem. We’re seeing some stores cluster responsibly produced products together. When you tether brands on a similar mission, it helps tell a larger story. That can be a powerful way to scale awareness for consumers and empower them to shop in alignment with their values.
Is demand for organic wines growing among consumers? What opportunities does that present for retailers?
Kate: There is a huge opportunity. We did consumer research around organic demand, and three-quarters of respondents said they wish organic wines were more widely available. That desire was more pronounced among the younger demographic. Younger consumers have a huge appetite to understand the principles and practices of the brands they support.
We’re also seeing the organic food market grow three times faster than conventional. That signals that many people want to participate. As that tent of consumers grows, especially with the younger generation, they’re going to continue to grow the organic and regenerative category, which buffers the cost for everybody.
At Bonterra, we see our role in the market as helping to democratize organic wine. Our Executive Chef Olan Cox often says we are the organic wine for the people. We’re not trying to make something exclusionary. We’re trying to make something that’s produced responsibly and can be accessible to everyone. Of course, we recognize that in today’s inflationary environment, if one choice costs $10 and another costs $5, sometimes people may be pushed to make the more value-conscious choice. But our wines are consistently among the most affordable in our competitive set, typically at $11 or $12 a bottle, and we’re the only organic option in that set. Our scale is the reason we can achieve that.
Are there ways the broader impact business community can help further the market for organic and regenerative food and beverages, and with it, organic and regenerative farming?
Beatrix: We’re inspired by brands that push the boundaries of what is expected in their category. The yogurt company Painterland Sisters is a fabulous example. Dairy is a category where organic is really big, and they took that traction and decided to take it even further and demonstrate what regenerative dairy can be.
Kate: For brands, our superpower is finding compelling ways to engage with the consumer. I encourage brands to continue innovating how we talk about our impact and production methods. I also encourage pre-competitive coalitions. A wonderful aspect of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation is that it’s a global network. We’re sponsoring the One Block Challenge in Mendocino, and our parent company, Concha y Toro, a B Corp in Chile, is simultaneously sponsoring a One Block Challenge in Chile, so we’re able to exchange knowledge.
One of the most important things about having a community of like-minded brands is the ability to share knowledge and learning — “What worked on your farm?” “What worked in your marketing?” “How did you talk about this that got people to engage?” We have so much data nowadays that we can pinpoint what worked and what didn’t. If we can surface that and leverage it, it can inspire somebody else to use the same approach, or adapt or build upon it.
It’s critical that as a community, impact businesses continue to surface wins, build out case studies, and partner together. A rising tide lifts all boats. Partnerships and community can help all of us scale our messaging so we can go farther with our collective impact.
