– by Doreen Marion Gee –
This is part of a rotating series of articles on members of Sidney Meet Up Women’s Networking Group, featuring women in business on the Saanich Peninsula.
On their Customer Appreciation day in June, the owners of Peninsula U-Brew Winery and their staff raised enough money to sponsor a young girl’s secondary school education – giving her a chance at a future that is denied to many in Africa. Everything about Peninsula U-Brew Winery says “We Care”, from the kind of products they sell, to their dedication to customer service and a respectful work environment – and even to humanitarian causes overseas.
First of all, owners Maureen Bifford and Stan Roberts and the winery ‘family’ care enough about their patrons to give them the very best ingredients for wine, cider or beer. They excel at what they do, garnering multiple awards. Their wine ‘pièce de résistance’ is deluxe quality juice from Winexpert, their parent company who “sources high quality grape juice and concentrate from the world’s best wine regions” (winexpert.com). Stan: “Winexpert has the top quality product in the industry.” And during the U-Brew process, “We take great care with all the steps to ensure the ‘quality of care’ is all along the way”, according to bubbly Jen Young, wine expert and sales manager.
A popular misconception about brewing kits is that their final products are inferior to store-bought. Maureen, Stan and their staff want to dispel that myth. Jen: “The quality of general wine-making products has improved in the past twenty years, so it is worth giving it a try.” Customers are the final judge: “We are wine people and we buy the kits as well as regular wine. The wine made here is high-quality and just as good as anything I buy in the stores” exclaims a happy regular customer, Kim Frith.
Making wine at Peninsula U-Brew has its benefits. According to Stan, they use really low levels of preservatives in their wine-making, ensuring a healthy product, and “our wine goes through three filters to take out any minerals and impurities.” Considering the calibre of the final product, it is very reasonably priced. Adam McKenzie, their wine production technician with full ‘Wine Sommelier’ status, is proud of the top-quality products at his workplace: “The proof is in the pudding!” It is a happy environment: “I like working here. Maureen and Stan really care about their staff” comments Brian Clayton, who works in production and greets customers. The winery family value the people who walk through their doors: “When a customer comes in the store, we want them to feel welcome, at ease, and comfortable.”
On my visit to the winery, I noticed a lot of laughter, joking and fun. Any wine connoisseur could probably taste all that goodwill in a cool glass of their delicious home-made Pinot Noir.
Contact: www.peninsulaubrewwinery.com
