May 7, 2009
So we’ve spent the last several day visiting
companies that are in some way innovative. I believe I mentioned Digipost in the kickoff post; it turns
out this is not a Peter Jackson studio (blog fact check #fail. apologies), but this post-production studio has worked on an impressive line of film & TV projects – Power
Rangers, 30 Days of Night, Underworld III, & at least one other vampire
joint I didn’t write down.
The other three companies we hit in the last
couple of days were Solo, Villa Maria, Big Picture Wines, & Sanford Ltd: Sustainable Seafood. All were
interesting organizations in their own right.
Villa Maria was particularly so. It’s a boutique wine producer who, during the 1980’s, lived the real story of It’s a Wonderful Life (in this case George Fistonich instead of George Bailey). The firm went into receivership on the same day it was named Best by some very important organization responsible naming things Best. Soon after, growers who contract to the winery placed a full-page ad in a industry trade journal as a show of support for VM. Following this ad, another was placed by the employees of the winery.
Support for the winery became so intense patrons would be seated in restaurants and ask if they could have a glass of Villa Maria’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. If the establishment failed to carry the wine, the patrons would take their leave. Soon most restaurants in New Zealand carried VM, and George was positioned to buy it out of receivership. VM is now one of the largest companies in New Zealand.
I asked
what they did with the grape skins & seeds when they were finished making
the wines, figuring the answer would involve some sort of fertilization or
natural supplement production. Not so much.
Our tour leader went down memory lane and told
us the story of when they first began giving the discarded material to farmers for
use in cattle feed...
“One morning I came to work to find dead cattle strewn across the vineyard property. I call up the farmer who owns them to tell him all of his cows are dead. When he came to collect the carcasses, he says 'They're not dead. They're just passed out cold drunk!'
It turns out that the cows had
gotten into a batch of red wine grape skins, which were being prepared for
feed. Since red wine fermentation occurs on the skin there was a good deal of
alcohol remaining when they enjoyed them.”
Closing this tale, he reassures us that the cows are used to the alcohol now… I bet.
Time to take a brief intermission from Corporate Asia Pacific & spend a few minutes enjoying the natural New Zealand.
We find our hero’s getting their cages raddled
as they barrel down a long & winding road on the way to the rain forest
jungle & one of the most beautiful black sand beach we've ever seen.
We’re back with Day One’s Maori tour guide, who has agreed (for a not minor
fee) to take a few of us to experience the wonderful natural New Zealand.
There was the Piha black
beach where Bianca, our guide, gave us the inside scoop on how the world
was created as told in the Maori tradition. Then there was the jungle. Or was it called a rainforest? Honestly, I'm not sure. The beautiful black beach and it's associated glasses of wine have caused me to loose a little focus. Luckily I have a great deal of pictures to help me remember.
Enjoy!
Sid.
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