True to Our Roots

True to Our Roots sets forth the simple but powerful management principles that enabled Fetzer Vineyards under Paul Dolan to become one of America s biggest and best-known wineries even as it was turning into a model for sustainable businesses everywhere. Today, Dolan and Fetzer are leading the California wine industry toward profound change in how wineries and grape growers preserve their environment, strengthen their communities, and enrich the lives of their employees, without sacrificing the bottom line. This is truly a management revolution in one of the most globalized, competitive industries on Earth. The principles Dolan discovered and developed at Fetzer can be applied to any business and by leaders at every level: A business is part of a much larger system A company s culture is determined by the context created for it The soul of a company is found in the hearts of its people The future can t be predicted, but it can be created There is a way to make an idea s time come Filled with personal anecdotes and practical wisdom, this book offers inspiration and guidance to business managers who see the compelling need to build and grow healthy, sustainable organizations. For all readers, True to Our Roots provides both a fascinating glimpse into the California wine industry and heartening proof that business can do well by doing good.

True to Our Roots sets forth the simple but powerfulmanagement principles that enabled Fetzer Vineyards under PaulDolan to become one of America's biggest and best-knownwineries even as it was turning into a model for sustainablebusinesses everywhere. Today, Dolan and Fetzer are leading theCalifornia wine industry toward profound change in how wineries andgrape growers preserve their environment, strengthen theircommunities, and enrich the lives of their employees, withoutsacrificing the bottom line. This is truly a management revolutionin one of the most globalized, competitive industries on Earth.The principles Dolan discovered and developed at Fetzer can beapplied to any business and by leaders at every level:* A business is part of a much larger system* A company's culture is determined by the context createdfor it* The soul of a company is found in the hearts of its people* The future can't be predicted, but it can be created* There is a way to make an idea's time comeFilled with personal anecdotes and practical wisdom, this bookoffers inspiration and guidance to business managers who see thecompelling need to build and grow healthy, sustainableorganizations. For all readers, True to Our Roots providesboth a fascinating glimpse into the California wine industry andheartening proof that business can do well by doing good.

Acknowledgments ixPreface xiForeword xiiiIn this undated memoir, found after his death, Bernard "Barney" Fetzer describes finding and buying the run-down rural ranch where he ultimately founded Fetzer Vineyards.Introduction 1Sustainability: Fetzer's Business RevolutionFetzer has balanced economic success with environmental and social responsibility for more than ten years, winning innumerable awards for wine quality and sustainable business practices while growing the business 100 percent.Chapter 1 Your Business Is Part of a Much Larger System 29We are not alone, we are interconnected, and we can make a difference. This awareness opens up unlimited opportunities for transforming relationships with employees, suppliers, business partners, and other stakeholders.Chapter 2 Your Company's Culture Is Determined by the Context You Create for It 53With the right business context, sustainability is no longer a management concept or social philosophy, but a practical framework for concerted action by everyone throughout the organization.Chapter 3 The Soul of a Business Is Found in the Hearts of Its People 79Sustainable businesses must accomplish a transition from mere accountability--doing what's expected--to broader responsibility for maximizing profits in a way that heals the earth and supports human rights.Chapter 4 True Power Is Living What You Know 103Integrity is the root of sustainability. At Fetzer Vineyards, this awareness has driven everything from waste reduction and energy conservation to large-scale organic viticulture, worker housing programs, and "green" facility construction.Chapter 5 You Can't Predict the Future, but You Can Create It 135Fetzer creates its future from the future, by painting vivid pictures of new possibilities and managing its business "backward" from those pictures rather than forward from a present that's tied inexorably to the past.Chapter 6 There Is a Way to Make an Idea's Time Come 153Fetzer Vineyards has taken public stands on sustainable winegrowing, vineyard development, and zero waste. These stands have already begun changing the context for the California wine industry, by expanding people's understanding of what's possible.Afterword: Grapes Into Wine 171Making great wine is hard work--even when you've been doing it for decades. At the same time, growing premium wine grapes without synthetic chemicals is a choice that the entire industry could easily make.Fetzer History and Future Development 183A Fetzer Vineyards Time Line Follow the company's progress from a small family operation to one of America's largest premium wine producers.Fetzer Environmental Record Fetzer's efforts on behalf of the environment have been recognized locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.The Future of Fetzer: A Vision of 2005 How Fetzer has created the future from the future.Resources 197Index 203List of Illustrations 209