The first Australian recipients of Penfolds Evermore $1M grant program

Penfolds has announced the successful recipients of the inaugural Penfolds Evermore Grant Program. Four recipients in Australia have been selected for their bold and innovative projects contributing to community and culture and as a result will share in $200,000 (AUD) of funding. The program received more than 80 applications across Australia from business, individuals and community organisations hoping to create positive impact and reflect the Penfolds brand DNA of ‘venturing beyond’.

Evermore is the first Penfolds brand community and sustainability platform and captures its aspirations as a global winemaker, employer, and leader to leave a positive mark on the people, places, and communities we are present in. Evermore is also reflective of Penfolds legacy and values and complements Treasury Wine Estates’ broader sustainability strategy focussing on areas inextricably linked to the Penfolds DNA. The program aims to create and support positive change by focussing on delivering programs and activities under three strategic priority areas: Community and Culture, Future Winemaking, and Toward Sustainability.

Kristy Keyte, Chief Marketing Officer Penfolds said, “What a way to celebrate Penfolds 180th anniversary - awarding our first grants to recipients who are focused on delivering community impact, changing the landscape of their own sector, and contributing to positive change in the wine industry. This program is our opportunity to use our business as a force for good and continue to look to the future for our communities around the world.”

We proudly advise the four successful recipients are:

A Fitting Connection (VIC) Project: ReFELT Empowering Abilities Through Sustainable Textiles – $66,000

ReFELT will acquire a FeltLOOM to transform textile waste into recycled fabrics and run workshops to empower individuals with disabilities to design new fabrics. ReFELT will collaborate with local creatives and artists will yield unique products inspired by wine culture. The ReFELT employment program will employ individuals to create ReFELT fabric and products for other organisations ideally using their own textile waste.

ReFELT will also support participants with the set-up of micro businesses and provide the ‘textile tech’ curriculum at Banyule Nillumbik Tech School with access to the FeltLOOM.

Planting Seeds Project (NSW) Project: B&B Highway – $50,000

The B&B Highway is a regenerative and educational community initiative focusing on Bees, Birds, plants, and other pollinators, essential for biodiversity and ecosystem health. Four local sites will be identified as hubs for the Penfolds B&B Highway with the fifth and central hub located at Penfolds Magill Estate in Adelaide. The recent decline in local Green Carpenter species of Bees affects ‘buzz’ pollination practices and impacts on local plant life and resilience. This project aims to create appropriate habitats and plant native vegetation to encourage this species. The project will also involve an education program consisting of indoor learning and related outdoor activities.

Mobius Farms (SA) Project: Closing the loop on grape marc through insect bioconversion – $54,000

Using grape marc, a residue of winemaking as a feedstock, this project will assess the impacts of insect frass on vineyard soil and plant health. The project aim is to close the loop on winemaking ‘waste’ whilst enhancing viticulture sustainability. The project proposes to extend existing research through future grape marc insect bioconversion trials. Analysing insect frass and developing field application trials based on the resultant nutrient and microbial profiles, the project aims to demonstrate the impact of frass on vineyard productivity and soil health. Materials will also be developed to share the findings with the wider wine making and viticulture industry.

Barossa Farmers Market (SA): Project: Barossa Farmers Market Kitchen Library – $30,000

A new Kitchen Library in South Australia will act as a hub for community, connection, information, and knowledge through the provision of food preparation equipment and educational workshops designed to connect people to healthy, seasonal, and local produce while optimising their capacity, reducing reliance on supermarket supply chains, and empowering the community to manage their own food security in a more sustainable way. A case study of this program will also be developed and shared with other markets across the country to inspire them to implement the same activity for their communities.

In 2023, Penfolds announced a pledge of $1 million (AUD) over five years towards the Penfolds Evermore Grant Program, administered in multiple rounds covering different regions around the world. A new grant round will launch in France in early 2025.

The Evermore Grant Program was recently awarded the Social Excellence: Investing in community and innovation award at the 2024 Just Drinks Excellence Awards alongside four other awards received by TWE.

To find out more about Penfolds Evermore visit penfolds.com/evermore.

About Penfolds:

Since the very beginning, Penfolds commitment to quality has been underpinned by the art of blending and attesting all wines are connected through a consistent and recognisable ‘House Style’; the ultimate expression of a time-honoured and distinctive tradition of finding the best grapes to make wine from the very best regions. Today, this philosophy extends beyond Australia, to the bountiful soils of California, Napa Valley, Bordeaux, and China. Penfolds continues to Venture Beyond in 2024 and will celebrate 180 years of excellence; achieved through an alchemy of art and science. Through the passing of time, wine innovations have become great traditions and old and new generations continue to mark moments and create their own stories…. with a glass of Penfolds in hand. And so – almost two centuries since inception, Penfolds continues to write new chapters and proudly remains one of the world’s most revered winemakers … now and for ‘evermore’…

About Penfolds Evermore:

‘1844 to Evermore’ inspires Penfolds approach to community and sustainability, complementing the broader sustainability strategy of parent company Treasury Wine Estates. Penfolds Evermore is a nod to our history, with eyes wide open to “what’s next” and the future. It describes how we want to collaborate, partner, support and give back to the communities where we do business: honouring tradition while leaving a positive mark for generations to come. Penfolds launched the inaugural Evermore Grant Program in Australia in January 2024 focused on Community and Culture, and will launch the next program in France in 2025.

https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/sustainability/evermore-grant.html