Lodi Collective Is Early Leader In Efforts To Increase Wine Industry Diversity
June 16 2021 - “When I saw the George Floyd tragedy on TV, I wondered what can we do to help here in Lodi?” said Rodney Tipton, Managing Partner of Acquiesce Winery. “After working so many years internationally, I knew that people of color were underrepresented in the wine industry, so that seemed like a logical starting place.”
As a retired manufacturing executive turned winery owner, Tipton was not one to sit around and muse about issues too long. Instead he jumped on the Internet and began searching for people and associations that could provide advice on how he and others in the Lodi wine region could help. One of the first groups to respond to his email was The Roots Fund, a non-profit organization with a mission ‘to invest in communities of color to provide opportunities to those seeking a career/education in all aspect of wine.’
“I still remember when I first opened Rodney’s email,” said Ikimi Dubose, Executive Director of The Roots Fund. “I could tell he had a passion to make a difference, and that he was action-oriented.”
Dubose, like Tipton, has a strong motivation to effect positive change. As a world-traveler and graduate of Johnson & Wales University, she was one of the youngest and first woman to complete the Marriott & Ritz Carlton management training program. Her career path eventually led her to open Leo Market in Washington DC, focusing on global cuisine and wine. Known for her leadership and mentoring ability with women and minorities, she is often quoted as saying: “When there is no room for me at the table, I usually stand on the table.”
So when Covid hit and most of her friends in the hospitality industry lost their jobs, she knew the timing was right to follow a new dream. “There is a lack of opportunity for people of color in the wine space,” she reported. “When Covid hit and so many of us lots our jobs, I realized that we now have the time to talk about this…., and the world was watching.”
Therefore Dubose started The Roots Fund in the Summer of 2020, along with Tahiirah Habibi, CEO of Hue Society, and Carlton Mccoy Jr., one of the youngest and the second African American to become a Master Sommelier (M.S.). In a very short time they had recruited more than 30 wineries and wine associations as partners in helping to make the global wine industry more diverse.
Formation of the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective (LAIC)
With advice from Dubose, as well as conversations with other BIPOC professionals already in the wine industry, including the Association of African American Vintners , Tipton founded LAIC – a non-profit organization called the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective.
The mission of LAIC is to increase diversity in the Lodi wine region and the industry at large. In a very short time, Tipton was able to recruit ten Lodi wine businesses to donate funds to host their first 3.5 day Enrichment Program. The educational experience included visits to Lodi vineyards and wineries to learn all aspects of the industry, from grape growing to winemaking, sales and marketing.
Identifying 5 Scholars for the First LAIC Enrichment Program
Through their outreach program, The Roots Fund was able to identify five scholars to attend the first LAIC 3.5 day Enrichment Experience held June 6-9, 2021 in the Lodi Wine Region. A second Lodi Enrichment program is planned for later this year.
“We recruit,” said Dubose, “via the internet, newsletters, social media, and utilizing HBCU buzz. Since our start in summer of 2020, we have had about 200 applicants, and have accepted 67 scholars to date.” Scholars are eligible to receive scholarships, mentoring, and attend educational programs, such as LAIC.
A major focus is to assist the scholars to obtain professional salaried positions in the wine industry, rather than hourly positions. “People working in restaurants and vineyards often have low wages, and many have no healthcare,” explained Dubose. “But who is the voice of these people? That is why we decided to start the Roots Fund, to help our scholars achieve professional positions.”
Results of the First LAIC Enrichment Program
The five scholars that were selected already had some experience in the wine industry, but were still early in their careers. After completing the 3.5 day program, their feedback was uniformly positive:
- Daren Clark (Winemaking Intern at Haynes Vineyard, Napa Valley) – “The networking was a blessing, the Lodi wine community was so welcoming. I learned the importance of the farming practices in the community and what it means to help out each other.”
- Chris Salcedo (Sommelier in Training, Irvine, CA) – “The main benefit was it opened up my eyes to the fact that that there are so many different paths in the wine industry, and if I see something in demand I can go and build that company / business.”
- Lindsey Rose (Sommelier, Seattle, WA) – “For me personally, this trip helped to open my eyes to the bounty of the less hyped and talked about domestic regions, while also pulling back the curtain on what wine production looks like. Seeing how a community of growers is working collaboratively to share their stories, enhance their community and make change, was inspiring.”
- Andrew Mihm (Completing M.S. in Viticulture & Enology, UC-Davis, CA) – “Getting the chance to immerse myself in a region I did not know in depth. I got to see how the winemaking community in Lodi allows for creativity and lower barriers of entry to young winemakers aspiring to own their own brand.”
- Jamila Janneh (Law Student Transitioning to Wine, NY) – “I truly got to immerse myself in multiple areas of the industry. My biggest takeaway is learning that there is so much room for creativity in the wine industry. As a millennial, and someone who craves innovation, this trip fed my creative spirit.”
Measurement: When asked how LAIC plans to measure progress towards achieving their mission, Tipton simply responded, “Our key metric is how many new faces we will see in the Lodi wine business in the future.” He is also hopeful that some of the other 80 wineries in Lodi will consider providing financial support to help host more LAIC educational scholarships, wine education, mentorship, and job placement.
Other Laudable Diversity Efforts in the Wine Industry
The Lodi Wine Region isn’t the only appellation providing support for inclusivity. Napa Valley Vintners just announced a $1 million scholarship with United Negro College Fund to increase diversity in the wine industry, with an application deadline of June 30, 2021. Sonoma County Vintners are also beginning efforts to address this issue with the formation of a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee to analyze data and identify resources to increase diversity.
Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women in the global alcohol-beverage industry, offers annual educational scholarships, with a June 30 deadline. In 2020, there were 42 recipients, with 45% from BIPOC identifying communities. Additionally in 2020, the Women of the Vine & Spirits global membership organization started a People of Color Alliance and added related content events to their Live Chat platform.
The Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University has raised over $3 million from wine industry partners to support underrepresented students since 2017. To date more than 100 scholarships have been awarded, with 26 specifically targeted for students pursuing a wine degree. University of California-Davis also has a Broadening Horizons program to recruit more Latinx students, and has achieved a 25% increase in the past few years. They also recently hosted a Zoom conference on “The Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Grape and Wine Industries,” which attracted 184 participants.