Bellwether Community winery succeeds in efforts to crowd fund off grid solar system
Feb 04, 2017
It pays to dream! If I have learnt anything whilst establishing Bellwether it is that you need to say out loud what you would like to happen and then it has a much better chance of becoming reality – Sue Bell, creator of Bellwether in Coonawarra.
I wrote the pozible campaign for our winery to go ‘off grid’ two years ago. I waited to launch it until we had a video twelve months later. Then I waited another twelve months as the solar battery sphere was evolving so quickly, that is still the case but eventually you have to be brave and put your neck on the line. So on the 1st December I launched an effort to crowd fund $25,000 by the 20th January to support our plans for solar panels and batteries estimated at $45,000.
The campaign wasn’t seeking straight charity, instead in many cases the rewards for donating were experiences at the winery, from a $50 ferment tasting, a $300 climate change dozen, a $350 glamping weekend in the new Bell tents at Bellwether, a $1,300 personalized dinner party for 10 people or a week of working vintage in the boutique winery for $1,200.
The support, sharing, love and money generated was $28,390, which was an incredible feat given the time of the year.
Many of the experiences bring people to Bellwether so we will get to thank people face to face and include them in our place.
The Glen Roy shearing shed is a very positive environment, it has a long history of hard work, from the Chinese miners who built the 1868 stone building, to the 150 years of shearing through to the digging and plunging of vintage these days. Somehow the sharing of food, stories and culture comes naturally here so it is thrilling to get affirmation that people like what we are doing.
Thank you to everyone – looking forward to solar power, a bit of help during vintage and seeing you here one day.
Cheers
Sue Bell
Bellwether Winemaker/Gardener/Director
0417080945
