Fetzer uses earthworms to save water and boost green credentials

Californian wine brand Fetzer is harnessing the humble earthworm to boost its environmental credentials and improve the way it deals with water.

The US vineyard, which has been owned by Concha Y Toro since 2011, is installing a new bio-filtration system at its Mendocino winery that it says will improve its water conservation measures and save up to 85% of its energy on processing wastewater.

The new  BioFiltro system from BIDA® System will use millions of red earthworms to process wastewater from the 2016 harvest – around 15m gallons of water a year.  The worms will work in conjunction with ‘good’ microbes in the special Bio Filtro bioreactor to naturally remove contaminants from wastewater. The chemical-free system is more efficient, Fetzer says, as it does not require constant electricity to pump and circulate water around aeration ponds, and will be capable of working constantly, regardless of seasonal fluctuations.

It will also offer a ‘closed-loop’ way to process wastewater on site, which than then be used to irrigate the vineyards and landscape, without significant emisisons or energy output. In addition the worms will create 573 cubic metres of “compost-enhancing” worm casts as a by-product that can be used to enrich nutrition in the vineyards.

Giancarlo Bianchetti, CEO of Fetzer Vineyards said the BioFiltro system offered a “compelling process” that aligned with the vineyards’ business goals and objective to leave the world a better place than they found it.

Improving water conservation measures by using less energy would in turn supports the company’s broader fight against climate change, he said.

“It is essential to constantly ask ourselves if there is a better, more efficient and more regenerative way to approach our business, including the way we work with water,” he said. “In implementing this unique system we hope to be a model for other wineries, and for the broader business sector, as well. We hope that demonstrating its efficacy will inspire others to choose regenerative solutions for their water conservation efforts.”

Bianchetti warned that agricultural organisation – including wineries – who want to enjoy long-term success in the region will need to develop “creative and regenerative water management programs” to deal with water shortages that plague the region.

“Although we’ve received much-needed rainfall this year from El Niño conditions, California is still in the midst of an historic drought,” he noted. “The BIDA® System is exemplary of a water conservation solution that mitigates our need to draw on valuable groundwater resources, and does so with very little energy or emissions.”

He said moving to a closed loop regenerative system which used organisms to treat watewater offered a “more holistic” approach than the more common water recycling mechanisms.

“It minimizes environmental impacts and enables us to make the most of the limited resources we have, including water. That its byproduct – castings from worm digestion – benefits our compost and returns nutrients to soil makes this a truly innovative solution,” he added.

Josh Prigge, director of regenerative development for Fetzer Vineyards, described it as a “win-win”, pointing out it was an important step in the winery’s plans to become water positive by 2030.

In 2015, Fetzer Vineyards became the largest winery to be certified by the B Corporation, a not for profit organization that recognizes businesses’ high standards of social and environmental responsibility.