Crushing Custom Crush w/ Robert Morris, Grand Cru Custom Crush

Operating your own winery is expensive. The custom crush business model enables small wineries to solve this. Robert Morris, the founder of Grand Cru Custom Crush in Sonoma County, explains the benefits of the custom crush model, how it works, and how Grand Cru has changed the custom crush game.  Support the show via Patreon!Detailed Show Notes: Robert’s backgroundA Mechanical engineer by training worked at HPBecame partner at Copain Custom Crush (renamed Punchdown Cellars)2016 - founded Grand Cru Custom Crush (“GCCC”)Custom crush (“cc”) definition(s):Grower w/ extra grapes that are crushed into a finished productPeople who source grapes and have a private labelOperate in a custom crush facility b/c operations are too small to have its own facility (where GCCC operates)Custom crush vs. own wineryHigh startup costs (location, permits, winery equipment)Winery equipment utilization is low - own facility ~10 days/year; cc - ~2.5 monthsHigh utilization requires a diverse client base (e.g., sparkling wines to big Napa Cabernets = spread out crush times)CC has expertise in maintaining winery equipmentCC can do aggregated sourcing for winery supplies (e.g., argon, acid) but does not do sourcing for packaging (a more personal choice)CC has more knowledge sharingGGCCCombines custom crush and hospitality space (differentiator)Has a strict set of procedures and protocols for operationsCC business models1) A la carte - separate pricing for each operation (e.g., pressing, punchdowns, racking, etc.,)2) Per ton fee, all-inclusive - covers everything from grape reception until bottlingCrush fees - Sonoma - ~$2,700-3,300/ton (~$38-45/case); Napa costs 2x SonomaGCCC fee ~$3,300/ton, including use of hospitality areaOvervintaging - ~$300-400/ton extraOther fees/costs - winemaking (if using GCCC’s), filtration, bottling (believes hard to justify bottling line investment until ~100,000 cases)VisitationConsistently busy Thursday-MondayUses Tock to manage reservations - integrated into clients and GCCC websitesClients can hold events at the facilityCC trendsCC market is still growing (e.g., Red Custom Crush keeps expanding), growth mainly on the larger production sideHas seen overvintaging (where wines are aged in barrel over 1 year) increase from ~25-30% 10-15 years ago to ~70% now = takes up more floor spaceSees wine conversion ~51-53 cases/ton for premium production vs. 60+ for lower quality (e.g., pressing harder) Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.