Wine Ice Cream: It does exist...

There is one sentence the speaker said that stuck out to me from the Farmstead talk this past Thursday: "More people know us for our restaurant than our wine."

I could not help but wonder why they do not double, triple and quadruple down on this part of the business? He said their biggest asset was their land, but given the number of visitors to their restaurant and the brand recognition they seem to be attracting from Northern California visitors, I am convinced their largest untapped resource is their brand.

If I was in their shoes, I would be exploring brand partnerships at an alarming rate. Find a local dairy, and white label an artisan cheese. Partner with Gott's Roadside and create a "wine-burger." I am not sure what that even entails, but they need to get creative. Most importantly, partner with Smitten, Salt & Straw, or one of the other many boutique ice cream shops and create a custom ice cream. For heaven's sake, Gott's Roadside, a famous burger joint with roots next door to Farmstead (in St. Helena), is now doing their own soft serve ice cream and seemingly succeeding. I am sure they would be very interested in collaborating on a special wine ice cream.

I bring up ice cream because I suggested this as a product that Inniskillin make two Thursdays ago. While in part odd idea, part serious suggestion, the crux of the suggestion, as with the one above, is that food product innovation makes headlines, and headlines drive curiosity, and curiosity gives people the energy to get in their car, drive to St. Helena and visit your establishment. That same energy increases brand recognition, and so forth. So my message to Long Meadow Ranch: go wild. Try new products. Give people something interesting to talk about and soon they will talk about you.