Willamette Valley Vineyards reports net profit rose 35.2% to $3.4 million as sales jumped 10.4% to $27.3 million, or 46 cents a share, in 2020 from the year-earlier level.
Jim Bernau, founder/CEO of the winery said “Our team’s sales success this year resulted from finding opportunities in the channels remaining open, selling directly to wine enthusiasts at home and to retail stores where consumers were allowed to shop. The employees were so effective at these strategies, we added employees in 2020 so no PPP funds were needed. Our team also implemented safety measures and new technology which resulted in no known cases of COVID being contracted in the workplace or tasting rooms. Our vineyard and winemaking staff produced one of our best vintages, in spite of these challenges and the forest fires. In our 38 years, I have never seen such remarkable performance by our managers, employees and organization as a whole.”