Bay Area Wine Society
Objective: Present a program - Pop Up @ PAIRINGS - that would:
Raise funds for local nonprofits that build bridges and foster community in the Bay Area
Provide discounted wine to consumers seeking "deals and steals"
Reduce excess inventory of previous vintages while providing more cash flow to artisan wineries
Advance the corporate citizenship and business of the presenting host
Promote and award visual and musical artists with whom we pair at our events
- DATES: Second and Fourth Wednesday and the following Saturday. We are attempting to organize a Bastille Day Soirée on Wednesday evening, July 14th, if we can secure a proper venue.
- HOURS: Wednesday Reception/Happy Hour times: 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.; Saturday: 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. for those who prefer coming into the City on the weekend.
- To add to the appeal of the event and the importance of our mission we intend to present the work of artists, either musical or visual, or both.
- An informal association of wineries, the California Vintners Guild (CVG), would feature older vintages that have accumulated in warehouses due to the economic downturn and corresponding decrease in demand. With the glut continuing, the producers are highly motivated to move wine out of their inventory, wine that has benefited from further aging. In many instances there is too little of these former releases to stay in the winery's portfolio.
- By tying in the fundraising aspect, the wineries avoid the stigma of being viewed as having to "dump" their wines. It also produces positive PR for the wineries and helps create potential new customers for future releases after the Great Recession becomes another chapter in economic history books.
- Our concept follows the psychology used in the online special sale member websites such as Groupon, Gilt, Rue La La and the recently launched Wine Shopper by wine.com, but adds a fundraising component to the discounts enjoyed by the customer.
- In addition to the wines, we intend to hold a raffle and silent auction of donated items.
- Following our Bastille Day Soirée, we have selected Baykeeper as a beneficiary since they have sent staff down to the Gulf region to help with damage control. Those who wish to support other nonprofits from other fields may also participate by designating their preferred beneficiary on their bid form.
- We hope to enlist local environmental activists such as Francesca Vietor to assist with our fundraisers. (Ms. Vietor has been involved in both private and city endeavors, and is currently the Executive Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation) .
- The customers need not be limited to supporters of the nonprofits. The public could also be invited to stop in, particularly those staying in the surrounding hotels--alerted by the concierges.
- The Bay Area Wine Society (BAWS) would present the events while the 501(c)3 groups would apply for temporary ABC licenses facilitated by BAWS. Catering permits offer an alternative way of gaining ABC authorization, allowing wines to be sampled and purchased.
- Sale/bidding forms, whether accessed using laptops or low tech clipboards, would enable the individual attending to select which nonprofit they wish the proceeds of their purchase to go to, with emphasis on the "featured" charity. Receptions would be scheduled for various philanthropic groups, though supporters could visit at different times to sample and make purchases.
- With the involvement of City College, the Hotel and Restaurant Foundation (HARF) would be an early beneficiary organization. Formed by the City College of San Francisco and now one of the largest hospitality scholarship granting organizations in the country, HARF provides scholarships to hospitality students throughout California, including students in the Culinary Arts Program who will assist with logistics.
- The wines would be sold by invoice to the Bay Area Wine Society at 70% +/- off of suggested retail ("cost") at time of release for resale by the beneficiary charities during the fundraising events, with the understanding that unsold wines could be returned to the winery. The wines may also be donated by the winegrower for purchase via auction and for sampling.
- The attendees not only choose which non-profit they wish to support but also determine how much they wish to pay above the cost of the wine . The differential between cost and sale price, less a 10% fee, represents the proceeds to go to the non-profit. For example, if a bottle of wine that had a suggested retail price of $40 at time of release is sold to BAWS for $12 ($144/case) and if the buyer bids $30--a 25% discount--and the non-profit receives $14 based on a buyer's premium equal to 10% of suggested retail at time of release ($18 less the $4 fee). If the wines are donated then the base is zero.
- Allowing buyers to take the wines purchased with them or return for pickup is far more preferable than having them sent, since the packages must be signed for [ our tentative new venue offers adjacent parking for easy loading]. Of course, there is no way to know which wines will sell more than others. But since the arrangement depends on contingency payments, wineries must be prepared to have their wines returned if they remain unsold. If it is decided that the wines purchased would be sent, one of the fulfillment houses would be retained to expedite this function.
- Several computers could be used as ad hoc kiosks to provide more information on the wines and the wineries as well as serve as Point of Sale self check-out devices complete with credit card swipes. Order forms, which would serve as receipts, would be printed at the check-out table where the purchased wines would be assembled.
- Specialty food purveyor members of Savor California or Foodzie.com would be invited to sample their gourmet foods also for order, though not necessarily discounted. The non-profit supporters could assist with this outreach as well.
- STAFFING: The Culinary Arts program at SF City College would encourage its students, who would gain credits, to assist with manpower needs. Additionally, the beneficiary charities would supply volunteers as would the Bay Area Wine Society and other Meetup.com groups. Discussions have also been held with One Brick
- Visitors would be charged a modest tasting donation of $15 to $20 to be shared between BAWS and the beneficiary nonprofit. Some nonprofits, however, may choose to produce a more lavish reception and the entrance donation would be increased accordingly.
- The time line does not permit the traditional ways of PR to be employed--the sending out of printed press releases and USPS mailings. Viral marketing, spearheaded by the BAWS, could target local wine blogs such as
Vinography, Fermentation and Wine-Blog as well as the main foodie blogs such as:
The Cellarist (Jon Bonné)
Between Meals (Michael Bauer)
San Francisco Professional Food Society
- The appeal of PAIRINGS turns to a large extent on its underground "guerrilla" quality. It will draw not because of a promotional campaign, but because of its uniqueness, its mission, and because of its hideaway character.
- Additional empty retail spaces as well as event spaces suitable for this sort of activity exist in other parts of the Bay Area and could be utilized after our initial San Francisco rollout. Indeed, such a program combining culture, wine and fundraising has applications around the country. PAIRINGS-SF serving as a prototype could lead to PAIRINGS-LA PAIRINGS-NYC, etc. This sort of scalability could also generate sponsorships and underwriters similar to the link below.
- Opportunities exist for a variety of sponsorships. This includes not only industry related products such as stemware manufacturers, but purveyors seeking to promote their product to the wine industry. For example, a wine software company might donate several informational kiosks to facilitate sales both onsite and off.
