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Sommeliers and brothers, Pete and John Connell founded online retailer By the Bottle, which curates a selection of organic, natural, biodynamic and sustainably-produced wines.
The demand for organic, biodynamic and natural wines is growing, with organic grape production expanding from 600 hectares in 2008 to 2283ha last year, and has increased by 33 per cent since 2017, according to the latest organic market data from Organics Aotearoa. New Zealand exported $6.2 million of organic wine last year, up 40 per cent compared to $46.5m in 2017, and was worth $37.3m in domestic sales, up 33 per cent. The latest Organic Market Report shows nearly 6 per cent of vineyard land was under certified organic management, and last year 73 wineries held organic certification, around 10 per cent of all wineries.
Covid-19 pandemic accelerates growth of organic
26 February 2021 |
The pandemic appears to have accelerated the already existing growth of organic
Sales in organic have continued to boom throughout 2020 in stark contrast to the recession of the late 2000s when the sector hit rock bottom.
The Soil Association’s Organic Market Report has revealed that the organic sector saw overall growth of 12.6% in 2020.
This is the highest rate of growth the industry has seen in 15 years and comes despite the UK economy suffering its biggest contraction since 1709.
Several factors are thought to be behind the boom, including the rapid growth of online retail throughout 2020 and greater consumer consciousness of health and sustainability.