Donna Stoney is among the small percentage of Black winemakers globally and she is paving the way to change that.
The Portland, Ore., resident, who owns and operates Stoney Wines, launched the International Association of Black, Indigenous and People of Color Winemakers, to help increase diversity in the winemaking industry.
Stoney was in Buxton Sept. 4, during the 100th annual homecoming celebration, for a meeting with Sierra Scott, founder of the Canadian Association of BIPOC Winemakers. Scott’s family hails from Buxton.
Stoney said she’s heard from BIPOC students in the United States who have found it difficult to get internships at wineries.
“One of my goals is to see if we can recruit wineries to take people on so they can come in and finish up their internship,” Stoney said.
She said another goal is to help people overcome the barriers of getting funding.
Scott pointed out Canada only has one Black winemaker, Steve Byfield, owner of Nyarai Cellars in the Niagara region, which is a virtual winery.
“There’s definitely a diversity problem here. So we’re really looking to drive the initiatives for diversity and inclusion in the global wine landscape,” Scott said.
“There are less than one per cent of BIPOC winemakers globally and the IABWM’s mission is to help change this.”
With South Africa and other countries interested in getting involved with the association, Stoney is confident it can grow.
“That’s really the goal. If people can understand what we’re trying to do, I think that will really help get us started,” she said.
More details are available at iabwm.org.
IABWM is also working with local partners Abstract Marketing and IHUBApp.
“Abstract Marketing is currently working with the IHUBApp team to introduce a new hub aimed at enhancing community engagement in Chatham-Kent residents,” said company president Andrew Thiel. “The new project is aimed to usher in a new era of progressive web apps, seamlessly amalgamating website and app functionalities, providing organizations an effective avenue to connect with their audiences.”