Yealands Estate

Harnessing passion

He's a salt-of-the-earth farmer from Blenheim who until recently didn’t own a suit, so how did Peter Yealands find himself gracing the cover of Canvas Magazine and speaking to a formidable business audience at Thrive Auckland?

The answer is: quirky and irreverent commentary on an industry that some accuse of taking itself too seriously, and a profile built and guarded by our team since the launch of Yealands Estate in 2008.

Our challenge has been to convey the company’s key messages of innovation, sustainability and quality to consumers growing increasingly sceptical of anything they perceive as ‘green-washing’. So a key part of our strategy has been to tell the story of founder Peter Yealands and his out-of-the-box thinking.

When Peter told us he was farming guinea pigs and baby doll sheep to keep the grass - and exhaust emissions down - we helped him tell the world. Likewise with Yealands’ environmentally-friendly plastic wine bottles and the fact that it’s using vine prunings to power the winery.

Passionate, uncompromising, innovative – we’ve helped Peter Yealands harness his personal charisma to the benefit of his business. Tastings for wine writers, consumer sampling campaigns, event sponsorships, media partnerships and alliances with key influencers. It’s all generated widespread attention that shows no sign of waning.

The results are impressive. The launch of Yealands Estate was incredibly successful both in terms of coverage and sales. And the winery continues to receive ongoing positive editorial coverage across all media, last valued at well over $3 million.

Porter Novelli team: Louise Wright, Kyra Holland, Jo Glover, Alex Speedy