La Vinyeta is a small estate of vineyards and olive groves located in Mollet del Penedès, in the Empordà region of Catalonia. The company produces wines, cheeses and other high-quality products that are sold in their onsite shop and exported all over the world. In addition, it offers accommodation and visits to the winery where guests can enjoy a wide range of experiences and activities among the vineyards.
Awareness and commitment
La Vinyeta is a fine example of a business with a strong sense of purpose in everything it does. Recently, it won the Respon.cat award for being a collaborative environmental business project. It was chosen for its commitment to creating an environmentally aware business model that encompasses the use of water, soil and energy, food waste, ecological production, circular economy, biodiversity, waste and training and communication.
The company’s commitment to the environment —which helps them attract and retain talent, be more efficient, generate synergies and a good image— stems from a process of continuous improvement involving planning, doing, observing and measuring, evaluating and improving. La Vinyeta has developed charity projects such as the wine-focused “Els Monos”, with the Fundació Mona, and sustainability projects in collaboration with the University of Girona (UdG) involving recycling waste water from the winery, among other actions.
Marta Ball-Llosera, member of the land stewardship group Iaeden, an ecological organisation based in Alt Empordà, is working with La Vinyeta to ensure the sustainability of its production. As a result of this partnership, a species of bird (the greater short-toed lark) in grave danger of extinction in Catalonia was found on the property. Until now it was thought that these birds only inhabited old vineyards, which are becoming increasingly scarce. The vines at La Vinyeta, however, are very young, which has led to the conclusion that this bird chooses environmentally friendly habitats that are well managed in terms of being free from chemical products, etc., rather than based on the age of the vines themselves.
