Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1500886
HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 12, 2023 17 JUNE 27 - JULY 2 THE BUSHNELL "A GAME-CHANGING 'MOCKINGBIRD.' GENUINELY RADICAL AND PULSING WITH RELEVANCE." CHRIS JONES RICHARD THOMAS is ATTICUS FINCH in HARPER LEE'S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD AARON SORKIN BARTLETT SHER A new play by Directed by bushnell.org | 860.987.5900 | Co-sponsored by Digital passport The wineries app is nearly identical to one used for local craft brew- eries, which have had "tremendous response and engagement with their app," Hurlburt said. Craft breweries far outnumber farm wineries in Connecticut due to the more strict parameters that distin- guish wineries from breweries. Farm wineries have to grow a portion of their own crops for produc- tion, whereas brewers can buy hops. Further, farm wineries used to be limited to only selling wine they make, but 2019 legislation loosened those rules, creating a craft cafe permit that allows local producers to showcase other Connecticut-made products at their facilities. Edwards, of the Jonathan Edwards Winery, said the passport program is appreciated by all wineries and is one of the most popular programs like this in the state. The wine council has moved away from the printed passport to modernize the experience and reduce costs and paper usage by eliminating tens of thousands of printed booklets per season. Prior to the mobile app, the paper passport cost $18,000 annually to print. By switching to a digital passport, "20% of our budget we freed up, and now we have $10,000 more a year for promotion and engage- ment," Hurlburt said. Weathering the storm Agritourism businesses like wineries, breweries and farms, especially those with outdoor gath- ering spaces, fared generally better than many other smaller or indoor food and entertainment venues during the pandemic, Hurlburt said. Wineries that had indoor tasting rooms got creative during the pandemic, bringing in food trucks, pre-packaged foods, picnic tables and tents, many features that will continue post-pandemic. "These farm operations have to be innovative in order to survive," Hurlburt said. Farm winery owners seem opti- mistic for the 2023 summer tourism season, Edwards said, as "we are all looking forward to moving … into the post-COVID landscape." YEAR 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt, Mark and Karen Murdoch, owners of Worthington Vineyards, and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tour the winemaking area. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED DIRECT EMPLOYMENT BY CT WINERIES 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 CT WINERY EMPLOYEES