International Women’s Day

The women of Hester Creek would like to extend their love and support to women around the world for this International Women’s Day!

This month, we celebrate Women’s History Month, but today in particular is the day that we give a big shout-out to all the women in our lives.

Once known as a man’s industry (like them all), wine and agriculture has started to see a shift towards women taking on roles previously occupied by men. And the wine industry in particular is making strides in that shift. Though it’s seen as a slow shift around the world, British Columbia in particular has taken the fast track. Not only are there more women working in wine, but there are more women-owned wineries, women making wine, female sommeliers and women in managerial positions.

I started at Hester Creek in March three years ago and noticed right away how the women seemed to outnumber the men. In every department you could find a woman working – whether it be in a seasonal position or full-time. It was uplifting to see this and right away I felt a sense of belonging and sisterhood with my colleagues. And Hester Creek is not alone in this. I would say the majority of what I have seen in Okanagan Wineries are women who are taking the lead in a plethora of jobs. It’s encouraging, but as Sandra Oldfield put it in a 2021 interview with Quench Magazine, “Despite the fact that women are more numerous in the BC wine industry than ever before, it remains important to share stories of their experiences, positive and negative, and amplify women’s voices.” So here we are posting images and blog posts and chatting with female journalists like Barb Wild who are doing their part to amplify the voices of women via her new YouTube series. And it’s heartwarming to see the positive responses from all genders.

From a personal standpoint, I feel extremely priviledged to have landed a career at Hester Creek Estate Winery, as they have not only supported my growth, but encouraged it. I’ve never felt like this is something that was just for me either, it is also a quality that Hester Creek makes known for any employee who walks through the door and is brimming with passion and ambition to create and embrace the true-wine experience that has made Hester Creek so successful over the years. And this is all reflected by upper management. Take for example the email that our Director of Operations sent out to all the women in the company this morning to wish them a happy International Women’s Day – this is an email that means a lot to a lot of women, to make us feel seen, heard and recognized for the work that we do at such an incredible winery.

So let’s raise a glass to all the women in our industry and to all the women who have helped us to get to where we are!

Happy International Women’s Day!

 

Cheers,

Kimberley, Public Relations Coordinator