New Biosphere Member: Little Straw Vineyards
Little Straw Vineyards is the newest member of the Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program. Read on for information about Little Straw, including their rich history, new ownership, and motivation for joining Biosphere.
About Little Straw Vineyards
Little Straw Vineyard is a family-owned winery established in 1996. Wines vinted from the hot summer grapes of 1994 made up the first commercial releases. The winery is well known for the remarkably popular white blend “Tapestry” and for producing the only Auxerrois Icewine in Canada.
The majority of grapes come from their own vineyards situated on the lower slopes of Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna, British Columbia. Little Straw offers a wide range of small-lot wines, with something to appeal to almost every palate.
The winery is currently moving towards sustainability and organic.
Reasons for Joining the Biosphere Commitment Program
The ownership changed at the end of 2021 to Karnail Singh Sidhu, who also owns Kalala Organic Estate Winery. Karnail has been always passionate about being organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Kalala Organic Estate Winery has been a part of the Biosphere Commitment Program for a while now, and shares the same values as Biosphere.
The central vision of the Little Straw is to be a leader in environmentally sustainable agri-tourism business in BC. Little Straw really values being environmentally sustainable, keeping the environment in mind with every business decision. For instance, the majority of organic waste from the winery is used in the vineyards as nutrient manure.
Little Straw proactively tries to get certified, especially regarding environmental sustainability. For instance, listing certified organic and Biosphere Committed Company logos will stimulate the wine and agriculture industries and consumers.
The new owners have big plans for Little Straw. Joining the Biosphere Commitment Program will be one of the first steps they take for sustainability. The winery is also in the process to become certified organic, which takes approximately three years.
About the Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program
Biosphere is a Sustainable Tourism System certified by the Responsible Tourism Institute, an international certification body that maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with UNESCO, is affiliated to the World Tourism Organization, and is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The system is aligned with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris COP21 Accord to Fight Climate Change.
TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program allows tourism industry stakeholders within the Thompson Okanagan to become involved. The Commitment Program follows a simple process in order to be recognized as a Biosphere Committed Company.
