EPILOGUE
According to correspondence with Anna Brittain at the end of April 2020, the organization had faced significant unforeseen challenges due to the international Coronavirus pandemic. The severity of the virus impacted local operations significantly, and swiftly. On March 4th, Napa County issued a Public Health advisory advising residents to be prepared but not scared of the impending spread of COVID-19. Late at night on March 11th, Governor Newson suggested gatherings be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March. Gatherings could be no larger than 250 people, and smaller events could only proceed if individuals kept good social distance of six feet per person.
By March 12th, Napa County had declared the virus a Public Health Emergency. On March 18th, although Napa County still had no confirmed cases at the time, officials banned all public and private gatherings over 50 people. By March 20th the county had mandated all residents shelter-in-place until April 7th but on April 3rd, now with 20 confirmed cases in the county, it was extended through the 30th. Major events through the summer began to be cancelled as the shelter-in-place continued being extended, and business owners worried over the loss of spring and summer tourism in the area.
Napa Green was forced to cancel its public Rosé and Bubbles Spring Soiree as well as their Member Meeting to connect with members and discuss the transition. Their hopes of launching the Tasting Passport in April were shattered, although it was likely some limited tourism would reopen in June. With strict protocols likely coming regarding group size, they anticipated visitation to Napa Valley would be lower than expected in June and July and Passport sales would suffer. The would be correct, and would only earn about 0.8% of the expected income from it in 2020.
As noted in the case, more wineries and vineyards were interested in certification and re-certification but the limitations on in-person contact posed a significant challenge. Their bandwidth as a small organization was also stretched to its limits, as Anna was forced to cut back both her and Megan’s salaries significantly.
Beginning in late summer, unprecedented fires ravaged much of California including Napa Valley. The air was so thick with smoke it became unsafe to breathe for weeks at a time. A number of wineries and homes were burned and once source estimated 80% of vineyards would be smoke damaged; a heartbreaking turn of events for the already challenging vintage.
In September, Napa Green received the news that the NVV would be cutting 30% of their budget for the following year. Anna and Megan were however planning on implementing the fee structure in 2021 which would recoup some of that loss, and to their surprise had seen less winery attrition than expected. While the everyday operations posed a challenge for the small team, they continued to finish out the year as best they could with the resources they had.