Partnering with an accounting and business advisory organisation with the knowledge and skills to drive the business forward has been key for Marlborough winery Isabel Estate.
Chief winemaker Jeremy McKenzie says the winery has had some good success in recent times, thanks in part to his work with the team at WK, who he describes as both knowledgeable and welcoming.
“It’s great to be partnering with a business who knows the industry well,” Jeremy says.
“They’ve got good people, they do have a genuine care about who their clients are, and I think that’s the key too, you know, is finding people within a business like WK who can partner with us here and feel free to come out and sit down, have a coffee and go through the goods and the bads.”
WK director Hamish Morrow says utilising the WK’s virtual CFO system has allowed them to guide Isabel Estate with the financial side of their business.
WK senior advisor Adam Tyney works closely with Jeremy, and says their knowledge of the wine industry, paired with the latest in winery accounting softwares, have enabled WK to ensure Isabel is achieving best practice in terms of inventory management and winery operations.
“We use Vinsight on the sort of winery software side. This enables us to track the inventory from harvest right through to when the wine is dispatched,” Adam says.
“We can get some great information on the spot to make key strategic decisions.”
Strategic planning with WK has allowed Isabel Estate to take steps towards reaching its full potential as an award-winning winery, Jeremy says.
“It’s still a work in progress here at Isabel, we are on a journey, we’ve had some good success in a short time and that’s been largely due to getting the vineyard back up to where it needs to be, to working with some good people,” he says.