We also cannot guarantee that our efforts to prevent and control any pest and plant disease infestation will be successful, or that any such infestations will not have a material impact on the
properties of any of our suppliers. Any shortage could cause an increase in the price of some or all of the grape varietals required for our wine production or a reduction in the amount of wine we are able to produce, which could materially and
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial results.
Factors that reduce the quantity of grapes we, or the growers with which we
contract, grow may also reduce their quality. Deterioration in the quality of our wines could harm our winery brand strength, and a decrease in our production could reduce our sales and increase our expenses, both of which could materially and
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial results.
If we are unable to obtain adequate supplies of premium grapes and
bulk wine from third-party grape growers and bulk wine suppliers, the quantity or quality of our annual production of wine could be adversely affected, causing a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The production of our luxury wines and the ability to fulfill the demand for our wines is restricted by the availability of premium grapes and
bulk wines from third-party growers. On average, between 2016 and 2021, more than 10% of our grape inputs per year come from our own Estate vineyards and the remaining amount comes from third parties in the form of contracted grapes, contracted bulk
wine, spot grapes and spot bulk wine.
As we continue to grow, we anticipate that a greater percentage of our production will rely on third-party
suppliers as the yield from our Estate vineyards is likely to remain relatively stable. If we are unable to source grapes and bulk wine of the requisite quality, varietal and geography, among other factors, our ability to produce wines to the
standards, quantity and quality demanded by our customers could be impaired.
Factors including climate change, agricultural risks, competition for
quality, water availability, land use, wildfires, floods, disease and pests could impact the quality and quantity of grapes and bulk wine available to our company. Furthermore, these potential disruptions in production may drive up demand for grapes
and bulk wine creating higher input costs or the inability to purchase these materials. In recent years, we have observed significant volatility in the grape market. For example, in 2020, we contracted for approximately 12,000 tons of grapes at a
cost of $26.5 million, compared to approximately 19,000 tons of grapes for a total cost of $51.1 million in 2019. The aggregate tonnage and cost of grapes purchased in 2021 will not be known until after harvest is complete, but we expect
that both the tonnage and the cost will exceed that of the prior two years. However, we may experience upward price pressure in future harvest seasons due to factors including the general volatility in the grape and bulk wine markets, widespread
insured and/or uninsured losses and overall stress on the agricultural portion of the supply chain. Furthermore, following the 2020 wildfires in Northern California, the price of bulk wine increased substantially in a very short period of time,
leading to some wine producers reducing lot sizes of certain wines. Fortunately, we acted quickly and decisively as soon as the wildfires started and were able to purchase our bulk wine prior to meaningful price increases. However, we cannot be sure
that we will be able to avoid similar price increases in the future. As a result, our financial results could be materially and adversely affected both in the year of the harvest and future periods.
If we are unable to identify and obtain adequate supplies of quality agricultural, raw and processed materials, including corks, glass bottles, barrels,
winemaking additives and agents, water and other supplies, or if there is an increase in the cost of the commodities or products, our profitability, production and distribution capabilities could be negatively impacted, which would materially and
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We use a large volume of grapes and other raw materials to produce
and package our wine, including corks, barrels, winemaking additives and water, as well as large amounts of packaging materials, including metal,
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