Howard Vineyard is a small, family-owned winery and tourism destination located in the Adelaide Hills, SA. The business was founded by Ian Northcott and a group of local families and investors, who – over both a glass of wine and their shared love of wine – bought into the idea of developing the vineyard in 1997.
“Originally, we were set up to sell grapes to larger wine companies, but over time we’ve diversified, and our business today includes agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, wine sales and export,” says Ian’s son Tom Northcott, Howard’s co-owner, General Manager, and Head Winemaker.
The team has invested significantly in their tourism facility in recent years and the vineyard now includes a cellar door, restaurant, and wedding venue.
The business has received numerous accolades, including Best Adelaide Hills Cellar Door, Best Restaurant in a Winery, multiple Best Wedding Venue in South Australia awards, and many other trophies for wine quality in Australia.
In addition, Tom’s leadership of the vineyard has not gone unnoticed: He recently received the Business Insight Sustainable Business Leaders Award at their 40 Under 40 Awards.
“All of these things help drive people to our vineyards,” says Tom.
Building a great business
“We are a very community-based business,” says Tom. “I think one of our strengths is looking after our team and working to be the best at what we do, whilst remaining a very family-friendly and flexible business.
“I think this is the best way to work, live, and grow together as a team. It’s great to receive recognition for what we do along the way, but it’s more about the journey.”
Tom acknowledges that cashflow has always been a challenge, since vineyards are by nature a very capital-intensive business.
“Often the investment in a vineyard takes decades to get any money back, and when it does, the margins are very thin,” he explains. “Plus, this is one of the most competitive industries in the world – there are 4,200 wineries in Australia and literally tens of thousands across the globe.”
He adds that in making investments, ongoing effort and belief in the vision have been vital.
“There’s no substitute for hard work, and at the end of the day, the wines have to represent exceptional quality and value for money,” states Tom.
Accru Harris Orchard Director Sam Facy says that the Howard team’s ability to adapt to a changing environment has been instrumental in their resilience and success. Sam says, “The wine industry is a challenging one, but with Ian Northcott’s drive – and the subsequent succession of his son Tom as General Manager – the business has been able to maintain an influential market presence.”
The role of Accru Harris Orchard
Howard Vineyards has been working with Accru Harris Orchard since the beginning, creating a long-lasting partnership.
“Accru Harris Orchard has been with us since the start,” says Tom. “We’ve worked together on many projects over the years, and most recently have done a review in business strategy with Sam Facy.”
Sam adds, “We assisted them in a restructure of their operations from two separate vineyard holdings to a single holding, and also helped them with the establishment of the cellar door and function venue.”
Tom notes that the Accru Harris Orchard team has also helped with ongoing improvements to the reporting structure for improved financials, which has supported better decision making in the business, and has been supportive in assisting with the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET).
“We continue to work through the challenging nature of WET,” Tom explains. “It’s certainly been a learning curve for me, as the target continues to change.”
Looking ahead
Tom expects continued, sustainable growth for Howard Vineyards in the future.
“Slow and steady is the best way to grow in the wine industry,” he says. “Our owners have a very long-term vision for the company, and we know that it takes multiple generations to build a wine brand.”
Howard will be releasing several new varieties soon, including a Gamay, Sparkling (Methode Traditionelle), and a new Riesling, and they’re looking forward to using grapes that were grown after the devastating bushfires in the Adelaide Hills in 2019-20.
“We want greater control over our wines sales, too, and plan to increase direct-to-consumer sales and continue to develop our best market, which is right here in South Australia,” says Tom.
To learn more, visit howardvineyard.com..
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