We're thrilled to share that Old Chapel Cellars has been named IWC Regional Retailer of the Year for South West England, for the second year in a row!
The IWC Awards took place at The Hurlingham Club in London earlier this month; the prestigious awards are a major event in the wine industry’s annual calendar, bringing together merchants, wine buyers, journalists and producers from around the UK and beyond.
The regional awards are given to the best performing merchant in each area, based on an assessment of the investment and progress made over the course of the preceding year.
Recipients must show they are “passionate in developing exceptional wine ranges, elevating their wine offer, customer service and engagement. They have experienced and knowledgeable teams, focussed on delivering a strategy that positively impacts the UK wine industry.”
We’re over the moon to have picked up this award two years in a row, as it reflects how hard the whole team strives ahead across all aspects of the business. The retail and trade operations, the Cornwall Wine Centre - which is our educational arm – and the website, as well as events and tastings… For a small team it’s a lot of plates to keep spinning so this award is a fantastic boost for us all!
As a B Corp, we’re constantly assessing our impact as a business in an open and honest way. It helps us focus on what we want to achieve and identify the steps we need to take in order to get there, and this latest award reinforces that approach.
We believe that one of our big strengths is the balance of the team. We’ve got a 50/50 gender split and an age range of 24 to 71. Everyone brings their own set of skills, experience, and perspective.
Since collecting the award, we took a brief moment to celebrate together before moving onto the next challenge – the relaunch of the Cornwall Wine Centre website in time for a busy schedule of courses starting in the autumn.
One of our key focuses this year is on making wine education in Cornwall as accessible and inclusive as possible, with a range of WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) courses aimed at both aspiring hospitality professionals and the general public. Find out more here and who knows, you could be the next person to fall in love with wine and join the Old Chapel team!
