Our place in a world of change 

There’s little point telling you just how uncertain the world is right now. It will likely have changed again by the time you read this. It's been this way for some time...

There is ample reason to reevaluate everything that we have believed to be true, from the fundamentals of a global economy down to our own households and how we spend our time. What is important, really? What has real value at its heart?

I won’t attempt to call wine a necessity, but I will stand by those that believe it’s a positive ingredient in a happy and balanced life. It brings comfort, it brings people together, it brings a sense of nature and a sense of joy.

For us - finding, transporting, communicating and educating with our wines is what we love to do. It’s all of this work combined, throughout the company, that we truly believe to be valuable and that is not going to change. We’ll keep doing what we love doing, and do it for people that believe in good wine.

Our portfolios of wines represent everything we love about our industry, the multi-generational families, the carefully tended vineyards, the lovingly packaged and presented bottles. The value it all brings. 

This seems as important as ever to point out. 

David (January 2020)

SUMMER UPDATE - Like many, we are holding on to the the small joy that is Spring becoming Summer. With Winter behind us, we can start to imagine a world that brings incremental improvements on many levels.

It’s likely a plurality of good news is still a couple of months away, which whilst dispiriting, is at least tantalisingly close. Australia continues to be a lucky country overall, but those effects have not been shared evenly.

For us, we are aware of how fortunate we’ve been to have little disruption to our business and staff. Unfortunately, for so many of our customers, this is not the case.

We’re on the front foot with doing what we do. The phones are manned, the sales teams all active and supporting customers, warehouses are busy. We’re always on the lookout to do what we do.

As always, reach out at any time.

David. 

MAY UPDATE - We’re all talking about the return to normal; when it will come, what it will look like. We talk about it as if normal is a stationary concept, which it never is. If anything, it's the the pace of change mixed with the future of normal that brings such consternation.

For our industry, there’s no more difficult reality than those of our restaurant and on-premise friends. Like the Covid 19 virus itself, the effects of the measures taken have been disparate and unsparing. Where a business might have seen all of its trade gone, others are going strong, with a whole spectrum in between.

We only wish everyone has a path that can work for them in the coming months. There’s no doubt the greater good is being served, and there's a growing sense that Australia will once again be the lucky country.

For all of our customers that have communicated, shared, explained or just chatted, we say thanks. We are one part of an interconnected supply chain, one that is woven into a tight cloth; the grape growers, wineries, distributors, warehouse workers, delivery drivers, restaurateurs, retailers, communicators and enthusiasts.

When we work together, this works for everyone. Stay in touch and reach out at any time.

What we are doing to stay safe

This summarises the steps being taken by Fesq & Company, Vigorous Brothers and all associated partners in ensure the the mitigation of any potential risks of Covid 19 to our workforce and our customers. 

COVID Safe Workplace
We are a registered COVID Safe business. We also ask that our staff only attend venues that have made the same planning and commitment to a management plan.

Workspaces & Flexible Working
We have the capabilities and resources to allow all staff to work remotely, and have offered that option during this period. In 2018 we updated all of our software and hardware to be able to handle distance working, including customer management, customer service, accounting, warehouse management and all communication. 

We have used this system as the foundation of keeping staff in limited contact with the community.

Health directives 
We have made it clear that any staff member that has symptoms and/or fever, is to isolate from fellow staff,  customers and the community. There is no punitive action for anyone that chooses this option. 

Third-Party Contacts 
The majority of our interactions with our customers are via our delivery drivers. In each state, we use third-party providers for both warehousing and logistics. In each case, we have been given extensive detail on the steps being taken to minimise any risk between all parties involved. These steps include - contactless deliveries, sanitation of vehicles and driver hardware, disinfection stations throughout warehouses, updated sick-leave policies, and remote working options.

We can share more detailed information about the above at any time. 

Kind Regards, David. 

Who to contact? If you'd like to talk more how we are managing the Covid 19 pandemic in our company, please reach out at any time. 

dfesq@fesq.com.au
sfesq@cottenham.com.au