Festina Lente Estate Winery

FESTINA LENTE ESTATE WINERY is proud to offer their premium honey wines (Mead) made with their own local honey and farm fresh ingredients. Their wines are sophisticated, surprisingly dry, and food-friendly meads that will delight discriminating and eco-conscious wine enthusiasts. Made in small batches, their wines are ever-changing with the seasons. Come by often to take advantage of their limited edition selections of Mead made Modern.

Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?

Answer: Since opening in 2016, this woman-owned and operated winery has expanded five times to meet demand, quickly outgrowing its production space to produce 35 different wines throughout the year. What they can’t produce ourselves, we source locally within Langley thereby contributing to the local economy. The CEO of Festina Lente has also just served a 6-year term as Vice Chair of Tourism Langley as the Food and Beverage Representative for Langley. She is also the Chair of the Langley Farmers Institute and represents Festina Lente Estate Winery on the Agricultural and Economic Enhancement Committee and works continuously to support small businesses and farming in Langley.

Festina Lente also supported other food vendors during the pandemic by providing space for pop-up restaurants on the farm at no charge for businesses to stay open and viable during restrictions.

Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?

Answer: What we are most proud of is our commitment to community involvement. During the flooding in November 2021, despite bee losses due to flooding ourselves, we mobilized the farming and business community to provide support to the farming community of Abbotsford. We became a hub for donations for the Province and Horse Council BC. Several truckloads of donated goods and livestock supplies valuing approx. $150,000 were given directly to farms identified by the Province. We also raised $9700 in cash donations directly for Victim Services and donated thousands of dollars of pet food and supplies to LAPS. We also donated our paid staff and company vehicles to distribute the donations to make sure things got to the right places. All of this during the height of a pandemic!

We are also the first alcohol establishment in Langley to receive certification by the RCMP as a designated “Safe Space” priding ourselves on inclusiveness. We have an accessibility consultant on staff and have worked to become the first truly accessible winery in Langley. We have also been recognized as an “Age-Friendly Business” by the Township of Langley.

Following on our commitment to safe spaces for all, we are the only business in Langley to host an official pride event. This is now in its 4th year and began as a covid-friendly event under the PHO restrictions when the 2sLGBTQ community had no way to celebrate inclusiveness during lockdowns.

We have also made our commitment to our bees and the environment a priority by being one of the first meaderies in BC to have completed its Environmental Farm Plan certification as a good environmental steward. After all, bees are at the heart of everything we do!

Photo Credit: VineyardVideos

Woman-Owned

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