Innovative wine industry cluster project

100th Monkey Vignerons is a collaborative cluster of grape and wine producers specializing in the growth areas of the industry that wineries are willing to invest heavily. Some of the sectors 100th Monkey Vignerons focuses on include organics; alternative varieties; and new, more suitable, and high-quality clones of mainstream varieties of grapes.

The company aimed to participate in an innovative wine industry cluster project in the Riverland as part of the South Australia State Government’s Premium Food and Wine Co-innovation Clusters grant program. The initiative aimed to bring together several entrepreneurs to establish regional innovation clusters and provide opportunities for existing and new groups to improve the development of sustainable agribusiness clusters.

We advised the group on collaborative structure models and governance for the cluster and value creation through intellectual property capture and protection. The cluster project resulted in a successful joint initiative called “100th Monkey Vignerons,” described as “a paradigm shift in the behaviour of growing, buying, and selling wine grapes in Australia.” As an established commercial law firm, Piper Alderman’s team was well-positioned to guide on diverse issues related to the project governance and intellectual property.

What our client said

Ashley Ratcliff, founding cluster participant, said:

“We engaged Piper Alderman to advise on a collaborative project under an initiative called: Creating a Riverland Premium Wine Sector via Alternative Production Methods and Cluster Models. In addition to providing concise, timely advice, they quickly developed a good working rapport with me and the other cluster group members, all of whom were farming families from the Riverland. Simon and Bianca’s ‘down to earth’ approach and willingness to bring the parties together to discuss alternative options was certainly appreciated and I would welcome the opportunity to work with them in the future.”