Summer Soiree to Benefit Vintners & Farmworkers

Wine country isn’t just about growing grapes and making good juice. 

Thanks to the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation, which was founded as a nonprofit 25 years ago, the region’s winemakers and grape growers are actively working to improve wellness within the greater community. 

On June 19, the foundation is hosting its inaugural Summer Soirée to raise money for these efforts. The party at Mattei’s Tavern starts at 6 p.m., with music by The Doublewide Kings, food from Bar Le Côte, the Hitching Post, and Mattei’s, and wine from multiple producers. Tickets are available at sbvintnersfoundation.org/soiree. 

The fundraiser will directly benefit the Vintners Foundation, which supports a “Holiday Hope” gift campaign each winter, a community crisis fund, and an annual health and wellness fair for vineyard workers, which is happening on August 8 this year. There will also be an additional “Stand Up and Be Counted” call for donations to support the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, known simply as CHC.

To better understand how the Vintners Foundation’s work is improving lives in Santa Barbara County, I asked Paul Ramirez of Loma Escondida Farming a few questions. 

Tell us about your background in the Santa Barbara wine industry.

My name is Paul Ramirez and I run a vineyard management company called Loma Escondida Farming, with my father Francisco Ramirez. I have been farming for 10 years, and my father has been farming for 30 years. I am local to Lompoc and have been around vineyards my whole life. I lived on a vineyard for seven years and also would always work the summers in the vineyards when I was in high school and going to college. Since I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to be in the industry whether it would be in the field or in the cellar.

Tell us about your company.

We have been in business since 2017, so we are in our 10th season as an independent company and are based out of Lompoc. Right now, we have about 80 employees and have grown little by little throughout the years. The majority, if not all, of our employees are from Lompoc. 

We manage about 20 or so vineyards in the area ranging from one acre to up to 60 acres per site. That includes Melville, Kessler Haak, Pence, Pali, Launch View, Racines, and Vega vineyards. We have had long partnerships with most of these vineyards and have helped us build the company we are today.

How has the CHC helped with your employees? 

CHC has helped in many ways throughout the years. 

We had our first interaction with them during COVID when they were offering the vaccines for anyone who wanted it. Thankfully, a lot of our employees were able to receive the vaccine. In a time where there was a lot of uncertainty and scarce supplies they were able to provide help and information. 

This was very convenient for our crews and other crews for other companies because the mobile unit was able to come out to a neutral spot at a vineyard where everyone felt safe. CHC has been doing things like this throughout the vineyard community for a long time. 

Recently, they came out to help other crews and ours as well with dental cleanings and examinations all free of charge for them and at their job site. Some of our employees hadn’t seen a dentist in years. 

Also, a lot of times people are intimidated and don’t know where to go for these services or are afraid to venture out and look because of the language barrier. These services are great for our crews and our greater wine community because we want to make sure everyone is doing fine at work and also that they are doing well when they leave work. 

A lot of our work force are immigrants in a whole new world who rely on anyone who can give them a hand. In this case, that’s the Vintners Foundation with partnerships with organizations like CHC.

How does the Holiday Hope program work?

We pick let’s say 30 families and the families fill out a wishlist not only for themselves but for their families as well. Usually, it’s about four items per person and gifts range from socks, jackets, and jeans to blenders, toasters, and even bikes for the children.  

A lot of gifts the community receives are essential for their daily lives. This is a big help and morale booster for our community. Christmas is our industry’s down time so there isn’t too much work and money can be a little tight during the holidays.

Are you excited about the fundraiser? What should people expect?

We are very excited for our Summer Soirée! 

This is a new event that the foundation is putting on and we hope to have a great turnout so that the foundation can continue servicing our wine community. People should expect a great venue here in the heart of Santa Ynez with great chefs providing great food alongside wines being poured by some wonderful wineries who continue to support our events throughout the years. 

It will be a good night with great vibes for a great cause !