GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Innovate with Nature
The Vintners Institute Guild creates a safe-space to explore outside-the-box, environmentally regenerative solutions without fear of judgement or bias. The Guild's collective applied research platform puts viticulturists and winemakers in the driver seat when it comes to prioritizing and doing applied research. Guild SPEAR trials are controlled, production-scale experiments that are prioritized, carried out and evaluated by wine industry producers.
Educate the Workforce
Vintners Institute Academy offers online entry-level training courses in Winegrowing Technology for the wine industry in English and Spanish. This 4-course series provides trainees with the industry language and educational scaffolding for learning more. Each of our four core courses serve as primers in their respective functional areas within the winery vineyard, cellar and tasting room.
Inspire Leadership
The Vintners Institute is a conduit for change that enables top industry thinkers to amplify their learnings from vintage to vintage. Faster adoption of the right technologies enable exploration of solutions that work in harmony with nature to make better wine and inspire a new generation of wine drinkers.
ABOUT THE FOUNDING GUILD MEMBERS
The Vintners Institute's founding Guild members represent a team of viticulturists and winemakers that are dedicated to the craft of growing and making wine. These founding members have tested, participated and provided direction to help shape our budding collective learning and teaching systems. Systems which, in-turn, put producers in the driver seat when it comes to the application of new science and technologies needed to shape a cleaner, greener future in wine that aligns with the values of the next generation of wine consumers.
Meet the Founders
Bryan Avila • Co-Founder • CEO
Lauren Mitchell (Nahas), PhD • Co-Founder • CIO
Lauren Mitchell (Nahas), PhD • Co-Founder • CIO
Bryan Avila is a formally trained enologist, seasoned commercial winemaker, ACUE Credentialed Educator and Co-Founder of the Vintners Institute. The Vintners Institute is a grassroots, next-gen effort to bring wine industry producers and allies together, online and in-person, to Innovate with Nature, Educate the workforce, and Inspire good leaders. Semper Fi.
Lauren Mitchell (Nahas), PhD • Co-Founder • CIO
Lauren Mitchell (Nahas), PhD • Co-Founder • CIO
Lauren Mitchell (Nahas), PhD • Co-Founder • CIO
I've been teaching and designing learning experiences for 18 years, mostly in the California Community Colleges. In 2012, I completed my PhD in English at the University of Texas at Austin, where I focused on education, technology, and digital literacy. My doctoral work sparked my passion for creative use of technology in the classroom
I've been teaching and designing learning experiences for 18 years, mostly in the California Community Colleges. In 2012, I completed my PhD in English at the University of Texas at Austin, where I focused on education, technology, and digital literacy. My doctoral work sparked my passion for creative use of technology in the classroom and for the power of online education to deliver learning to anyone, anywhere.
