Cooperages 1912, Oak Solutions Group donate $250,000

Cooperage 1912 and Oak Solutions logos
 
 

NAPA, Calif. – Sister companies Cooperages 1912 and Oak Solutions Group has announced that they will donate $250,000 to the Wine Science Center under development at Washington State University Tri-Cities. The companies — which provide  premium wine barrels, oak alternatives and enological tannins to winemakers throughout the world — are making a joint donation through the Boswell Family Foundation. 

“This project struck a chord with our family, as it is important to us to give back to worthy educational institutions in our industry,” said Brad Boswell, company president. “It is clear the Wine Science Center will play a vital role in the Pacific Northwest as a center for research and education, helping to sustain and continue the tremendous growth this market has experienced.”

Washington State University will break ground on the 39,300-square-foot, LEED Silver facility on Thursday, Sept. 26, in Richland — the heart of Washington wine country. The Wine Science Center is a $23 million project designed to attract world-class researchers and students who will focus their efforts on the challenges and opportunities faced by Pacific Northwest grape growers and winemakers. More details on the project and its unique partnerships are at http://tricity.wsu.edu/wsc.

Cooperages 1912 has additionally pledged a 10-year sponsorship of all barrel needs to support winemaking by junior and senior students in WSU’s Viticulture and Enology program, under the wine label Blending Learning. This student winemaking project is conducted in partnership with commercial wineries and grape growers to provide hands-on, applied learning for students. Cooperages 1912 and Oak Solutions Group will also send a visiting lecturer to provide WSU students with cutting-edge research on barrels and oak alternatives.

The Boswell Family, four generations ago, founded the Independent Stave Company – the parent company to Cooperages 1912 and Oak Solutions Group. Independent Stave Company continues to embrace the core values of family, innovation, community and hard work. Learn more at www.cooperages1912.com and ww.oaksolutionsgroup.com

WSU has been involved in wine-related research since the 1930s and is the only university in the Pacific Northwest offering bachelor’s and graduate degrees in viticulture and enology, plus a wine business management program and a distance education program to earn a professional certificate. Henick-Kling joined WSU in 2009 as director of the viticulture and enology program, which has more than 30 faculty members in the Tri-Cities, Prosser and Pullman.