The Reservoir revealed the location of its second robotics and automation accelerator farm, this time partnering with Sonoma County Winegrowers to inspire start-ups to solve problems facing grape growers.
In collaboration with the Sonoma County Winegrowers’ Farm of the Future initiative, the Reservoir Farms in Sonoma will feature an engineering workshop, fabrication facilities and 14 acres of vineyard test blocks, allowing agtech start-ups to test and develop their solutions, the Reservoir shared in a press release.
The Reservoir will welcome agtech start-ups Budbreak Innovations and Cropmind and current Reservoir Sonoma member Beagle Technology to the Sonoma facility in January, as the accelerator seeks six more start-ups by the end of December.
The Sonoma facility comes nearly three months after the Reservoir opened its Sanoma, Calif. facility, which was made possible through a sub-lease from Tanimura & Antle and technical support from John Deere. Danny Bernstein, founder and CEO of Reservoir, hinted at a potential facility in Arizona in the future, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
“The next generation of breakthroughs in ag robotics happen if world-class engineers have direct access to real farm environments to develop technology. The next leap—whether it’s advanced perception, precision agriculture, rugged humanoids, or foundational AI platforms—will require engineers and growers building and problem-solving together. We are honored to be part of Sonoma County Winegrowers’ Farm of the Future to help drive innovation for their members today and into the future,” Bernstein shared in a press release.
California’s grape industry grapple with labour challenges
The opening of the new accelerator facility comes as California’s wine industry grapples with a host of challenges from combating wildfire impacts to addressing labour challenges. The two organizations hope to address these challenges by deploying innovative technologies.
Will ICE raids hurt California's wine industry?
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is raising concerns about farmworker shortages, which could lead to lower agricultural production and food left rotting in fields. Nearly 50% of California farmworkers are undocumented, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across California have some fearing that similar actions might happen in Sonoma County, impacting California's wine industry.
“Sonoma County Winegrowers has long had a vision of being the ‘Silicon Valley’ of ag innovation for wine grapes, and today that vision becomes a reality. And most exciting is that these start-ups will have our farmers at the table solving the problems they have versus creating solutions and then looking for the problem,” said Karissa Kruse, president and CEO of Sonoma County Winegrowers, at the Reservoir Farms ribbon-cutting event.
She added, “Wine grapes are one of the most labor-intensive specialty crops, and emerging technology has the potential to transform how we manage vineyards, upskill our workforce, and continue to deliver for our consumers.”
