In April 2023, the Good Life Wine Collective, comprised of Jessup Cellars and Handwritten Wines, became the first Blue Zone Certified winery in the United States. This honor required many adjustments to life in the winery, but they were pleased to comply.
Having completed the expected improvements, the Good Life Wine Collective is pleased to receive certification.
What is a Blue Zone?
Blue Zones deals with what it takes to live a long life, staying active and healthy even in old age. Some Blue Zones exist in a few locations worldwide, where citizens often live past 100 years. The concept is to take some of the secrets of those locations and apply them in other areas of the world.
After considering all possible factors supporting longevity, the Blue Zone Team uncovered lifestyle habits that help build longer, productive lives.
Companies are beginning to change how they conduct their business to achieve Blue Zone Certification.
What has the Good Life Wine Collective Done to Receive Blue Zone Certification?
The list of programs incorporated by Jessup Cellars and Handwritten Wines to achieve Blue Zone Certification is extensive. Understanding that Blue Zone Certification encompasses a range of behaviors like stress, financial issues, weight, tobacco use, and more, Jessup Cellars began to address each of these to make the working environment more healthful and comfortable for all workers.
Here are some of the actions taken to achieve Blue Zone certification and provide a more healthful and supportive work environment:
- Offer healthier snacks for team members.
- Provide professional health screenings for the team.
- Allow more financial aid resources for employees.
- Encouragement of time-off/ work/life balance.
- Offer financial well-being tools.
- Offer a paid-time-off policy that encourages and supports employees to take time off.
- Offer Employee Assistance Programs.
- Provide self-monitoring equipment (i.e., blood pressure, glucose testing).
- Provide on-site biometric screening for employees.
- Offer weight management and nutrition coaching.
- Organize or promote a workshop that supports leaders in connecting with their well-being and influencing a well-being culture in the organization.
- Establish a campus-wide tobacco-free worksite.
- Provide showers and changing facilities with lockers to employees.
- Ensure that at least 25% of meeting rooms, workstations, and private office furniture provide flexibility to stand or sit while working.
- Provide secure bicycle storage.
- Provide walking and biking workstations.
- Designate a space in the office where employees can downshift.
Overall, the working environment has become much less stressful and more healthful for all employees.
What Does Blue Zone Certification Mean to the Good Life Wine Collective?
Blue Zone Certification is the direction that all companies should adopt. Making the Good Life Wine Collective’s working environment more healthful encourages individuals to follow the same patterns even after leaving the workplace at the end of the day. The cumulative effect is for employees to become more satisfied with their jobs, happier in their environment, and remain where they are for longer.