WINnovation Award 2024: Verdi Delivers Affordable and Easy Irrigation Automation to the Wine Industry
We’re thrilled to announce that Verdi has won the 2024 WINnovation Award, celebrating excellence in wine industry innovation. This award—given by the Wine Industry Network—recognizes game-changing solutions that push the industry forward.
“WINnovation Awards are a way for us to highlight and celebrate the many innovative industry suppliers and to recognize that their efforts continue to propel the entire industry forward.”
- George Christie, President, WIN
Why Did the Wine Industry Network Give Verdi This Award?
Verdi earned the 2024 WINnovation Award for one simple reason: we made irrigation automation accessible to all farmers—affordable, easy to use, and effective.
Water scarcity, rising costs, and labor shortages have turned irrigation automation from a “nice-to-have” into a “must-have.” Farmers know the benefits:
- Save water
- Cut labor and energy costs
- Increase crop yield and quality
So, if the benefits are so clear, why aren’t more farmers using it?
Arthur Chen, Verdi’s co-founder and CEO, explains:
“We found that it was really an accessibility problem. Existing technologies are incredibly expensive. 95% of farms can’t afford them.”
Traditional systems aren’t just expensive—they’re overly complex. Large-scale automation solutions come with steep learning curves, requiring specialized installation, buried wires, and equipment that farm workers aren’t trained to use. Verdi’s solution changes that.
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The Problem: Irrigation Automation is Too Expensive and Complex
Most irrigation technologies solve only one part of the problem, like turning a valve on and off. But farmers need more. They still have to manually check fields, diagnose issues, and make irrigation decisions—time-consuming work that drives up costs.
The Solution: Verdi’s Affordable, User-Friendly Automation
Verdi was built to automate irrigation seamlessly and affordably for farmers everywhere. Our system runs on ultra-low power, works wirelessly, and eliminates unnecessary hardware like buried wires, gateway towers, or solar panels.
With Verdi, farmers can:
- Monitor soil moisture and environmental data in real time
- Create precise, data-informed irrigation schedules
- Control valves and pumps remotely
- Detect leaks and breaks instantly
- Keep accurate water records for compliance and reporting
Best of all? It’s simple. Farmers can install Verdi systems themselves in just one or two days—no specialists required.
“Verdi is everything we need in one system for irrigation,” says Mike Watson, Senior Viticulturist at Arterra Wines Canada. “We can schedule irrigations based on soil moisture, and if there’s a line break or issue, we get an alert immediately.”
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Results That Speak for Themselves
Winemaker Matthew Fortuna of 50th Parallel Estate Winery in Lake County, B.C., highlights the impact:
“Before Verdi, I would spend up to four hours per day turning on valves, turning on pumps, and checking the vineyard. Now, I can remotely plan and execute my irrigation in just 15 or 20 minutes. It’s freed me up to focus on bigger and better things.”
For farmers, Verdi isn’t just about automation—it’s about reclaiming time, reducing costs, and growing better crops.
A Win for Farmers, A Win for the Industry
As Arthur Chen, Verdi CEO and co-founder, puts it:
“It’s such an honor to receive this award. We came into this space as new entrants, working hand-in-hand with growers to solve real problems. Seeing the impact we’ve had—better yields, lower costs, and saved labor—is incredible.”
Roman Kozak, Verdi CTO and co-founder, adds:
“Winning the WINnovation Award is amazing. It’s a reflection of our team, our customers, and the real value Verdi brings to farming. We’re grateful to everyone who trusted us and provided feedback to make our product what it is today.”
Learn More About the WINnovation Award
Verdi’s mission is simple: make irrigation automation affordable, easy, and effective for all farmers. Winning this award is a milestone, but we’re just getting started.
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