Manufacturing 2019 Manufacturing Week Bus Tour | Page 43

Barnard Griffin
Richland
Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard were Washington wine pioneers. They established
their winery in 1983 and built their current permanent location in 1996. The two-
generation family business produces 80,000 cases of wine a year.
“This is a winery that paid its way from the very first year
because it had to,” said Rob Griffin, right (with wife, Deborah
Barnard). “A great way to start a winery is slow, small and with
a plan for growth.” Now their daughter, Megan Hughes (left), is
learning the winemaking trade. “I think there’s something really
powerful about being able to craft something, to put your love
and affection into something, and then have it be enjoyed by
someone,” she said. “I get to be part of their dinner, part off their
celebration, part of their life, and I do it by manufacturing.”
Barnard Griffin is one of the few wineries to have its own bottling line, using
corks made from sustainable, renewable sugarcane-based raw materials.