A hand holding a bottle of Hudson Chardonnay wine with a yellow cap, label indicating 2022 vintage, Napa Valley, California

CASE STUDY:

Hudson Vineyards

GROCERY AISLE:

Wine & Spirits

SERVICES:

Sign with the word 'Accounting' and an abstract logo of three stacked shapes.
Logo with three stacked green oval shapes next to the word 'FINANCE' in uppercase letters on a beige background with a dark green border.

CHALLENGE:

CEO Peter Willmert engaged Cultivar because he realized the numbers he was receiving weren’t keeping pace with the complexity of the business. Hudson’s financials combined multiple business lines (winery, vineyard, and custom crush) into one tangled view.

Custom crush expenses were co-mingled with winery operations, while the revenue was separated, making it impossible to track profitability. Vineyard costs sat below the gross margin line, obscuring the performance of the ag-centric side of the business.

Even more pressing: the team hadn’t produced a functional annual budget in years. With no clear roadmap and no visibility into the impact of day-to-day decisions, Peter was operating in the dark.

OUR FIX:

Over the past three years, Cultivar has become Hudson’s full-service accounting and finance partner. Our first move: rebuild the chart of accounts from the ground up, redesigning it to reflect operational realities and segment out each business line with clarity.

We made the custom crush business financially legible. We moved vineyard costs above the line to surface true margins. Suddenly, Peter could see what was working and what wasn’t.

We then implemented a rigorous annual budgeting process. Each November, right after harvest, we meet with Peter and his department leaders from Hospitality, Winemaking, and Vineyard Operations to set sales and operating goals for the year ahead.

This structure gave Hudson what it needed most: focus. Instead of reacting to financials, they’re now driving the business with them.

RESULTS:

With clear financial visibility, Hudson has been able to grow in the places that matter most. Wine sales are up. The custom crush business has expanded even during a turbulent period for the industry.

For Peter, it’s no longer about guessing what’s working. It’s about leading with clarity and confidence.

BY THE NUMBERS:

100%

OF ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

1st

ANNUAL BUDGETING PROCESS

DOUBLE- DIGIT

SALES GROWTH

  • “Before Cultivar, I couldn’t see how the pieces of our business fit together. Now, we make decisions with confidence and data.”

    — Peter Willmert, CEO

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