Cooperages 1912 and the Boswell Family Donate $250,000 to the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly
June 3, 2019
Cooperages 1912 and the Boswell Family recently announced a $250,000 donation to Cal Poly’s new JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture.
“We have historically supported the education of Cal Poly students by donating barrels as well as consulting on barrel experiments with our Director of Research David Llodra. The new winery will allow us to contribute to these future winemakers’ education on a much larger scale,” said Elizabeth Van Emst, general manager of Cooperages 1912. “The donation will provide students the opportunity to learn more fully how barrels can elevate the wine and this hands-on experience will be an advantage as they graduate and secure jobs in wineries around the world.”
The JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture includes a state-of-the-art, 5,000-case bonded 15,600-square-foot Winery, which includes a fermentation hall, bottling room, barrel rooms and a research lab – all providing students with a learning environment like what they will experience in the wine industry. The winery is anticipated to be open in 2020.
“The donation by Cooperages 1912 and the Boswell Family to Cal Poly’s Center for Wine and Viticulture is truly an investment in the generations of students who will benefit from a world-class facility and educational program,” said Andrew Thulin, dean of the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. “We are extremely grateful for the generosity of our industry partners in shaping the foundation of a Center that will, in turn, cultivate the trained talent that the wine industry relies on.”
Cooperages 1912 and the Boswell Family are committed to supporting wine education programs throughout the United States and in addition to Cal Poly have partnered with programs at Fresno State, UC Davis, Washington State University and Sonoma State University. They have been donating to colleges and universities for the last 12 years, with donations now totaling close to a million dollars.
Cooperages 1912 is a fourth-generation, family-owned company committed to crafting premium French, European and American oak barrels under the brands T.W. Boswell and World Cooperage. Over the past century, the Boswell family has crafted distinctive barrels that define the industry. The Cooperages 1912 team consults directly with winemakers to ensure an optimal pairing between wine and barrel.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.