Snapshot
About the client
The Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association is the peak body representing the region’s grape growers, winemakers and associated businesses. Formed as a united industry association, it supports member capability, regional advocacy, collaboration, sustainability and growth. The Association also promotes Clare Valley as a distinctive wine and tourism destination, known for elegant wines, genuine hospitality and strong connections to place.
The Need
CVWGA had strong source material that clearly described the region’s service promise and desired guest experience. The opportunity was to turn that content into learning people would actively use, rather than a manual that could be read once and set aside. The program needed to work for cellar door managers, new starters, seasonal and casual staff, experienced hospitality workers, and people with differing levels of wine and regional knowledge.
The learning solution
Hungry Minds transformed the existing material into a connected, pick-and-mix learning campaign built around five topics: the Clare Valley Service Promise, being a Clare Valley ambassador, the cellar door service journey, creating advocates rather than just customers, and handling challenges with confidence.
The solution combined self-paced eLearning with three short podcasts, five Quick Reference Guides, five manager-led Toolbox Talks, a Customer Service Excellence Manual, a Manager’s Guide, a program architecture and a Mystery Shopper Template. Each resource had a distinct role, from onboarding and deeper learning to pre-shift conversations and just-in-time reminders on the cellar door floor.
The design used bite-sized content, realistic scenarios, knowledge checks, repetition across formats and flexible pathways for different experience levels. Hungry Minds collaborated closely with the client to refine the regional messages and convert them into practical behaviours, examples and prompts. The final suite was visually aligned to Clare Valley branding and designed for easy access through the members portal.
The Outcome
The completed program was launched to stakeholders, supported by a brief presentation explaining the learning design, the five-topic structure and how managers could use the resources in their businesses. The launch positioned the suite as ready-to-use, low-friction learning, with clear guidance for onboarding, team huddles, refreshers and ongoing reinforcement.
CVWGA now has a practical, scalable source of truth for customer service, supported by multiple learning touchpoints rather than a single document. This gives member businesses a consistent regional standard while allowing each cellar door to retain its own personality. No further work has yet been commissioned, although the modular design provides a strong foundation for future updates or expansion.
