Rafael Urrejola
The first positive Covid case at Undurraga, an historic, multi-million-litre winery based in Santiago that employs 200 people on site, came in mid-June: one person from the maintenance department. ‘What happened next was scary,’ relates head winemaker Rafael Urrejola. ‘Many people started feeling sick – in 10 days we had 12 positive cases; by late June it was 18.’ Although anti-Covid protocols and 50% home-working had been implemented since April and the infected workers were from entirely separate departments, ‘it seemed it would never stop’.
There were orders to fulfil, plus thousands of litres of new 2020 wines, but an emergency meeting saw CEO Andrés Izquierdo and Urrejola hit the nuclear button: a total shutdown ‘health break’ at the winery for 14 days. Despite losing ‘a lot of sales and even some clients, who delisted our wines’, the winery didn’t lose any people – or any wine. (‘Wine is loyal: it gives you second chances most of the time.’)
After extensive investigation, the cause of the outbreak was finally identified as a particular corridor in the locker room – now closed. There have been no subsequent infections, protocols are improved and Urrejola says: ‘Very positive things have come out of all of this: we proved we can be flexible,
‘We’re all more motivated, our people feel the company cares for them, and the spirit has been incredible’
Rafael Urrejola, Undurraga
we’ve shot down historic and social barriers like the negative perception of working at home, and we also understood the value of our people and culture. We’re all more motivated, our people feel the company cares for them, and the spirit has been incredible.’
Though sales slumped 7% in volume, value by September was running at par, partly due to a higher peso/dollar exchange rate, but also ‘a lot of effort’. And, as Urrejola explains, the 2020 wines are looking ‘pretty good – they will be historic’.