EP 19: David Laity CEO of Goodwill Wine on building a better world through wine

On the 9th of February 2009, our guest on this episode lost most of what he owned in the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Grateful to be alive and overwhelmed by the support he received, David Laity decided to begin a wine business that gave back. And so began Goodwill Wine, Australia's only certified social enterprise wine company. 

 

Since its inception, Goodwill Wine has donated close to half a million dollars to Australian charities by empowering its customers to choose which charity they would like to receive half of the profits from their case of wine.

 

In 2019 Goodwill Wine took on its first round of angel investment, allowing it to undergo a rebrand, extend its range of wine offerings and embark upon a substantial growth phase. Since then, the business has seen a 500 per cent increase in the amount it has been able to donate to charity.

 

In an intensely competitive market, David has managed to cut through all the noise simply by embedding purpose into the very heart of his business's DNA.

 

If you haven’t heard of Goodwill Wine yet, you’ll want to listen to this episode. There is everything to love about them. Their wines are fabulous. And they donate 50 per cent of their profits to charity. But at its essence, the story of Goodwill Wine is a story of David’s recovery from the trauma of the bushfires and his resulting PTSD. 

 

Here are just some of the highlights of this beautiful and personal interview with David:

 

• He shares his journey from filmmaker to wine merchant and how an idea about advertising on pool balls turned into Goodwill Wine
• The origin story of Goodwill Wine demonstrates the impact human kindness can have on people and what it can inspire them to create
• David shares his motivation in building Goodwill Wine was to reward the supporters of great causes, with quality wine they could enjoy
• If you assume these wines aren’t high quality because they’re not a “known label”, you’ll want to listen to how Goodwill Wine sources the wines 
• He talks about the extraordinary amount of love that customers have for the business: the love of the wine itself, the love of the charity they support and the love of an ethical business
• Handwritten notes from David to his customers are a feature of Goodwill Wine’s customer experience and David shares how he has clocked over 50,000 personalised notes!
• He also shares the incredible ‘why’ behind the handwritten notes. They were never a marketing strategy, but a way for him to connect with people as he recovered from PTSD 
• Learn about some of the tangible impacts Goodwill Wine customers have been able to create through over 300 charity partners
• Sharing his deep appreciation for the people around him, David talks about what he’s most proud of and his pride in leaving a legacy for his daughter

Connect with David and Goodwill Wine

 

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-laity-b652aa41/

Website https://goodwillwine.com.au