EcoVino Turns Waste into Want

One man’s grape waste is another man’s treasure.  Led by science professor Dr. Eric Leber, Heritage students in the EcoVino project are taking the byproducts of winemaking and grape juice production and creating products such as cooking oil, ink, wood stain, fragrant paper and aromatic lampshades.

The project began in the fall of 2002, when students decided to apply chemistry to community needs. “Wine-making is a major agricultural sector in the Valley and we wanted to find out what value remained in its waste materials,” Leber says.

Though grape waste, or pomace, has been used in Europe for more than a century, EcoVino goes beyond traditional uses. “We are developing essential oils and beauty products such as skin cream and soaps. We’re looking at dietary supplements, organic pesticides, antibacterials and latex paint. Our Hispanic business students have really taken an interest and would like to develop a line of cosmetics for Hispanic women.”

Leber estimates that what grape growers are now dumping could be worth approximately $200 million in new products that Heritage is researching. “There is very little being done in the U.S., but there is so much potential,” he says. “Heritage is a national leader among academic institutions in this research.”

July 28, 2005