WiSP Rethinks Support for Wine Industry Businesses

By Fanny Darrieussecq, Founder of WiSP

The wine industry is experiencing turbulence, both in France and internationally. Industry players face complex challenges and profound transformations. On the training front, public budgets for professional development are shrinking, and existing funding mechanisms are becoming increasingly complex, discouraging many businesses from leveraging this crucial tool for growth.

This observation led us to a clear realization: WiSP, positioned at the intersection of the wine industry and the broader training and skills development sector, must play a strategic role as a partner for businesses in the field.

Traditional training, a core part of WiSP’s DNA (WSET, etc.), remains a key pillar of our services. However, we are already supporting businesses in tackling critical challenges such as:

• Defining and training for emerging roles
• Optimizing training budgets
• Creating a clear and measurable skills development plan to enhance company performance and employee well-being
• Strategizing around business activity domains (DAS) and exploring new market or service opportunities
• Recruiting and onboarding new employees
• Offering engaging and personalized educational innovations (both internal and external)

Reinvention Is Essential to Meet Market Demands

During discussions hosted by Les Acteurs de la Compétence in January 2025, where WiSP had the honor of participating, a fundamental question was raised: how can training providers rethink profitability in a context where public funding is becoming increasingly scarce?

This issue is particularly relevant in our sector, where the decline of traditional public funding programs (OPCO, CPF, apprenticeships, etc.) threatens to push businesses away from investing in employee training. Yet, we know that today, more than ever, a company’s skillset is an incredibly powerful competitive advantage.

“Choosing today to limit—or even freeze—training budgets or any other competency development initiatives within a company is ensuring a decline in employee performance and motivation tomorrow. The consequences are well known : higher turnover rates, increased costs for onboarding new employees, deterioration of workplace culture, and ultimately, a drop in overall company performance.”

Of course, financial considerations remain central. The current optimization strategy involves moving beyond reliance on a single funding source and instead seeking co-financing or alternative funding opportunities. WiSP continuously monitors these options to provide the best possible support to our clients.

The Reality: The Wine Industry’s Needs Have Changed

Companies in the wine industry—whether in production, distribution, or marketing—have unique needs that are not always adequately addressed. Just as a winemaker carefully selects grape varieties suited to their terroir, businesses need tailored solutions that align with their realities.

Our conversations with industry professionals have highlighted a strong demand: businesses today need more than just training. Employers now view training providers as resource partners—organizations that understand both the company’s environment and the various training and funding mechanisms available.

As a result, they expect a more comprehensive level of support, including:

• Job preparation
• Clearly defining competency needs and how to leverage them
• Adapting to market shifts
• Conducting performance diagnostics on these issues

This is especially relevant in the wine industry, which is facing a deep crisis.

In response, WiSP has expanded its scope of action to become a key player in the transformation of skills development within the wine sector.

Our Mission: Rethinking Support for Wine Industry Businesses

At WiSP, we see crises as a source of inspiration. Diversifying our activities is essential to deepening our commitment to the industry. This is why we are evolving from a traditional training provider to a full-scale advisory partner in skills management.

Our goal is to be the skills partner for wine and spirits companies and major players in distribution.

Today, our activities focus on three key areas:

1. Corporate Training

We offer both catalog training courses, organized as inter-company sessions throughout the year, and customized in-house training programs. We design fully personalized learning pathways tailored to real-world industry needs, including:

• Job-specific training
• Awareness programs
• Commercial training

Each company and industry player has different needs. Our mission is to help them define their training projects and bring them to life.

2. Strategic Consulting

We help companies capitalize on and enhance their internal competencies.

This typically involves:

• Conducting a skills audit
• Defining competency requirements
• Developing an effective skills plan
• Providing financial guidance on training investments
• Creating engaging learning solutions for employees
• Measuring the effectiveness of training programs

Our dual expertise in wine industry dynamics and training allows us to deliver tailored solutions that align with business realities, regardless of company size or resources.

3. Digital Content Creation & Publishing

For companies looking to train or educate employees internally, we develop a wide range of digital content on topics related to the wine industry and business operations.

Our services include:

• Digitizing existing training materials
• Producing new content on industry trends via our expert community
• Leveraging technological and pedagogical innovations to enrich the learning experience
• Creating easily deployable training modules within businesses

Beyond training, these digital resources also serve as internal communication tools, enhancing employer branding.

WiSP: Driving Innovation in Wine Industry Training

WiSP’s new holistic approach to skills development mirrors the strategic transformation that businesses must undertake to go beyond mere resilience in today’s challenging climate.

A well-defined competency strategy is now a critical factor for business success in the wine industry.

We aim to support organizations that share this vision and, more importantly, to convince those who have yet to take this step, as we firmly believe it is the only way forward for the industry’s success.

Fanny Darrieussecq
Founder of WiSP