AgCode Customers
At AgCode, we have been customer driven since our inception in 2003. Our growers have always been the inspiration behind each piece of our software, and our service. Learn more about a handful of our customers and their AgCode experiences below.
Customer Spotlight: Meet DAOU Family Vineyards
With winemaker and proprietor Daniel Daou and his brother Georges at the helm, this AgCode customer is shaking up the Paso Robles wine scene. Check out Daniel’s conversation with our Chief Commercial Officer Lance Donny and learn more about their software experience below.
An AgCode customer since 2020, DAOU Vineyards is a trailblazer in the Paso Robles wine industry, nestled among the region’s rolling hills and founded by brothers Georges and Daniel Daou. Both former engineers and creators of a software company before joining the world of winemaking, they combine their technical experience with passion when creating the wines they’re now known for.
Daniel is also the company’s winemaker, and turned to AgCode when DAOU needed to keep up with their expanding acreage. Storing historical data in a unified, smart system was key for the company who had previously relied on spreadsheets for tracking purposes.
“When we look for a solution, we look for the pain point — what are we trying to alleviate?” says Daniel. “In [AgCode’s] case, it was easy. You were able to alleviate all of our paint points after having grown to 230 acres from 20 to start with. Clearly the spreadsheets weren’t cutting it anymore, and the system was able to alleviate the pain points very well.”
DAOU Mountain’s unique landscape also plays a role in how the team uses AgCode. Assistant Vineyard Manager Chris Lojacono noted that the block costing capabilities in the software have been critical. “With our terrain and terroir that’s not flat land, you can’t assume that every block is the same to maintain and that our P&L is the same,” he says. “We’re able to see block by block what it’s costing, and I don’t have to do that myself. I can break it down by varietal and see what varietals are costing per acre to farm. We see our profits by block and by varietal — that makes it so much easier. That helps everyone.”
The team utilizes everything from scouting features to equipment tracking, mapping tools and budgeting. “I absolutely love the cost tracking that we can use for our budgeting,” adds Chris. “That’s huge for us. In the past, I’ve had to get our actuals from the accounting office and put together a budget myself. Having all of the data, time sheets, wages and everything in there and being able to export a file and take a look at it — it makes my life so much easier for budgeting.”
Beyond a shared passion for agriculture and technology, both DAOU and AgCode are relationship-driven, which has been pivotal in working together seamlessly. It is also at the core of Daniel and Georges’s approach to business.
“My brother loves to say that we are a people company in the wine industry,” says Daniel. “We look at things differently. Our people play a huge role in this winery — we would not be here without our people.”
Our Chief Commercial Officer Lance Donny was able to sit down with Daniel Daou for a conversation on winemaking, the Paso Robles region, and technology at DAOU’s estate. Play the video above to discover their captivating discussion.
Want to learn more about DAOU Vineyards? Click here to explore their website.
Don’t just take our word for it.
Hear from a handful of growers on how they’ve used AgCode to improve their operations.