Four Generations of Farming, Built on Innovation
Discover how four generations of the Forbes family have embraced innovation across their viticulture operation, while keeping family values at the heart of the business.
For four generations, the Forbes family has built its farming business on a willingness to, embrace innovation, adapt to market conditions and continually improve the way it operates.
Based near Mildura in north-west Victoria, G. Forbes & Sons is the family farming operation behind Zilzie Wines. Today, approximately 1,700 acres are under vine, with the family managing an integrated operation spanning vineyard management, grape growing and winemaking.
But grapes weren’t always the focus.
“Back in the ’70s we had 500 acres of carrots,” Director Steven Forbes recalls.
Following significant flooding in the early 80’s and changes in the carrot market, the family began transitioning its farming operations towards grape growing.
From there, the vineyards continued to expand, laying the foundations for the substantial viticultural and winemaking business the family operates today.
Steven represents the fourth generation of the Forbes family managing the farming operation, overseeing an extensive vineyard and agricultural machinery fleet, while his brother Andrew leads the winery business.
“From pruning through to harvest, our vineyard operations are managed by our own people,” Steven says. “From grape to bottle, it’s all done by the Forbes family and our employees.”
It’s an approach shaped by a philosophy Steven’s father instilled in him many years ago.
If you get left behind with technology or machinery, you’ll go broke.
That commitment to keeping pace with innovation continues to influence the family’s approach to vineyard management today.
From paper trails to real-time information
Managing a large scale vineyard operation requires coordination, accurate information and effective communication between teams working across multiple locations.
Historically, much of that information was recorded and managed manually.
“We used to have ridiculous paper trails,” Steven says. “There are a lot of tractors operating in different areas.”
G. Forbes & Sons introduced Tabula to improve the collection and management of machinery and vineyard activity data, while creating a more efficient connection between vineyard operations and the office.
The technology has helped streamline the recording and tracking of pruning, harvesting and other vineyard activities, reducing paperwork while improving traceability, reporting and operational oversight.
“We want the whole job monitored and completed. From litres to hectares — all the tracking and paperwork.”
For machinery operators, having access to accurate, real-time information provides greater confidence in where work has been completed and where operations need to resume, particularly during night-time activities.
This helps minimise missed rows, unnecessary repeat applications and operational inefficiencies, while supporting more accurate record-keeping and compliance requirements.
Greater visibility across 1,700 acres
For Steven, one development has made a particularly significant difference to the way vineyard operations are managed.
Tabula Live was the game changer.
With machinery and teams working across different areas of the property, Tabula Live provides a centralised, real-time overview of vineyard activities, allowing Steven and his management team to make more informed decisions around the clock.
“Having real-time visibility of our vineyard operations makes a huge difference. I can see how jobs are progressing, monitor operating speeds and coverage, and use that information to plan the next stage of work more efficiently.”
His assessment?
“Tabula Live is magnificent.”
As the platform has evolved, additional features have further strengthened its value to the business, including the ability to digitally record and communicate potential hazards to machinery operators.
“Tabula Hazards was very handy when it came along. Operators knowing where hazards are enables them to avoid some potentially expensive mistakes.”
For G. Forbes & Sons, these capabilities support not only operational efficiency but also the safety of employees and the protection of valuable machinery and vineyard infrastructure.
Technology evolves. Family values remain.
Despite the scale and sophistication of the operation, G. Forbes & Sons remains firmly grounded in its family values.
Some employees have been part of the business for close to 30 years, reflecting a culture built on loyalty, trust and long-standing relationships.
“Our employees are like family,” Steven says.
That family-oriented approach extends to the way decisions are made and the business is managed.
“You only have to ask one or two people for an answer here. We’re not a corporation.”
For Steven, maintaining strong relationships with suppliers and technology partners is equally important.
“Tabula has been very courteous and astute whenever we have experienced issues,” Steven says. “Having a direct line to Tabula’s technicians for fix-ups has been magnificent.”
Having worked with the platform for several years, Steven has seen firsthand how ongoing product development has delivered improvements to the business.
“We’ve come along with Tabula since day dot and followed along with the updates. From when we first installed Tabula to where it is now, I’d say Tabula is at least 100% better.”
Continuing to innovate for the future
For G. Forbes & Sons, investment in technology and continuous improvement remains an important part of planning for the future.
The business continues to assess opportunities to modernise its machinery fleet, improve operational efficiencies and capture increasingly accurate data to support better vineyard management decisions.
As the Australian wine industry navigates changing market conditions, the Forbes family’s focus remains on building a resilient, efficient and sustainable business for future generations.
“We will be riding the wave of the Australian wine industry.”
From carrots to grapes, paper records to real-time information, and vineyard to bottle, much has changed across four generations of the Forbes family’s farming operations.
But the philosophy passed down from Steven’s father remains as relevant today as ever: embrace technology, keep improving the operation and you won’t get left behind.
What’s next in this series: Discover how solving problems on the ground opened the door to the skies.
