Raen Winery

The Monarch tractor is the first fully electric, driver-optional smart tractor, developed by a team of farmers, experts and engineers; the project is a result of the work of four co-founders, including Carlo Mondavi and Mark Schwager (known for designing Tesla’s Nevada-based warehouse). As chief farming officer, Carlo has utilized generational knowledge and first-hand experience from nearly 10 years running Raen, the Pinot Noir house he and his brother, Dante, founded in 2013. “My grandfather’s generation didn’t understand microbiology as well and needed to understand the science,” he explains. “My father, Tim, was the greatest mentor for technical winemaking. Now, our generation needs to take care of the farming.” The Monarch tractor is the first to use AI and smart screen technology to provide live video feeds, weather information, automatic field scouting, root to fruit analysis and more. Compact and lightweight, it can run continuously by swapping out its two battery packs; one operator can control an entire fleet of the autonomous tractors. However, fossil fuels are still the leading source of electricity generation in the U.S., and there is no silver bullet for fighting climate change; it will require experimentation and innovation from across disciplines—from politicians to scientists, attorneys to economists. “Biodiversity is collapsing across the world,” Carlo laments. “We have to get away from burning hydrocarbons. Our science has been very capitalistic. We need to change that basic premise.” The Monarch tractor debuted in Raen’s Royal St. Robert and Bodega vineyards in 2021. What is most compelling about this project is that it answers perhaps the most critical question facing the world today: How can we make sustainable farming economically superior to conventional farming? The Monarch tractor was designed to fit into the existing farming ecosystem to incentivize its adoption in any type of agriculture. Small tractors perform the bulk of tasks on most farms, a sort of Swiss Army knife of farming. Like automobiles and the push to incentivize electric vehicles, we must find ways to make clean energy easy and affordable to a wide audience. “Fuel and labor are two of the biggest expenses for a farmer, and an annual diesel bill often runs to $150,000,” Carlo explains. “How do you get farmers to invest in clean technology? We have to find a way to make sustainable farming superior to conventional farming. The economic and carbon footprint divide has always been in favor of conventional, versus methods that protect the soil microbiome. Monarch allows us to do both. We can now power our farm with the same energy that grows our crops.” The Mondavis also hope the Monarch tractor will appeal to a younger generation of farmers for whom climate change is an urgent challenge. They are entirely assembled in California, and recently Monarch received a $20 million investment from CNH, a global equipment company. “We have the tools that we need to implement, and we know what to do,” Carlo emphasizes. “The question is, will humanity do it?”

Robert Mondavi winery, founded in 1966, is synonymous with high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley; Mondavi’s descendants have continued as grape growers and winemakers, going on the found other famous wineries like Opus One and Continuum. In 2013, his grandsons Carlo and Dante took a slightly different path, founding their Raen brand to focus on high-quality Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. “In many ways, people think of us for Cabernet,” Carlo says of the Mondavi family. “But Pinot Noir was something that my dad, Tim, loved — he was so obsessed with it.” Nearly a decade into their project, the brand has continued to evolve with a focus on sustainable farming. Vineyards are farmed using organic and biodynamic methods, and recently a full-time viticulturist was hired. In the winery, associate winemaker Melanie McIntyre has increased and fine-tuned quality winemaking techniques. “When we build a winery, I want it to be fully renewable, without any fossil fuel connections,” Carlo says. “I consider that a permaculture — a permanent culture, a self-sustaining culture.” He goes on to note that production “ebbs and flows severely,” depending on the conditions of the vintage. Around 2,000-2,500 cases are made each year. Despite being such a small brand, Raen’s influence is outsized. Carlo has become a leading voice for sustainable, organic and regenerative farming practices in California and beyond. As the Mondavi family celebrates 100 years of viticulture, he uses his platform to speak openly, and urgently, about the threat of climate change. Most compellingly, the Mondavi brothers have taken a practical rather than simply ideological approach, asking the critical question: how can we make sustainable farming economically superior to conventional farming? Enter the Monarch tractor, the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional smart tractor. “Biodiversity is collapsing across the world,” Carlo laments. “We have to get away from burning hydrocarbons. How can we farm at a high level while protecting our planet? Our science has been very capitalistic. We need to change that basic premise.”