Celebrating over a decade of innovation, dedication & growth

In 2015, 5forests was founded with a single goal: to help wine sellers navigate the complexities of the digital age. Now, more than ten years later, we’ve become the global wine marketing agency recognized for bridging strategy and execution, delivering measurable results, and empowering our clients to connect meaningfully with their customers.

What started as a small, fully remote team has grown into a global operation, with offices in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Antipodes, and partnerships that span the globe. Over the past decade, we’ve helped wineries of all sizes transform challenges into opportunities, with strategies rooted in empathy, data, and creativity.

As we celebrate this milestone, we remain steadfast in our mission: to help our clients meet today’s demands while building for tomorrow. From inclusive technology to marketing that matters, 5forests is paving the way for the next generation of digital marketing in the wine industry.

To our clients, thank you for making the first ten years unforgettable. Here’s to the journey ahead!

We don’t outsource expertise. We lead with it.

Few agencies can match the depth of wine strategy, marketing, and website expertise we bring to the table. Our leadership team is internationally recognized for shaping how wineries approach digital, DTC, and consumer behavior—through strategic client work, keynote speaking, industry advisory roles, and the frameworks everyone else is now using.

Like you, we enjoy the work that we do, and we don’t want to become managers and administrators with layers of employees between us and our clients. What that means for you is a direct line to the people who are making decisions and driving goals for your brand.

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Polly Hammond

Polly is our Founder and CEO, which means every buck stops with her. As the public face of 5forests, she splits her time between Barcelona, Bordeaux, London, and Napa.

Along with her work for 5forests clients, Polly is the Managing Director of Wine Cellar Door, the oldest winery visitation directory in the UK; and co-founder of Wine Culture Lab, our cultural insights and trend forecasting studio. Her dedication to growing the wine industry led to Polly being named one of 2025’s Wine’s Most Inspiring People and a 2025 Wine Business Leader.

She’s host of over 100 podcasts on the business of wine, including Culture Commerce Wine, Real Business of Wine, and Uncorked for the Italian Wine Podcast. Over the years, she has established herself as a subject matter expert in wine marketing to Millennials and, now, Gen Z.

Polly is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned degrees in International Relations and French. Those studies led to a deep and abiding love affair with Behavioural Economics, and her work is based on insights into all the crazy and irrational reasons consumers engage with brands.

With over 25 years experience in growing successful companies, Polly knows first hand the challenges faced by independent businesses. She approaches each client experience with empathy and understanding for what it takes to adapt and thrive in the real world.

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Michael Bourne

As CTO at 5forests, Michael brings a wealth of expertise in web development, digital strategy, and data analytics to our clients. Overseeing all technological initiatives, Michael ensures our products excel in performance, security, and accessibility.

Highly regarded for his deep understanding of the Commerce7 e-commerce platform, Michael has become a go-to technical expert for wineries around the world. His dedication to excellence drives the ongoing improvement of 5forests’ digital products, like our custom WordPress themes and Enhanced integrations. He also works closely with technology partners to roll out new accessibility features and refine platform functionality.

Michael is an open-source contributor and the creator of the pioneering “Commerce7 for WordPress” plugin, which has simplified Commerce7 integration for over 1000 wineries globally. He actively participates in the WordPress community by organizing local meetups, contributing to WordPress development, and speaking at WordCamp events on topics like SEO, website speed optimization, and web accessibility.

Beyond his technical skills, Michael plays a vital role in driving growth and building strategic partnerships for 5forests. With over 20 years of experience in web development and small business ownership, he combines his expertise with a leadership role that keeps 5forests at the forefront of digital innovation.

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