A Case Study: You CAN Start Small

After a great career as a helicopter pilot in the Army, June Ritterbusch landed in Salado, Texas.  Upon evaluating the market and the busy tourist industry that Salado commands, she set her sight on becoming a winery owner in 2003.  She purchased land in 2004 and planted a vineyard in 2005. That same year, she opened a Salado Wine Seller & Salado Winery, selling a variety of Texas wines.  In 2006, they had their first harvest.

That year, she sent her grapes to a friend’s winery, where they produced wine using her grapes.  She continued this process through 2009.  In 2008, she purchased a larger winery in anticipation of producing her own wine soon.  Customers were demanding it. They wanted a wine that was made by her winery using her own grapes. June said “The customers kind of felt cheated not being able to buy a wine made by this winery.”

Situation:
June was selling other Texas wines, but she wanted to be a real winemaker and winery. Harvests yielded limited fruit these years. Purchasing the winery equipment was far out of reach due to limited funds and by 2008, banks were tight with their business loans. People wanted her wine, not someone else’s wine made from her grapes. Sales grew during these years, 2006-2009, but were flattening out.. By February 2010, business was way down and June was really starting to reconsider the path she had chosen.

Looking at the dismal future ahead, June met up with Bill Skrapits of Premier Wine Blends, who she had gotten to know over the last few years at classes and other wine related events.  She confided in him, expecting no solution and that perhaps she was ready to call it quits.  But that was not in the cards for June.  Instead, Bill proposed she work with him to get her winery where she wanted it to be.

Solution:
Premier Wine Blends soon brought in winemaking equipment for low volume, custom lot, blending one barrel at a time. Her fruit was harvested in the fall of 2010 and brought into the winery for crush.  Bulk wine matching her fruit was also purchased and a custom wine blend was produced. The 2010 wine will be completely bottled soon and available for sale this holiday season.

Outcome:
In less than one year, she went from no production to a 500 case winery. The first wine released from last year’s fruit, sold four times the normal weekly sales of similar wines and Salado Winery is anticipating a great holiday season.  Customers are excited about her new wine and sales show they are buying. She expects to continue on a path of slow growth, while upgrading some equipment each year of production flow.

Results:
By finally reaching out for assistance, she stayed in business, is now bottling her own wine and is excited about the future. She realized that you don’t need that huge production investment that seemed far out of reach to get started.  You can start small, partner up with others and there can be bountiful gains.

From June:
“I’ve always been afraid to allow others in. I had to be very financially stretched to get to the point of asking for help. If I had just done this a year ago, then I would be that much further ahead. This experience has opened up a new way of thinking. Fabulous things happen with I work with others.”

Premier Wine Blends:  Creating new possibilities for small wineries.
What problem do you have that seems too big?

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(because you’re not a Napa winery!)

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About Bill Skrapits

Bill’s roots in wine go back to his grandparents who had a vineyard and made wine in Hungary. Living in Germany, France and Spain, Bill began his love affair with wine and came to know it as a part of life. Wine was not saved for special occasions, but was something that you shared with friends and family amidst love and laughter. He began making his own wine 20 years ago and since 2002, he’s marketed and lobbied for the growing Texas wine industry; publishing numerous articles and winning international awards for his wine. He’s worked with many Texas wineries at every stage of production and studied under several respected wine masters and leaders in the industry. He started Premier Wine Blends in 2009 as a way to share his passion for wine with other winemakers and be the “go to” resource for the growing needs of vineyards and small wineries, from premium bulk wine, grape sourcing and consulting.
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2 Responses to A Case Study: You CAN Start Small

  1. blender says:

    I just ran across this blog by another woman who made her dream of becoming a winemaker come true. If wine is your passion and you have the drive to go after what you want, there is always a way! http://bit.ly/pXap3I

  2. Deborah says:

    Great case to be made for thinking outside the box, especially in this economy, and lessons for anyone who is passionate about their path, but needs a boost over the obstacles.

    Congratulations on a successful outcome!

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