In this episode, host Carol Collison talks with Janie Heuck, who is Managing Director of her late brother Jimi Brooks’ eponymous wine company, based in the Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This wine company’s history tells the unique story of the collaborative nature of the wine industry. Janie stepped in when her brother died tragically in the midst of harvest in 2004. With the help of Jimi’s friends in the winemaking community Janie got through harvest and then carried forward her brother’s legacy, growing the business into the success it is today. Carol and Janie talk about her latest creation, a DTC sales network called “The Atlas Collective”, through which a group of wineries based in different appellations across the country are building a cross-referral network where each winery’s club members are treated like their own in affiliated tasting rooms. 

https://www.brookswine.com/

https://www.wineatlascollective.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

It can be done.  Learn from one of Napa Valley’s greats about how he started his winery – V. Sattui - in the ‘70’s with a shoestring budget and built a business so profitable he was able to construct a 150,000 square foot medieval Italian castle with the proceeds.  In this interview, Carol and Dario outline the keys to his success: focus on sales, control costs, and plan for catastrophes.  Small Fortune Podcast listeners really shouldn’t miss this one.

https://www.vsattui.com/

https://castellodiamorosa.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

In addition to being an experienced manager of hospitality teams, Alysha Lee is a great storyteller. She and host Carol Collison discuss important management issues illustrated though Alysha’s tales from the trenches of modern luxury hospitality management. At Montage Resorts, she learned about creating memorable experiences and customer relationship management before the advent of CRM systems. At the Hillstone Restaurant Group she learned about how to run a hospitality business and manage to a profit and loss statement. At Far Niente she learned to manage transitions from family ownership to corporate ownership, which she has implemented with her recent move to Joseph Phelps Vineyards (now owned by LVMH) where she is Senior Director of Direct to Consumer and Hospitality. Enjoy this tale of an amazing professional journey.

https://www.josephphelps.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Listen and learn from an expert. John Glazewski, Director of Distributor Partnerships at one of the largest wine companies in the world, shares his wisdom on how to succeed in distribution, which can be summarized as follows: Show Up. Hear his advice on strategies for choosing the right market and distributor; how to engage with your distributor to obtain maximum performance in their market; the importance of distributor depletion, inventory and accounts sold reporting; and leveraging wine club customer relationships to maximum effect in wholesale markets.

https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en

[email protected]

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

John Gillespie and host Carol Collison discuss his most recent market report, “Wine in Decline,” which queries non or low- consumers of alcoholic beverages about how their perceptions may be affecting wine sales. The survey results are fascinating, and the conversation centers on the evidence from this research that some consumers view wine as too expensive or not a good value. For example, the survey found that “Wine drinkers who are drinking wine less frequently cited the rising prices of wine significantly more often that beer or spirits drinkers.”

John Gillespie was the founding Director of the Wine Market Council; a trade organization formed in 1995 by the wine industry to answer the question of wine demand and consumer preferences after an earlier period of sales growth challenges. He has been in private practice as a market researcher through his firm Wine Opinions since 2005.

https://wineopinions.com/

to request a report, please email [email protected]

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

In this episode, host Carol Collison speaks with Ori Katz, Partner in the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice at the law firm Sheppard Mullin about when and how business owners should approach their creditors when their financial situation is deteriorating. Topics include: the importance of having a clear understanding of your financial situation; how lenders think about their risks and how that affects you; and when it’s time to speak with a professional advisor. The conversation also includes the differences between such legal options as Assignment for the Protection of Creditors, Receiverships, and Bankruptcy.

https://www.sheppardmullin.com/okatz

https://www.sheppardmullin.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

BMO Managing Director Mario Zepponi, a leading Merger and Acquisitions advisor and podcast host Carol Collison, also an M&A Advisor, recap the deal market in the two years since Mario was last on the podcast (Ep: 7, October ’23.)  Topics of discussion include how the decline in consumer wine demand has affected transactions, changes in the buyer set, valuations, what types of transactions may be seen in the future and more.

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

In this episode, fellow Berkeley Haas School MBAs and podcasters (!) Carol Collison and Mike Chaput discuss Mike’s journey to establishing his successful, high-growth IT services company, Endsight. Mike outlines concepts in technology, including how agentic AI might be used by wineries to increase DTC sales and operational efficiency. The conversation also includes the experience and lessons Mike learned through an early bankruptcy that led to his current business success. Some key management ideas Mike outlines include how vision, values and motives work to create a company culture that leads to growth.

https://www.endsight.net/ 

https://www.endsight.net/development/webinar

https://www.endsight.net/sec/cybersecurity/office/hours

https://www.youtube.com/@thechaputperspective

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Randi Bural is a Senior VP at AgWest Farm Credit based in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. The Farm Credit system is an enterprise founded over 100 years ago by the Federal government to support American agriculture. Because of their mandate they are not going to exit the wine industry, unlike some commercial lenders during tough times. Carol and Randi discuss a variety of topics in current wine finance including how lenders manage lending relationships when a borrower faces financial difficulties, strategies that borrowers are taking to get through the current industry downturn, exiting the wine business and more.

https://www.agwestfc.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

The Small Fortune Podcast is about entrepreneurship, the wine business, and the ecosystem of companies that support it. Today’s interview covers them all. Concepts about start-ups such as “minimally viable product.” How wineries should think about sales channels and distribution. And how LibDib works for wineries as an e-commerce distribution platform. This podcast is a banger if you’re into entrepreneurship, the wine business, or both.

https://libdib.com/

https://www.xchateau.com/always-have-distribution-w-cheryl-durzy-libdib/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran