We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Burley Tuggle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Burley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Traditionally, drinking fine wine has been associated with refined culture, wealth and snobbery. My company’s mission is to demystify traditional wine culture and make it accessible to all by providing fun wine tasting events and affordable products and services.

I teach guests how to taste, evaluate and appreciate wine. As a woman of color in the wine industry, I have a unique perspective and an unorthodox presentation style. At first some guests are often surprised by my extensive wine knowledge, but by the end of the wine tasting they’re excited and always say that they learned alot.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an entrepreneur and wine educator who has studied all aspects of wine, including wine tasting, production, sales, and service, at such prestigious schools as the International Culinary Center (ICC) (formerly known as the French Culinary Institute), the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). My professional wine credentials include Intermediate and Advanced Certifications from the London-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), successful completion of the Introductory Sommelier Course conducted by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and I’m also a graduate of the 2021 Intensive Sommelier Training Program at ICE. In addition, I’m an independent Wine Consultant with the Flow Wine Group and a Wine Ambassador for The Boisset Collection and VeroVino.

I’m also the owner of Divino Enterprises, LLC, a New Jersey-based wine tasting education and consulting company, founded in November 2009. Divino Enterprises is the parent company of the Sipper’s Delight Wine Tasting Social Club, a wine tasting and networking group for wine lovers in New York and New Jersey. Divino Enterprises and Sipper’s Delight are focused on teaching the “Art of Wine Tasting” and bringing wine culture to the urban community.

From 2012-2019, I further expanded my business as a founding partner of the Artisan Collective, a partnership which I formed with four artist friends. Monthly wine-tasting social gatherings, wine accessories and apparel were an integral part of the Halsey Street shop, whose clientele grew to more than 1,000 loyal customers since opening in April 2012. These features have carried over to the Divino Wine Tasting Room, Eatery and Lounge, which I officially opened in downtown Newark, NJ, in November 2019.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I raised the intial capital to start my business by doing what many entrepreneurs do, using a mix of savings, credit cards and loans. I also happened to have a full-time job that paid well and offered great benefits, including personal days off and four weeks of paid vacation (time which I utilized to invest in my business). I also applied for working capital loans, equipment financing loans and small business grants.

I remember applying for my LLC online using Legal Zoom. I was so excited when I received my ownership certificates, operating agreement and business seal in the mail! Shortly after that, I applied for my business tax ID number from the IRS and opened a business bank account. For the first two years of my business, I did not have a brick and mortar storefront, so I conducted all of my wine tasting events in community spaces, local cafes, restaurants and private homes.

In my third year of business, I formed a legal partnership with four female artist friends and we opened a storefront in downtown Newark called The Artisan Collective. Our business concept was a shared space for four artisans and a wine lover (me)! They utilized the space to showcase and sell their artwares and I used it to conduct monthly wine tasting events and sell wine tasting accessories. We stayed in business together for seven years ( 2012 – 2019). Shortly after closing our doors in June 2019, I opened my own store without partners in Nov 2019.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Opening my own store was a pivotal time in my business, career and life. Five days after the Grand Opening of my business, I was laid off from full-time job of almost 20 years. Four months later, the Coronavirus Pandemic forced me to temporarily shutdown my new store for four months. At that point in time, I was technically unemployed and could not work in my business due to COVID restrictions. As a 47-year-old entrepreneur, I had to figure out how to leverage my unemployment and how to regroup so that I could reopen my business. After 4 months of working odd jobs, including awine store delivery driver, banquet server and a wine maker assistant, I decided to work in my own small business full-time. Luckily I had personal savings to supplement my unemployment income for two years, and I received grants and loans to support my small business during the height of the Pandemic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.divinotastingroom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divino_divine
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divinotastingroomtv
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SippersDelight

Image Credits
Final picture – Sheila Donohue