We recently connected with Chrishon Lampley and have shared our conversation below.
Chrishon , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
It was Christmas morning when a freak flood in the building of the Chicago art gallery and wine bar that I had co-founded just several years prior had destroyed everything. When an insurance loophole didn’t cover the damages, I was forced to shudder the business that I had worked so hard to build. Finding myself back at ground zero, I was in a very dark place; however, I had no choice but to pick myself up and figure out what was next.
I had been running a lifestyle blog and radio show for fun called, Love Cork Screw, where I frequently shared advice and tips on wine, entertaining and relationships. In the aftermath of the flood, it dawned on me that maybe the answer was right in front of me. I had already created a brand. A brand that encompassed all the things that I was passionate about sharing with others.
I had years’ of experience in wine & spirits sales and marketing for a local distribution company. When out in the field, people would always tell me the same thing: they were tired of supporting the big corporate brands. They wanted to support small local wines and spirits with a story and a purpose. At the time, there were some great vineyards that people didn’t know existed in Illinois and in the Midwest in general. And so, I decided to do what everyone told me I could not do. I decided to create my own wine label, which I would call Love Cork Screw. A wine brand that was more than just a wine. A wine brand with a story. A wine brand with purpose. Some people said, “You don’t have a vineyard. How in the world can you do that?” “You didn’t grow up in Napa. How can you do that?” And I said, “Watch me.” I leaned into all the connections I had made over the years. I drove to all the local Midwest vineyards and wineries, introduced myself, told them what I wanted to do, threw myself into the business of wine and haven’t looked back since.
Chrishon , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Chrishon Lampley and I am a black, female Chicago-based negociant, wine enthusiast and founder of Love Cork Screw wines, which I launched in 2013. Since the beginning, I have been on a mission to create approachable wines and wine-inspired products with a story and a purpose behind them. My labels are non-traditional and bold with big block text that captures a mood. On shelf across the country at retailers including Target, Jewel-Osco, Walmart, World Market, Mariano’s, Binny’s, Whole Foods, Meijer, and Total Wine & More, you may recognize some of my most popular wines like, “Good Times Good Friends Pinot Grigio,” “Head Over Heels” Riesling, or “We’re Movin’ On Up” Cabernet Sauvignon.
Being a black female negociant in the traditionally white, male dominated world of wine is a rarity. So rare in fact that less than 1% of wine industry negociants, vineyard and wine owners are black women. This past year, Love Cork Screw wines eclipsed 1 million bottles sold and I became the first African American woman in the Midwest to go national with a wine brand – an achievement that many considered impossible.
As a proud female, black-owned business, I am proof that anything is possible and I am passionate about sharing my story and using this platform in whatever ways I can to help mentor, promote, and advocate for inclusivity and opportunity for women of color in wine and beyond.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My journey as a black, female negociant and wine brand owner has been and uphill battle since the beginning – and if I’m honest, it is still an uphill battle. A decade ago, I made a very conscious decision to dive into an industry that didn’t look like me and I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. I have been mistaken as the promo girl instead of the owner. I have had to adhere to higher standards and stricter conditions regarding sales in-store than other comparable brands, just to maintain shelf position. I have been told no so many times over the years that it would have been easier to just give up and walk away. But I’m not wired that way. I have experienced the loss of a business as a result of circumstances that I could not control and I know what it feels like to lose something that you have put your entire livelihood into. With Love Cork Screw, I refuse to take the easy way out. I can control what I can control, which means working harder than my peers, being a constant student of the industry, learning from my failures, and taking time out to celebrate the small wins in between. It took nine years of blood, sweat and tears to reach my goal of taking Love Cork Screw national. NINE years! But I have stayed the course and kept my head down. I don’t think resilience can be defined as a single act or a single moment. For me, resilience is a daily decision to keep working hard and believing in your purpose, even when the going gets tough.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My motto is to keeping breaking glass ceilings until there are no more to be broken. And the only way to do that is through putting yourself out there. When I started Love Cork Screw, I wanted it to be more than just a wine. To stand for something. What I realized very early on is that people gravitated to me and my story. And that meant that I would become the biggest sales asset. If there’s a wine tasting – I need to be the one there hosting it. If there’s a media interview – I need to be the one telling the Love Cork Screw story. If there’s a meeting with buyer’s, I need to be the one giving the sales pitch. If we want to share something on social media, it needs to come from me. I’m accessible, I’m transparent, I’m real, and I’m not always perfect. I think this combination of accessibility and authenticity has contributed greatly to my reputation with in the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lovecorkscrew.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovecorkscrew/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LCSMusings/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lovecorkscrew/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoveCorkScrew
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSwVs5ITAe4&t=203s
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovecorkscrew
Image Credits
Christian De’Mar