We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Debbie Ray. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Debbie below.

Debbie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?
COVID has changed our business in many ways. The most significant I think is the level of uncertainty creating less predictable forecasting and planning. All businesses experience risk but COVID injected a day to day change in how we needed to respond to customers, our stakeholders and the government. Early on we didn’t know from one day to the next if we could be open and serve wine or if it was “to go” only, or if they could sit inside but with mask and social distancing or not at all. We closed a location that was highly depending on foot traffic because people simply weren’t getting out. If they could, we couldn’t sample wine and after 5 months, we simply had to shut down.

We pivoted and introduced new services such as virtual wine tastings and curbside service. We offer virtual venue tours for our guests. We implemented more stringent cleaning protocols for our onsite cottages in accordance with Airbnb requirements.

Even now two years later, we still experience the unexpected which in turn impacts our business. A spike or new variant can throw customers into fear and altered behavior as a result, sales and bookings reflect that. The Omicron over Christmas and NY caused our cabin bookings to experience 66% cancellations.

Customer commitment has obviously changed. With such an uncertain environment and still debate as to the best approach to this ongoing pandemic, its understandable that couples are more hesitant to book a wedding until they are within months of their date rather than years ahead which has traditionally been the case. So projecting revenues and knowing what your pipeline and cash flow might look like next year is less certain. Visibility is much more short-term.

Our contracts have changed to address this uncertainty: rescheduling, cancellation and refund policies.

Our spaces all have sanitizer and masks still available for the public. We continue to wipe down common surfaces multiple times during events and other protocols.

We have had to place staff on quarantine when exposed or tested positive thereby impacting an already stressed staffing situation. We have had to implement consistent assisted buffets which increases our staff costs to ensure germs are not spread and food handling is limited.

Our supply chain has been impacted and therefore items we used to get, we can no longer get or we must pay for a higher priced substitute. In some cases what we could order and receive in short order we must now project and order weeks ahead because short turnaround times are simply no more. Now inflation has squeezed margins and caused us to evaluate how increased pricing to counter this might affect our revenues.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
We are the third oldest vineyard in Texas having purchased it from the original owner in 2016. We operate a wedding venue, onsite cottage rentals as well as a tasting room that serves wine and food. We are unique in that we offer a combination of offerings that create an experience for our visitors and wedding couples. As a family owned and operated business, we inject a sense of intimacy in our offerings as we are involved in each. My husband and I got into this business in 2013 when we decided to get married and he needed work locally. We found a winery for sale and purchased it. We quickly learned location was key to survival so we sought out another location and landed in Grapevine, Texas! It was divine intervention we believe as we secured a prime spot on main street, sight unseen. We knew the foot traffic was there and we were right! The next 6 years we thrived and consistently ranked #1 winery in Grapevine. In 2016, we received a flyer in the mail for the sale of La Buena Vida Vineyards. We met with the owner who was thrilled to find a couple to carry on the legacy and within months, we were owners of a 50 acre parcel complete with 8 acres of vines. We began plans for the event center and brought in 7 cottages. Officially opening in October 2018, we spent the next three years working diligently to bring Umbra Winery at La Buena Vida Vineyards to life! Now nearly 3.5 years later, we are proud to have received awards for Best of Weddings on The Knot three consecutive years and Best Winery in Parker County. Our couples and guests become family and enjoy a beautiful experience here. We create an environment where memories can be made and milestones celebrated with good wine and great food. We are afterall, La Buena Vida…where the “good life” is meant to be experienced.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Surviving through COVID has been the most challenging experience we have ever had as business owners. As an entrepreneur, you feel you have control over most of your decisions and outcomes to some degree. COVID stripped all of that! We no longer had control over when we could be open, how we could service our customers, how we manage our staff and so much more. Watching revenues decrease and you can do absolutely nothing to challenge it is soul breaking. COVID tested all business owners to think creatively, to pivot to more remote/virtual options. For some, it opened up new channels and opportunities but for businesses that deal with people and count on people being together like bars, restaurants, event venues and more this was an almost insurmountable challenge. Government aid and other measures helped many but the psychological impact is lasting. Everyone is rethinking their future, how they spend their time. Lots of soul searching about your business and what your mission is. Has COVID changed it? In our case, it has made the moments we create for our clients even more precious. Life is short and unpredictable. Let’s make the most of it! So we have a renewed commitment to our level of service and the experiences we help create whether it be a tasting room guest, a wedding couple or a weekend getaway guest.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
We continue to work on this because a reputation is something that has to be continually nurtured. In a social world its easy to feel that you are only as good as your last review! Managing those is extremely key. Responding to bad reviews in a calm and professional manner, offer to make things right, own up to mistakes. I’ve seen some businesses begin to argue with reviewers. It can feel personal because its YOUR business and often customers have no idea what goes into trying to keep all the balls moving. BUT, social media is forever. Venting, berating doesn’t serve you. Similarly dont take good reviews and comments for granted. Be sure to thank everyone who takes the time to leave a kind word, they are golden. Make sure you walk the walk so if you advertise or promote something, be sure you can deliver. Do the extra things because in a world where we have become very robotic and insensitive, customers appreciate when you remember their name, acknowledge their loyalty, make an extra effort to make them feel important. All in all a reputation reflects your values and where you place importance. Guard it with your life because in a world where everyone is competing for the attention of customers, how you treat people and how they felt at your business will stay with them long after a flashy ad or Instagram post will.

Contact Info:

• Website: lbvvweddings.com
• Instagram: la_buena_vida_vineyards and Umbra_Winery
• Facebook: @umbraspringtown
• Linkedin: Umbra Winery at La Buena Vida Vineyards

Image Credits
Shelby Alexis Photography Hannah Way Photography TC Photo and Film