We were lucky to catch up with Emily Dockery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is developing the Michigan Wine Collaborative. I was brought on board this organization at the very beginning while it was a clean slate and full of opportunity. We started with introducing the organization, purpose, and goals to the Michigan wine industry and worked from there to gain buy in from growers, wineries, educational institutions, suppliers, and more. Once a stronger foundation was built we were able to focus on more fundamental and essential projects geared toward strengthening and expanding the Michigan grape and wine industries. Some of the most inspiring projects we have curated, launched, and executed include those which focus on sustainability, workforce development, marketing and promotion, and inclusion, diversity, and expansion efforts. These areas of focus has proven to be fruitful as well as fufilling, both professionally and personally.

Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started out in the wine industry first as a cashier and assistant in a small, boutique wine shop. A couple years later I advanced to a wine buyer for a market in Kalamazoo. My plan was to work there while I continued working on my degree in International Studies. Once I graduated from Kalamazoo Valley Community College I began considering a career change. I was passionate about wine but felt as though I was outgrowing my current position. I was made aware of the Wine Technology program at Lake Michigan College while doing an in-store tasting with one of my favorite local wineries. While discussing this new program at Lake Michigan College I became inspired to continue on my path in wine. I applied to the program that evening and was accepting shortly after. The program provided a very intensive and hands-on education focused on grape growing, winemaking, and wine business. When I graduated the program, I was trying to decide on which specialty to devote further training to. I worked in a vineyard in Lawton, Michigan for some time after deciding that winemaking wasn’t for me. After my time in the vineyard, I also came to the conclusion a career in agriculture might not be the right fit either. Around this time, a new statewide Michigan wine nonprofit was forming. The Michigan Wine Collaborative was the brainchild of a group of like-minded winemakers, grape growers, and industry affiliates who saw a need to form a group to counteract the impending dissolution of the government-funded organization, the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. My unique set of skills, including wine sales, global wine knowledge, marketing, graphic design, social media management, winemaking, grape growing, and general knowledge and passion for Michigan wine made this organization and position as project director seem like a perfect fit. And it ended up being just that. In November 2017 I was offered the position within the Michigan Wine Collaborative as the sole employee and Project Director of the organization. Myself, the board of directors, and membership hit the ground running and worked together to build up the organization as well as solidify our mission to enhance the profitability and sustainability of the Michigan wine industry. In 2018 the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council was officially converted to the Michigan Craft Beverage Council, and the work of the Michigan Wine Collaborative became even more important, and our initiatives ramped up. I eventually was promoted to the Executive Director of the organization and have been able to work on so many fulfilling and valuable projects which have positively impacted the Michigan wine industry as well as myself personally and professionally. During my work with the Michigan Wine Collaborative, I also decided to launch my own consulting and marketing firm, winemi. This firm specializes in working with Michigan wine and grape businesses as well as small business, especially those women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ owned. I diversify my work specialties by offering services with winemi such as social media management, consulting, marketing project management, graphic design, media production, promotional projects, public relations, problem-solving, grant management, and more. Being able to work in other industries and with additional projects has allowed me to refine my skills but also keep from becoming stagnant in my creative and professional processes.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Developing marketing campaigns and projects during quarantine for the Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC) really allowed me a creative outlet as well as a connection to the outside world, even if just digitally or virtually. Coming up with social media campaigns from the concept and purpose all the way to the design was very fulfilling during a pretty dark time. A couple of my favorite campaigns include the #MaskedUpMIWine campaign and the #MichiganWineMonthChallenge. #MaskedUpMIWine was a campaign with the purpose of encouraging safe practices among Michigan wineries and included MWC member wineries providing us with photos of their team masked up in the tasting rooms. This campaign also encourage wine lovers to continue to support the wineries by visiting tasting room while exercising safety precautions to combat the COVID-19 crisis but also consider ordering online and utilizing curbside pick up. I found that collecting the photos from the wineries raised moral a bit and gave the wineries fun thing to participate in while still being quite isolated. The #MichiganWineMonthChallenge was a campaign where the wineries donated experiences which MWC followers had the opportunity to bid on in order to raise money for The Michigan Hospitality Employee Relief Fund. The relief fund was created by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association to provide grants to the state’s hospitality industry employees who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. All proceeds from the auction went to hospitality employees who were affected by closures due to COVID-19. We were able to raise $10,000 for the fund. These creative and dynamic campaigns gave me purpose while also allowing me to exercise my creativity by designing logos, copy, posts, and more.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think my dedication, commitment, approachability, and inclusiveness has helped build my reputation within my market and among the wine industry. Wine people tend to be able to display a great amount of passion for their craft and I am no different. This skill is recognized and appreciated by fellow wine professionals. This passion drives my dedication and commitment and reinforces that in others so we are able to pour into each other and build up the industry together. Additionally, I have a tendency to be a little less formal than some other people in the wine industry. I think that casual approach makes people feel comfortable approaching me with ideas, conflicts, and mentorship. I love being able to provide support to my colleagues and calling that favor back in when I need support on my end. And the wine industry never lets me down. I also value being inclusive as a way to include more people by providing a safe space to discuss, learn, and enhance their experience in wine. I want to be able to be a bridge between the idea of enjoying wine and the possibility of wine being a career. I hope I can continue to cultivate an aura of being inclusive and approachable so I can be a part of being more people into the wine industry and making new friends and wine legends for the state of Michigan.   

Contact Info:

• Website: michiganwinecollaborative.com
• Instagram: @wineemi_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-dockery-118306153/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Winenotemi