We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jon’ll Boyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jon’ll, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
Boyd Cru Wines was conceived out of a desire to honor the legacy of our roots and ancestry that has come before us as well as the lineage of our family through our two sons, their children they will have some day and their grandchildren that will come after them as well as the extension of our community. Matthew and Jon’ll both grew up around entrepreneurship as well as with parents and grandparents who believed in serving and impacting the community. Matthew’s grandfather owned multiple plots of land and property in Indianapolis, IN at a time when that was certainly not the norm for African Americans. Jon’ll’s grandmother simultaneously was running of the first and largest chains of hair salons for women of color, Ruffin Stages which was later changed to Hair In Stages. As the old saying goes “representation matters” and although when considering entering the wine industry and starting our own winery we noticed there was a lack of diversity, it was the innovation and history of what our ancestors were able to accomplish and what they stood for that gave us the faith and the courage to move forward and launch our wine company just this April 2023. Our ultimate goal is to own and operate a stand alone vineyard with a community marketplace and incubator for entrepreneurs and small businesses who are just starting their business. We want them to have the community, support and a place where they can call home to their new business until they are ready to branch out into their own brick and mortar just like we did. It’s the foundation that’s most important when it comes to building for the future. Our legacy will be one of community, culture and connection.
Jon’ll, 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?
Boyd Cru Wines is a Black family owned wine company that believes wine is a common language and speaks to each person differently. We believe in making wines that are locally grown with sustainable practices in Maryland. Our wines are approachable, vibrant, joyful, and liberating. Our wines also build community and tell a story. Our tagline is Boyd Cru Wines: Sip Outside The Lines. The quality of our wine comes from bridging the traditional grape to bottle method using locally grown vinifera grapes with the winemaking practice of blending varietals in a non-traditional way.
We offer a full range of fun yet inspiring experiences paired with our wines such as a self-care and workout experience, Women That Work and Wine which was launched in 2021 which allows women to embrace self care while exploring wine. We will also be offering future experiences such as Wisdom, Words, and Wine, which is a book author expo where authors will share about their latest book release and each book will be paired with a wine that reflects the mood and expression of their book and our Legacy Boyd Cru Wine Club is on the horizon which offers our members special incentives and exclusive invitations.
Boyd Cru Wines is unique because it is the first Black family owned wine company in Maryland. We are also one of the few wine companies that is taking a nontraditional approach to wines where we focus on the varietal of the wine and the authenticity, the creativity, and the blending of wines. We want our customers to be met with an experience when purchasing or tasting a bottle of Boyd Cru Wine. It’s not just about the wine. It’s about the complete experience.
Vision: The Cru in Boyd Cru Wines means growth. The impetus to start our wine journey which led to Boyd Cru Wines came in the middle of the pandemic after losing two loved ones suddenly and way too soon, my husband’s mother and my nephew. This made us realize that life is short and that now is the time to really follow our dreams as a family and build community and connection that became so sorely missed during the pandemic . Out of a desire to step out on faith and grow through our experiences with wine and how it has always been a part of our most memorable life’s moments, our journey with owning a wine business began. Our mission statement is at the center of our company, our customers and our employees is GROWTH. Values: We are committed to G-Growth, R-Respect, O-Ownership, W-Warmth, T-Transparency, H-Heart.
Mission: WINE TO TABLE To cultivate the richness of the vine and the story of the wine, from each grape to each bottle to each table. POWER OF COMMUNITY Bringing people together through refined wines to tell a story and curated events that cultivate memories. PEOPLE Boyd Cru Wines will not only feel like a place where people feel at home, but we also want it to tie back into the community that it serves. Let’s grow together.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When it comes to entering the wine industry especially as a winery or wine company, there is no secret that this a very high capital industry. The average cost to start a estate winery and vineyard is $1Million + including, land, equipment, vine planting, etc. Upon researching all of the start up costs, we were concerned about how to financially support this dream and vision of ours without running out of money before we could see a return on investment. Wine if sourcing and producing from grape to bottle a life cycle of at least 6-8 months of pre-planning before you ever see the finished product. We started off by self funding the business. Taking money out of our own savings and 401k and then quickly started researching opportunities to receive seed money through pitch competitions, grants and venture capital. Receiving a number of these opportunities is what ultimately bridged the gap for us between pre-startup phase to start up. Thus far we’ve been awarded a total of $36,000 and are continuing to apply towards additional programs to help get over the start up hump and plan for doubling production in our 2nd and 3rd year as a company.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
Making the decision to source all of our grapes as well as produce and manufacture our wine local to Maryland was very much intentional. Maryland has not been as known for their wines and vineyards as it’s counterpart right across the bridge, Virginia. However Maryland has a growing wine scene that is on the rise and many of the wineries and vineyards are producing quality wines. We hope with the addition of Boyd Cru Wines that we continue to enhance that. Manufacturing a product requires attention to a lot of details from the type of bottle selected, the labels, whether the bottle will receive a screw top cap or a cork. This is where working with good quality partnerships really helps. They are able to guide you along the way as well as ward off mistakes sometimes before they happen. We highly recommend doing your homework first about what you are looking for in a manufacturer partner and making sure your goals align will make things go smoother and create a win-win for all parties involved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boydcruwines.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boydcruwines/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boydcruwines
Image Credits
Amber Iris Photos ShootHer Productions