We recently connected with Lizzy Esqueda and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lizzy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us 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.

I moved to Oregon to learn how to make wine in 2013 after working my first Oregon harvest in 2012. I continued to seek out some of my favorite winemakers and worked alongside them as a harvest intern in order to learn as much as possible about making wine. I moved on to becoming the assistant winemaker for a couple of Willamette Valley wineries, and although I was continuing to learn in the cellar from grape to bottle, I felt like there was something missing about all the hard work that happens before winemakers have the fruit in their hands every harvest.
The vineyard stewards are such an integral part of the process- in fact, if we didn’t have these incredibly hardworking people in the vineyard, most wineries would not be able to make the wines that they do, and with such high quality. But why was nobody really mentioning this part? Why was all the attention going to the ‘winemaker’?
There came a moment where I knew I was done working for winemakers, and I wanted to start my own brand making wines that I love, and as a Latina, doing my part to shine a light on the vineyard stewards who over the years, I realized were winemakers as well. It’s now been over a decade that I’ve been making wine in Oregon, and we still have a lot of work to do to honor these talented individuals. They are the reason why I am able to make the wines that I do, and they deserve to be recognized and honored in the industry just as much as anyone else.

Lizzy , 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 lived in New York City for 12 years, working in bars and restaurants and my love for wine came while working at a fine dining restaurant, I was able to try some of the most incredible wines that I likely will never be able to try again! I was fascinated with aged wines we had on the list and how they had evolved over the years in bottle. I decided to start taking classes and entered the WSET program. After working as a sommelier and wine buyer for a few years, I needed something different and wanted to get my hands dirty. I loved Oregon wines, so I applied for a wine harvest position in Oregon. I had never been to Oregon before and had such a great experience, that I decided to go back to Brooklyn, pack my bags, and drive cross country to move to Oregon and learn how to make wine.
I love Oregon. It’s where I was meant to be in this part of my life. After working nearly 10 years for other wineries in Willamette Valley, I decided it was time to step away and start my own little brand. I started Mijita Wine Company in 2021 with the intention of making fun, approachable, fruit-forward wines. I age my wines in neutral barrels, so they don’t show any oak influence and the fruit the vineyard workers have tended to all year round is what shines. Mijita is all about supporting our vineyard stewards, who are such an integral part of the winemaking process. We would not be able to make the wines we do if it weren’t for them. They are the winemakers just as much as we are.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After working for 10 years in Willamette Valley wineries, it was time to start making my own wines that I love to drink and be in a creative, safe space focusing on small-lot winemaking. I knew I wanted to start my own brand, but I needed to completely pivot and find a new career that would be my main source of income and also allow me to run a small business on the side, so I could keep doing what I love.
I had no tech experience but decided to join a tech boot camp the same year I started Mijita Wine Co. That was an intense year; working full-time, grinding at learning how to code at a boot camp, and starting my own small business for the first time.
But I did it! There were times I had doubts, but I pushed through and I did it. I’m now a full-time software developer and keep Mijita manageable so that my hands are on everything- it will always be a one-woman show.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Getting out there and pouring and talking about my wines with the community has created a solid customer base, and they keep showing up and supporting. I often do wine events, and tastings at local wine shops and wine bars where I get to really connect, talk about wine, and answer any questions they have. My favorite part is making sure that everyone feels comfortable and is having a good time. If they want to ask questions and learn more, then I’m super happy to talk about wine. Wine can be intimidating to some folks, so I like to remind people to make sure they’re having fun with it because we’re really just talking about fermented grape juice here.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mijitawineco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijita_wine_co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzyesqueda/

Image Credits

First photo in the green dress in the vineyard posing with wines was taken by:

Ingrid Franz Moriarty