We were lucky to catch up with Martha Cisneros Paja recently and have shared our conversation below.

Martha, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I am a multifaceted woman breaking barriers both in technology and in wine.
In the wine industry, I created the first global education company focused on providing education to Latinas about wine. On the other hand, as a wine educator for private markets, I often hear that seeing a Latina Sommelier is refreshing. There are not many, and on top of that, we are paid less. The beverage and alcohol industry is intimidating for women and minorities, and education is often the core of all.
I wish many more Latinas were taking WSET diplomas or Sommeliers, but the opportunities are simply not there yet or are so difficult to reach. It has been so challenging not only for professionals but also for consumers to break barriers that Latinas only drink sweet wines, perhaps for some generations, but nowadays, that is changing. Even the non-alcoholic drinkers are interested in sustainability, sourcing of their beverage and many more nuances that the industry doesn’t understand yet.

Martha, 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?

Martha Cisneros Paja, I am a tech professional passionate about wine, diversity, and inclusion. I’ve been working in the tech industry for over 15 years as an Engineer and Project Manager.

From Tech to Wine
My journey into the world of wine began in college, where I was affectionately nicknamed “WineDivaa” by my friends. I am the author of Mexican Wines: A Guide to Fall in Love with the Wines of Mexico. I am the writer behind Winedivaa.com, which reaches out to 7000 readers monthly. I am also the founder of Latinas Wine Club Inc., and our mission is to educate, Empower, and Elevate through wine. I founded the Latinas Wine Club corporation to share wine knowlege to consumers and early career professionals. I’ve since become a recognized voice in the wine industry, advocating for diversity and representation. In 2023, I was honored to be named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 leaders.

Fusing Technology and Wine
I’m passionate about using technology to innovate and improve the wine industry. I founded Latinas Wine Club, an edtech startup that aims to empower Latinas in the wine world. I also leverage my technical skills to create content and tools that educate and engage wine enthusiasts.

A Commitment to Community
I’m dedicated to giving back to the community and promoting diversity and inclusion. I’ve served as a mentor for the Black and Latino Tech Initiative at Rutgers University and actively participate in other organizations that support diversity and inclussion.

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

WineDivaa.com is my most successful writing endeavor, but I’ve been writing online since I first connected to the Internet. It all started with a blog on Blogger and eventually expanded into various online forums. I’ve always been passionate about connecting with others through stories. Through a writer’s circle in New York City, I met a friend, and together we created “Las Neoyorquinas.” It was an exciting blog during the early days of Instagram in the 2010s, and it gained a lot of traction. However, my co-founder felt that I was putting too much pressure on her with the writing deadlines, which ultimately led to close our endeavor due to copyright issues. As a result, I had to close the blog and let go of something that had been very special to me.

After that experience, I had to start over again. I trusted another partner in Latinas Wine Club, but she also left after a year and a half of working together. It felt like a divorce, and I wasn’t ready to go through that again. I had to pivot. While she was the one teaching our audience, I focused on operations. In the end, I knew I had to leverage my knowledge, trust my instincts and the community, and start dictating classes about wine while also preparing for my Sommelier exam. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow, take the lead and do it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I put a lot of care and passion into my captions. My pictures are ok but the power of the written word is something that I value more and more and my audience knows. I am the most authentic self on the captions. We can all see different things through photos and graphics but words are unique, ideas are yours and really craft a message that resonates with your audience by sharing your most authentic self.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://winedivaa.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/winedivaa
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/winedivaa
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/marthacisneros
• Twitter: https://x.com/winedivaa

Image Credits

Ryan McCall and Mariela Rea