We were lucky to catch up with Mary Anna Ossa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mary Anna, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I started a wine company not knowing how to import or distribute wine. I had been a stay-at-home mom for over ten years and wanted to build something for myself rather than go back to corporate America. I was 43, and like most women, I had this inner voice: There’s no way you can do this. You don’t know the first thing about it. You have three kids and no time.” So I decided not to listen to that voice and go for it. I want other women to look at what I’m doing and believe they can also do it. I want them to know they’re never too old to follow their dreams and make them come true.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Mary Anna Ossa, and I own Partners & Grapes, a Latina-women-owned boutique wine company in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The inspiration behind Partners and Grapes came during a family vacation to Spain.
“My family and I had gone to Spain on vacation, and one evening, my friend Nathalie and I went out for tapas and wine. Midway through our conversation, we joked about how bad we would feel the next day after only drinking two glasses of wine,” What started as a conversation between two friends inspired me to create a vision to create high-quality wines with a healthier and cleaner wine-drinking experience.
Our wines are made using minimal intervention farming techniques with no added sugar, sulfites or additives of any kind.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Do it scared.
When I started this business, I had a lot of fear (I still do) Fear of failure, fear of getting into a male-dominated industry I knew pretty much nothing about. fear of losing all the money I’ve invested, fear of what people would think of me if I don’t make it.
I constantly doubted myself and questioned every decision.
Soon I realized that fear wouldn’t go anywhere, that I needed to learn to do it scared, and that the best way to quiet the voice telling me I couldn’t do this job was to take action.
I have faced financial problems, licensing issues, shipment delays, and supply chain problems. Unfortunately, most of these obstacles are out of my control, and I believe the key to overcoming them is to show up and do the work: fear or no fear.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We all know that social media can make you or break you. I’m no expert, but I do my best. I’m in charge of creating all the content and managing all our platforms, and what has worked for me has been: HONESTY. I try to speak to my audience with a clear voice, talking about our story and products and the challenges I face. I try to support other women business owners because I believe we are stronger. I love connecting with people on social media and finding ways to work and grow together.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.partnersandgrapes.com
- Instagram: @partnersandgrapes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partnersandgrapes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/partnersandgrapes/