We recently connected with Tami Wyrick & Kimberly Naess and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tami Wyrick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
When we started our wine company we made it part of our mission to create community and connection. Often, it is conversations over wine where people share their heart. struggles, successes, hopes and fears. We wanted to create community and have launched monthly pop up events. Partnering with women owned businesses, we have given space for people to connect. Last month we collaborated with Kerry Krull, owner of The New Deal restaurant, for a Sip & Paint Night. We brought in artist Chen and sold out quickly. People need community. Unlike most wine companies, we continue to put connections at the forefront of what we do. Women have shared laughter, tears and built friendships at our Sippin Soirées.. Our next event with Jamie of Shop Ever will feature a terrarium building workshop and a special unveiling of her collection For Ever Fine Jewelry. We love the quote, “We rise by lifting others”.
Tami Wyrick , 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?
Kimberly and I (Tami) have always had a love for wine. It was that shared love, our humor and motherhood that bonded us as friends. When the world was in lockdown, we would often send photos to each other while enjoying a glass of wine after surviving a crazy day of parenting in the pandemic. During that time, we connected with artist Rebecca Moses. She had created a special series titled Stay at Home Sisters. Rebecca painted beautiful photos of women from around the world who shared their pandemic stories. More than art, she started a sisterhood of strangers. She featured both of us in her series, and we thought they would make the most beautiful labels for wine. That’s where the journey really started. As Mothers, we often sacrifice indulgences. We may talk ourselves out of a much needed new pair of shoes, but will buy ourself a bottle of wine to enjoy after a long day. That glass of wine might be the only break we give ourselves. We wanted to make a wine for women by women. We quickly learned that only 13% of California wineries have female owners, yet the majority of consumers are women. We fought hard to build a brand we believe in. Using our savings and some money saved by flipping and restoring free furniture, we breathed life into our dream. There were lots of people who told us no, but we knew we could create something special. We launched our Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay for direct to consumer sales across the US. We quickly learned that competing with mega brands pricing online was not realistic for our small business. We went back to the basics of our idea. Wine is a connector. We started partnering with women owned businesses to create experiences and connection and the sales followed. We embrace our business with an open mind and heart. Always ready to learn and grow: In business and life, you have to have the courage to begin if you ever want to succeed.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Our greatest source of new clients is face to face interaction. We have served wine at pop up events for women owned businesses and connected with clients organically through conversation. Our Sippin Soirées have been a big success bringing in new clients and fostering brand loyalty. We have built genuine friendships with our clients. We saw a need for community and connection among women, and our wine events give a playful space to harness those relationships.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Raising capital seemed overwhelming in the beginning. It was in the midst of the pandemic and lockdown. Money was already tight, and as two stay at home moms, we didn’t have the means to self fund. After meeting with potential investors, we soon realized that if we wanted to create the brand we envisioned, we needed to do it on our own. I (Tami) started flipping free furniture. I collected pieces of furniture people were throwing away and restored and sold them. We borrowed from family and saved. When you want to do something, you will find a way. It took hustle and outside-the-box thinking, but we were able to raise the money needed to get started. Each bottle hand labeled by us. Each package carefully put together by our own two hands. There is pride in knowing we have done whatever we can to make this business work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madrewineco.com
- Instagram: @madrewine
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MadreWine
Image Credits
Misti Vogt Fiorella Occhipinti