We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tessa Riley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tessa below.

Tessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

This is the keystone of who we are. Both businesses and families are based on connection and care. When taking ownership of Lovingston Winery, the business felt cold and industrial rather than inviting. One of the first changes we made was moving the tasting room from the winemaking facility to the farmhouse on property. This change projected our business forward. Now, most customers leave with remarks about how they felt like they were at home, or they were reminded of a beloved relative’s old farmhouse. This drastically changed the business in the form of reviews, referrals, and return customers. It also made us feel more comfortable as owners. As we serve from the kitchen and see guests gathered at the big dining room table, or warmed by the fire in the parlor, it creates an easy going feeling which we have learned many are seeking. This is something we hope to carry on with customers and family.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m not sure if our entry into vineyard ownership is a mundane story, something remarkable, or just plain insane. Our story starts on a couch, late at night, on a website we all love, Zillow. On an evening when it seemed there was nothing to do but daydream, I was scrolling through homes across the U.S., but then refined to locations near my family in Afton, Virginia. Since this was a quest built on dreams rather than accepted reality, the filters on my search were little to none. This is when I stumbled upon Lovingston Winery, clicked through the 40 photos, laughed, and said to Wes, my future husband “let’s buy a winery.” This was met with a chuckle from him as our only wine experience was splurging on a nice bottle from time to time at some of the fancy restaurants in our current town at the time, Jackson, Wyoming. I sent the link to my parents and teased them with similar remarks. We all shared a laugh and thought nothing more of it.

Since my parents lived in the area and enjoy visiting new wineries, they decided to visit Lovingston Winery as they had never heard of it despite living just down the road for 4 years. My dad fell in love with the wine and my mom fell in love with the old oak trees and potential to find something that would bring Wes and I home to her. They called us excitedly referring to the property as “magical.” From this point on, the laughing turned into a “what if” and the “what if” turned into a business plan, and the business plan turned into purchasing and owning.

We purchased the property on August 16, 2021. This is a day I will always remember because by chance, Wes and I were engaged on the same day. The funny part is that the commitment to this business weighed much heavier than the commitment to marriage. So far, I still feel that marriage is a piece of cake in comparison to jumping into small business ownership and *takes deep breath* agriculture.

Flash forward to today, about a year and a half later. We have been grinding. Who would have thought that working for yourself means you have 10 jobs instead of one? However, there is so much beauty in knowing that every ounce of effort you put into something moves you further in the right direction. Our two main objectives have been to spread the word on our existence, and create an experience that welcomes patrons to the property and makes them want to stay. I can say with full confidence that within a year and a half, things have improved ten times over. I believe the majority of this success can be traced back to our roots as a family run business. This winery united us again and we find so much joy in providing a space for patrons to connect with friends and family. Though we were new to the wine world on August of 2021, we already knew that wine is not meant to be consumed quickly or alone. It pairs much better with company and a laid back atmosphere on the farm.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is my comfort zone. It was a task that I was eager to take on. I felt that social media, especially instagram was a great way to share our story and the beauty of the property. Our social media is by no means a viral sensation, but it has grown from a meager amount of followers that didn’t interact under the previous ownership, to an army of devout followers that are quick to share and promote what we post. I firmly believe that nothing, no amount of money spent on ads, advanced SEO, or sheer amount of posts will beat a friend messaging a friend and saying “let’s go!” Though we don’t have the most followers, we have an audience that listens. We are successful in being informative, yet personal, and professional, yet approachable. Slow and steady is the name of the game when building an audience on social media that turns into customers.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Adding more revenue streams was an important part of our business plan. Previously, the business was closed in the winter and only open on Saturday and Sunday. We expanded our hours to Wednesday-Sunday and we are open nearly all year except for an early January break. In addition, the property has a 115 year old farmhouse and cabin. Both of these homes were either used as a personal home, or they sat empty. We now operate our tasting room out of the historic farmhouse and rent rooms. The cabin is another private rental option and is booked most weekends. The ability for guests to mosey down the the tasting room and enjoy an afternoon on property has been a huge draw. Lastly, we obtained a special use permit to host weddings on property. It is no secret that the vineyard side of things is not a cash cow. Weddings open up another avenue for cash flow and offer protection if any sort of frost or blight decimates our crop. Consistency is key and we have quickly learned that there is no changing Mother Nature’s plans. In addition, we simply love hosting parties.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lovingstonwinery.com/
• Instagram: @lovingstonwinery
• Facebook: lovingstonwinery
• Yelp: Lovingston Winery

Image Credits
Tessa Riley and Rivkah Fine Art