Nov 14, 2017
Rage, Rapture, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed...what does this
have to do with running a business, philanthropy, and backcountry
skiing? It all ties under Lodi's premier winery; Michael
David Winery. David Phillips is a co-owner of the winery with
his brother Michael and their family has been farming the fertile
soil in Lodi, California for 5 generations- since 1865 to be
exact. However, they weren't always growing grapes and making
wine. "My parents put up a card table on the side of the
road and started selling tomatoes for 25 cents a basket. I
grew up with selling product at fruit stands" David said.
Long before the wine, the Phillips farm thrived at farmer's
markets and fruit stands. They started growing grapes for
other wineries when one day, their biggest customer said they were
not going to buy grapes. With a full crop of luscious grapes,
Dave said, "Let's do this ourselves and take matters into our own
hands." Changing your business model, investing in oak
barrels, learning a new industry, and putting everything on the
line is what it took to get started. It took a decade of
tripling down on their business and building it from the ground up
but MD Winery now is the proud maker of the best selling Zinfindel
in the world,
7 Deadly Zins. They had some fun with names and their
premium line of Zins includes names and wines like Rage, Lust,
Greed, and more. They didn't stop there- their FreakShow
Cabernet is a 90 point wine for just 20 bucks and the label has,
well, a FreakShow on it!
This conversation is about so much more than wine. In
fact, Dave and his wife Corene talk about how they have supported
the local community of Lodi; from offering a helping hand to their
competitors in the wine business to fundraising to build better
sports facilities for high school students. The Phillips
family continues to farm in Lodi, but their crop extends far beyond
food and wine. They've cultivated a strong sense of community
and continually strive to make the world a better place around them
with their business as a launchpad.
Topics Discussed in the Podcast
- What Lodi, California is known for
- The history of Michael David Winery and how it was started
- Transition from being a farmer and working at farm stands to
wine
- 7 Deadly Zins
- Managing scaling and growing a business
- Supporting local community
- Leading by example to empower others to give back to their
community
- Taking on ultra-endurance events like hiking Annapurna in
Nepal, half-Ironman Triathlons, and backcountry skiing
Links
- Follow Michael David Winery on Facebook
- Get FreakShow
Jerseys and other MD Winery Apparel
-
FreakShow Cabernet!
- Fig Desert Recipe: quarter figs, bake them at 400deg till
bubbly, add some nuts (like walnuts) and cook a few more minutes.
DONE
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