July 31, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode of Beyond the Board, Avaline co-founder Katherine Power joins Whole Foods Market's Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer Sonya Gafsi Oblisk for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship and innovation in the wine industry.
Katherine shares her journey from the fashion and beauty world to revolutionizing the wine market alongside co-founder Cameron Diaz. Discover how a personal quest for ingredient transparency in wine led to the creation of Avaline, a brand at the forefront of the clean wine movement.
Key topics include:
- The science behind organic winemaking, from farming practices to final product
- The impact of additional sulfites in wine production
- Early entrepreneurial lessons learned from Katherine's grandmother and her path to becoming an influential businesswoman
Gain valuable insights into what it takes to innovate and build a successful business as Katherine candidly discusses her experiences and challenges. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and wine enthusiasts alike.
Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Don’t forget to like and subscribe to hear more conversations spotlighting innovation, perseverance, and meaningful impact.
The views, opinions, and claims expressed by guests in this podcast episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Whole Foods Market, its parent company, subsidiaries, or affiliates. This content is for informational purposes only.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sonya (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Board where we break bread with some of the most interesting industry
(00:01):
leaders. I'm Sonya Gafsi Olbisk, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer of Whole Foods Market. And
I'm honored to host in-depth conversations with some of the most innovative and impactful feeders in
the food and beverage industry. Katherine Power entrepreneur and co-founder of Avaline Wines, joins us
today. She launched the Clean Wine Grand. In 2020 with actress Cameron Diaz focusing on organic vegan
friendly offerings. A dynamic entrepreneur Powers portfolio extends well beyond wine. She serves as
founder and chairman of Merit, beauty and Verse Skincare, while holding key leadership positions as
operating partner at Sonoma Brands. Partner at Greycroft. She also contributes her expertise as an
advisor to the nonprofit organization, Baby To Baby. She's a serial entrepreneur whose groundbreaking
approach to commerce and media has earned her recognition on fortunes. 40 under 40 Fast company's
most innovative companies. Adweek's, creative 100 and Ink's Young Entrepreneurs to watch list. Thank
you so much for joining us on Beyond the Board, Katherine,
Katherine (00:12):
Thank you so much for having me.
Sonya (00:13):
So you are an incredibly inspirational entrepreneur and leader, and I'm curious, at what age did
you recognize your own leadership qualities?
Katherine (00:15):
Oh, well thank you. First of all. Uh, I, I. I think I was just born with an entrepreneurial spirit.
You know, I wanted to work. Um, you know, from the time I knew what it was, my grandmother had a
retail store and I remember from, you know, nine years old on going into work with her and. You know,
understanding what it took to make a sale to somebody and, you know, using the cash register and
understanding the taxes and the, the money of it all. And I just found it so interesting. But I always had
some kind of a hustle going, whether it was. Putting on a performance in my neighborhood and selling
tickets or using a toy kitchen, I had to open a fake restaurant. Um, there was always something, um, you
know, that was motivating me to, to build.
Sonya (00:23):
That's awesome. That is great to hear. So, turning to Avaline, let's start from the beginning. So
you're sitting around, you're having a glass of wine with a friend, and what happens?
Katherine (00:25):
So Cameron and I were just enjoying wine as two friends, as we often did. You know, we, we
would gravitate towards one another at, uh, events or parties, and we're real homebodies. We like to
just hang out with our little community and. Um, have great food and drink great wine, and we were,
um, you know, debating whether or not we should open another bottle. And we started to talk about the
wine the way that wine makes us feel, right? Mm-hmm. Um, and it's so inconsistent and. We're not sure
why. Some days we feel okay after drinking it, and some days we don't. And you know, we had switched
everything in our lives to be sort of better for us. Right? Yeah. From our groceries becoming organic to
our beauty products, becoming clean, our household products becoming non-toxic. We just started to
question, you know, what is in the bottle? Is it just grapes? We turned around the bottle and we were
reminded that, you know, wine has no nutritional facts, it has no ingredient list. Um, it's not governed by
the FDA, so there's really no transparency in what is in the bottle and how it's made. And as curious
people, Cameron is incredibly curious. Uh, we just set out on a, a journey to understand the winemaking
1
process. We invited over a wine connoisseur to Cameron's house to walk us through the process, and we
learned that there are over 70 ingredients that can be added to wine throughout their wine making
process without any disclosure to the consumer. Some of which might be animal byproducts. Um, which
you're, if you're a vegan, you just. Don't know that. That's right. Um, some of them can be colors and
concentrates like a, an ingredient called mega purple, um, which you see often in commercial red wines.
Um, that's often why you'll get, you know, the sort of purple teeth or tongue. Um, because of that
additive. So we were really floored. And upset when we heard about this, right? Because we were doing
all of these things in our lives to become, you know, healthier, to make better choices. Sure. Um, yet we
(00:46):
didn't know any of this, and so we started seeking out, you know, I'll call it cleaner wine. We went to our
local wine stores, grocery stores, restaurants. We started to ask, you know, do you have any organic
wine? Do you have any naturally made wine? Because we learned that those kind of signifiers meant
that they followed certain practices. Right, right. It didn't include these additives. So people would look
at us like we were crazy. They didn't know the answer, you know, they would roll their eyes at us or say
It's just grapes, you know, and cut to. Now we're, you know, four and a half years in, we have dedicated
organic month outta some of the retailers. We have dedicated sections on the menus. For organic and
biodynamic wines. I mean, it's totally changed and you know, we felt compelled at the time to not just
create a product for ourself. But also to offer it to the consumer and educate them on what we had
learned.
Sonya (00:56):
So there's so many new terms out related to wine, one of which is vegan wine. And folks would
assume all wine is vegan, it's made of grapes. But as you noted, that really isn't the case. And so what is
it in processing that would make a wine vegan or not?
Katherine (00:59):
So it's in the fining process of the wine, right, where they remove small particles, um, out of
the juice. And the fining process is often done with an animal byproduct. So it could be casing, which is a
milk protein. Sure, it could be, uh, fish, bladder protein. So if you are a vegan and you don't know this.
Um, that can be very disturbing to learn. There's no transparency into what's used. We use something
called bentonite clay. Which is, um, a natural product, um, that occurs. And we don't use any animal
byproducts in Avaline.
Sonya (01:05):
And there's no way to know because the vast, vast majority of suppliers don't have nutritional
facts and don't have, uh, ingredient lines. That's actually one thing I know you're aware at Whole Foods
that we've been really focused on, uh, particularly starting with our own private label business, is. Having
both ingredient statements and nutrition facts. So we're proud of the progress we're making there. We
are also a founding member of the Sustainable Wine Round Table.
Katherine (01:10):
Amazing
Sonya (01:11):
To really help, uh, raise the bar. I'll say overall for the industry, 'cause I'm sure there's a lot of
customers out there that have the exact same reaction, uh, that you'd. You did, uh, as they learn more
about the industry and the space. So, one more question. Clean wine. Like is that something, if I go into
2
my Whole Foods and I'm looking for wine, how do I, how do I shop? How do I know Avaline is clean
wine? What does that mean?
Katherine (01:17):
So it's very similar to what I saw play out in the beauty industry. So before starting Aveline,
you know, I came from digital media, apparel, fashion, beauty. And you know, I have two clean beauty
brands. And you know, much like beauty, uh, there is not one governing party that establishes what it
means to be clean. It's really left up to the retailers to create their own point of view around it, or the
brands to create their own point of view. You know, for us, clean wine starts with farming, with organic
grapes and an organic farming process, so. You know, at the time at which we started Avaline, um, I
believe the stat was that 90% of the vineyards in California farmed with harmful chemical pesticides. So,
you know, Roundup? Mm-hmm. Basically. And you know, for those that don't know it, when you make
wine, the grapes are not washed before they go into the barrel. So whatever is on the grape goes into
the barrel, they allow the, the grapes to, you know, rub together or, or it's called macerate. To where you
get the color and you know the, the flavor starts to come out. So anything that's gone on that grape.
Whether it's a pesticide or, or something else, um, ultimately gets into that juice. So that, you know, on
its own is very disturbing. Uh, and so we really wanted to find, you know, an abundance of organic land
and grapes that we could start making wine from and then. You know, in order to be an organic wine,
um, in the United States, you have to be organic certified from wherever the, the, um, organization is in
the country that you're growing. Um, you know that, that gives that certification and then you have to
keep your sulfites below a certain level. So. Sulfites are a naturally occurring, you know, uh, uh, element
of wine, but a lot of times, you know, extra sulfites are added, right? For stabilization, um, you know,
almost like a preservative of sorts. And so in order to be an organic wine, you have to be under a
hundred parts per million. Um, our wines are more in the 50 to 60 parts per billion, so we try to be as
low as possible. I mean, we really just have enough to get the wine from Europe. To, uh, the United
(01:38):
States and have it be consistent and taste wonderful. Um, and then, you know, any kind of. Um,
ingredient that we use like that. Um, the bentonite Clay I was talking about has to be organic and there
cannot be any additives that are not organic.
Sonya (01:41):
That's great. That's awesome to hear.
Katherine (01:42):
And then, you know, it goes to transparency as well. I mean, we consider that to be part of
being clean. You know, we list on the back of our bottles, you know. The average analysis of, of calories
and carb and the ingredients. And, um, you know, really for us it's, it's incredibly important to be
transparent, starting with the front of the label, which tells you it's made with organic grapes. It's okay to
drink if you're vegan. Um, and you know, we have zero sugar in, uh, in these wines per glass.
Sonya (01:47):
That's outstanding. Awesome to hear. Um, I'm gonna pivot a little, uh, to kind of talk about some
of your passions and leadership. So, um, you've built so many successful businesses. Is there a common
thread in your leadership style that you carry into each business?
Katherine (01:50):
I like to think, I approach leadership like a coach of a, of a sports team. So I have. Um, star
athletes in every department that I've appointed, and I'm there to coach them. Um, and you know, they
3
essentially have autonomy to make the right decisions because I've been able to hire the right people
with the right kind of experience, and then I'm there to help them, you know, with overall strategy. Um,
you know, whether that's, uh, you know, the long-term strategy of the business or on a specific deal
we're making. Um, and then to coach them through every day, help them make decisions. Uh, whether
that's around supply chain hiring. Um, you know, brand identity marketing, uh, et cetera.
Sonya (01:58):
Awesome. Uh, so one of my personal leadership principles is Better, crazy than lazy, be heard,
break the mold, take smart risk, and make a difference. What is the craziest idea you've had or one of
your team members have had that's worked or maybe one that you've loved, but you tried it and it
didn't go so well?
Katherine (02:02):
Truthfully, it's probably Avaline, right? Um, because Cameron and I had zero experience in
wine or in the adult. Beverage business. And I always say I know how to build a business, but you know,
learning to build a uh, an alcohol business was like learning a foreign language. Um, it is so unique in its
laws and its processes and you know, the rules by which you have to market and, um, disclose and
operate and all of these things. And I think it was. Because we had such a fresh perspective on the
industry and didn't know a lot about it, that's why, you know, we sort of were able to break through, not
only, you know, through to the consumer, but to disrupt, uh, a very old industry, um, and really champion
this new standard, uh, of wine drinking. So, I mean, it was, you know, we virtually and physically knocked
on doors, the two of us in Europe. We found the best, you know, multi-generational. Family owned, um,
vineyards and wine makers who have been making wine this way for generations, but they maybe never
talked about it. They never put it on their bottle because historically, if you put organic on a bottle, you
might end up in a strange section of Whole Foods, right?
Sonya (02:14):
Exactly. Or people don't think it, think it will taste different.
Katherine (02:15):
Exactly. Uh, yeah, but truly these are from some of the best producers in Europe that our
winemaker worked with. You know, we had very specific ideas of what we wanted the blend to, to taste
like, whether it was our rose or red or white or any of our varietals. But you know, to convince these.
Serious winemaking families to work with two girls from Hollywood. Yeah. Was not as easy as you would
think.
Sonya (02:20):
I can only only imagine. That is awesome. Um. So all of the brands that you've created have
launched with a minimalist influence, and they lean really into the wellness, sustainability, and healthy
lifestyle. Uh, I'd love to know how you integrate health and wellness into your own life practices.
Katherine:I do all the things.
Everything, all of it. Share.
Katherine (02:25):
She has, yes. From, from, you know, uh, being as. As, you know, non-toxic in our household as
possible. I obviously have created to clean, you know, color cosmetics and skincare brands and, um, so
4
everything I put on my body and face. Um, lives up to my clean standards as well as, you know, doesn't
create inflammation, doesn't clog pores, all of those things. I do yoga. I work out, you know, three times
a week. Um, I do acupuncture once a week. I take a copious amount. Supplements, um, and am always,
you know, seeking out ways to prevent disease, to stay healthy, to live longer. Um, and Cameron is the
same way. We do. We do all the things.
Sonya (02:33):
That is great. Uh, but it's all about that list, right?
Katherine (02:34):
It's all about balance, because we still wanna drink wine and have a good time. Yes. And now
you've found, uh, a solution for many of our customers. So, yeah. I love the short. I, I always say I,
Cameron and I text each other, you know, nearly once a week just to say, God, thank God we made
Avaline that we have this. To drink and feel good about. Yes. Um, and it's delicious and it's, uh, you know,
just so light and easy to drink that I'm just grateful, you know, it's a fantastic business, but, um, I'm just
grateful we have it in our lives now.
Sonya (02:40):
That's great to hear. Uh, so I'm going to take us to our lightning round. Everyone's favorite part,
rapid fire questions. Uh, first one, all time. Favorite Avaline varietal.
Katherine (02:42):
I would have to say our white blend and our rose, it's very hard for me to choose. It's like
choosing a favorite child. Those two are tied for me.
Sonya (02:44):
Okay, awesome. Uh, grape that failed and surprised you.
Katherine (02:45):
Uh, we haven't had a grape fail yet, knock on wood. Uh, we do exhaustive, you know, testing
and focus grouping before we put something out. But I think the grape that surprised us the most was a
grape we had never heard of, and it's called zerelo. Oh. And it's, uh, it's a Spanish, uh, grape that we
found when we were looking to make our white wine. You know, um, Cameron is someone who prefers
more of a sav blanc. I like something, uh, a little closer to a Pinot Grigio. Okay. We knew we had a lot of
Chardonnay drinkers out there, and we stumbled across this grape when we were in Spain, and
somehow it has this light minerally. Taste that, uh, can appease any white wine drinker. Whether you
love an oaky, chardonnay or a really crisp, acidic, uh, Pinot Grigio, Cameron and I fell in love with it at the
same time. It was so hard to agree on a direction for the white. So I would say Zarello has been really
exciting discovery for us.
Sonya (02:55):
Awesome. Thank you. Um, so what is the best advice you've ever received?
Katherine (02:56):
Just to get started, you know, um, if you are wanting to start a business or a new brand, you
know, just putting one foot in front of the other every day and chipping away at it. Um, sometimes I also
have to mull over things. Um, before I actually put something into action and to me, that's part of the
process. So that's not necessarily advice I've been given, but something I've learned about myself. That is
actually. Part of the creative process to think about something, mull over, you know, mull it over and, and
5
then you just take these baby steps and ultimately those baby steps turn into bigger steps and before
you know it, you have a brand and a trademark and a business plan.
Sonya (03:04):
That's great. Um. Early bird or night owl,
Katherine (03:05):
Early bird.
Sonya (03:06):
early bird, coffee or tea
Katherine (03:07):
matcha
Sonya (03:08):
matcha. Ooh, I'm with you on that one actually. Uh, first 30 minutes of your day.
Katherine (03:09):
Gratitude and my kids.
Sonya (03:10):
Oh, that's nice to hear. Uh, favorite holiday?
Katherine (03:11):
probably Christmas.
Sonya (03:12):
Any, uh, tradition or ritual that's especially important to you?
Katherine:I would say my, my gratitude practice in the morning is really important to me as well as, uh,
my acupuncture that I've been doing for about 15 years now, once a week.
Two very good things. Um, what is your earliest memory related to wine?
Katherine (03:16):
Probably a very French rose. That was an exciting new discovery for me at some point
because Rose wasn't a big thing when I was in my early twenties. Uh, in Los Angeles it kind of came, you
know, over from Europe and, um, I remember tasting it and thinking what a delightful summer drink.
Sonya (03:19):
What's next for Avaline? You know, we are scaling rapidly, um, in the United. States, we have
double distribution year over year. And so we are working closely with our retail partners like Whole
Foods to make sure that, you know, we're getting everything you need, um, and everything to the store
and, and, and listening to our consumers. Uh, about 20% of our business is direct to consumer, so we do
have that direct relationship with our, uh. Our customers through our e-commerce site. So really
understanding that data, uh, to know what to create next.
Very, very cool. Well, thank you, Katherine for going beyond the board with us today. Your
leadership style combined with your instinct for identifying white space and creating innovations that
meet real needs. Is truly impressive. I appreciate you sharing your insights with our listeners today.
Through intention, innovation, and integrity, Katherine Power has established Abilene as a new category
in the white space. The vegan, organic, clean wine industry has reshaped what customers are expecting
6
in their glass. Thanks for tuning in to Beyond the Board. Until next time, keep supporting brands that are
making our food system better. One, sale at a time.
7
Welcome to Beyond the Board where we break bread with some of the most interesting industry
(00:01):
leaders. I'm Sonya Gafsi Olbisk, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer of Whole Foods Market. And
I'm honored to host in-depth conversations with some of the most innovative and impactful feeders in
the food and beverage industry. Katherine Power entrepreneur and co-founder of Avaline Wines, joins us
today. She launched the Clean Wine Grand. In 2020 with actress Cameron Diaz focusing on organic vegan
friendly offerings. A dynamic entrepreneur Powers portfolio extends well beyond wine. She serves as
founder and chairman of Merit, beauty and Verse Skincare, while holding key leadership positions as
operating partner at Sonoma Brands. Partner at Greycroft. She also contributes her expertise as an
advisor to the nonprofit organization, Baby To Baby. She's a serial entrepreneur whose groundbreaking
approach to commerce and media has earned her recognition on fortunes. 40 under 40 Fast company's
most innovative companies. Adweek's, creative 100 and Ink's Young Entrepreneurs to watch list. Thank
you so much for joining us on Beyond the Board, Katherine,
Katherine (00:12):
Thank you so much for having me.
Sonya (00:13):
So you are an incredibly inspirational entrepreneur and leader, and I'm curious, at what age did
you recognize your own leadership qualities?
Katherine (00:15):
Oh, well thank you. First of all. Uh, I, I. I think I was just born with an entrepreneurial spirit.
You know, I wanted to work. Um, you know, from the time I knew what it was, my grandmother had a
retail store and I remember from, you know, nine years old on going into work with her and. You know,
understanding what it took to make a sale to somebody and, you know, using the cash register and
understanding the taxes and the, the money of it all. And I just found it so interesting. But I always had
some kind of a hustle going, whether it was. Putting on a performance in my neighborhood and selling
tickets or using a toy kitchen, I had to open a fake restaurant. Um, there was always something, um, you
know, that was motivating me to, to build.
Sonya (00:23):
That's awesome. That is great to hear. So, turning to Avaline, let's start from the beginning. So
you're sitting around, you're having a glass of wine with a friend, and what happens?
Katherine (00:25):
So Cameron and I were just enjoying wine as two friends, as we often did. You know, we, we
would gravitate towards one another at, uh, events or parties, and we're real homebodies. We like to
just hang out with our little community and. Um, have great food and drink great wine, and we were,
um, you know, debating whether or not we should open another bottle. And we started to talk about the
wine the way that wine makes us feel, right? Mm-hmm. Um, and it's so inconsistent and. We're not sure
why. Some days we feel okay after drinking it, and some days we don't. And you know, we had switched
everything in our lives to be sort of better for us. Right? Yeah. From our groceries becoming organic to
our beauty products, becoming clean, our household products becoming non-toxic. We just started to
question, you know, what is in the bottle? Is it just grapes? We turned around the bottle and we were
reminded that, you know, wine has no nutritional facts, it has no ingredient list. Um, it's not governed by
the FDA, so there's really no transparency in what is in the bottle and how it's made. And as curious
people, Cameron is incredibly curious. Uh, we just set out on a, a journey to understand the winemaking
1
process. We invited over a wine connoisseur to Cameron's house to walk us through the process, and we
learned that there are over 70 ingredients that can be added to wine throughout their wine making
process without any disclosure to the consumer. Some of which might be animal byproducts. Um, which
you're, if you're a vegan, you just. Don't know that. That's right. Um, some of them can be colors and
concentrates like a, an ingredient called mega purple, um, which you see often in commercial red wines.
Um, that's often why you'll get, you know, the sort of purple teeth or tongue. Um, because of that
additive. So we were really floored. And upset when we heard about this, right? Because we were doing
all of these things in our lives to become, you know, healthier, to make better choices. Sure. Um, yet we
(00:46):
didn't know any of this, and so we started seeking out, you know, I'll call it cleaner wine. We went to our
local wine stores, grocery stores, restaurants. We started to ask, you know, do you have any organic
wine? Do you have any naturally made wine? Because we learned that those kind of signifiers meant
that they followed certain practices. Right, right. It didn't include these additives. So people would look
at us like we were crazy. They didn't know the answer, you know, they would roll their eyes at us or say
It's just grapes, you know, and cut to. Now we're, you know, four and a half years in, we have dedicated
organic month outta some of the retailers. We have dedicated sections on the menus. For organic and
biodynamic wines. I mean, it's totally changed and you know, we felt compelled at the time to not just
create a product for ourself. But also to offer it to the consumer and educate them on what we had
learned.
Sonya (00:56):
So there's so many new terms out related to wine, one of which is vegan wine. And folks would
assume all wine is vegan, it's made of grapes. But as you noted, that really isn't the case. And so what is
it in processing that would make a wine vegan or not?
Katherine (00:59):
So it's in the fining process of the wine, right, where they remove small particles, um, out of
the juice. And the fining process is often done with an animal byproduct. So it could be casing, which is a
milk protein. Sure, it could be, uh, fish, bladder protein. So if you are a vegan and you don't know this.
Um, that can be very disturbing to learn. There's no transparency into what's used. We use something
called bentonite clay. Which is, um, a natural product, um, that occurs. And we don't use any animal
byproducts in Avaline.
Sonya (01:05):
And there's no way to know because the vast, vast majority of suppliers don't have nutritional
facts and don't have, uh, ingredient lines. That's actually one thing I know you're aware at Whole Foods
that we've been really focused on, uh, particularly starting with our own private label business, is. Having
both ingredient statements and nutrition facts. So we're proud of the progress we're making there. We
are also a founding member of the Sustainable Wine Round Table.
Katherine (01:10):
Amazing
Sonya (01:11):
To really help, uh, raise the bar. I'll say overall for the industry, 'cause I'm sure there's a lot of
customers out there that have the exact same reaction, uh, that you'd. You did, uh, as they learn more
about the industry and the space. So, one more question. Clean wine. Like is that something, if I go into
2
my Whole Foods and I'm looking for wine, how do I, how do I shop? How do I know Avaline is clean
wine? What does that mean?
Katherine (01:17):
So it's very similar to what I saw play out in the beauty industry. So before starting Aveline,
you know, I came from digital media, apparel, fashion, beauty. And you know, I have two clean beauty
brands. And you know, much like beauty, uh, there is not one governing party that establishes what it
means to be clean. It's really left up to the retailers to create their own point of view around it, or the
brands to create their own point of view. You know, for us, clean wine starts with farming, with organic
grapes and an organic farming process, so. You know, at the time at which we started Avaline, um, I
believe the stat was that 90% of the vineyards in California farmed with harmful chemical pesticides. So,
you know, Roundup? Mm-hmm. Basically. And you know, for those that don't know it, when you make
wine, the grapes are not washed before they go into the barrel. So whatever is on the grape goes into
the barrel, they allow the, the grapes to, you know, rub together or, or it's called macerate. To where you
get the color and you know the, the flavor starts to come out. So anything that's gone on that grape.
Whether it's a pesticide or, or something else, um, ultimately gets into that juice. So that, you know, on
its own is very disturbing. Uh, and so we really wanted to find, you know, an abundance of organic land
and grapes that we could start making wine from and then. You know, in order to be an organic wine,
um, in the United States, you have to be organic certified from wherever the, the, um, organization is in
the country that you're growing. Um, you know that, that gives that certification and then you have to
keep your sulfites below a certain level. So. Sulfites are a naturally occurring, you know, uh, uh, element
of wine, but a lot of times, you know, extra sulfites are added, right? For stabilization, um, you know,
almost like a preservative of sorts. And so in order to be an organic wine, you have to be under a
hundred parts per million. Um, our wines are more in the 50 to 60 parts per billion, so we try to be as
low as possible. I mean, we really just have enough to get the wine from Europe. To, uh, the United
(01:38):
States and have it be consistent and taste wonderful. Um, and then, you know, any kind of. Um,
ingredient that we use like that. Um, the bentonite Clay I was talking about has to be organic and there
cannot be any additives that are not organic.
Sonya (01:41):
That's great. That's awesome to hear.
Katherine (01:42):
And then, you know, it goes to transparency as well. I mean, we consider that to be part of
being clean. You know, we list on the back of our bottles, you know. The average analysis of, of calories
and carb and the ingredients. And, um, you know, really for us it's, it's incredibly important to be
transparent, starting with the front of the label, which tells you it's made with organic grapes. It's okay to
drink if you're vegan. Um, and you know, we have zero sugar in, uh, in these wines per glass.
Sonya (01:47):
That's outstanding. Awesome to hear. Um, I'm gonna pivot a little, uh, to kind of talk about some
of your passions and leadership. So, um, you've built so many successful businesses. Is there a common
thread in your leadership style that you carry into each business?
Katherine (01:50):
I like to think, I approach leadership like a coach of a, of a sports team. So I have. Um, star
athletes in every department that I've appointed, and I'm there to coach them. Um, and you know, they
3
essentially have autonomy to make the right decisions because I've been able to hire the right people
with the right kind of experience, and then I'm there to help them, you know, with overall strategy. Um,
you know, whether that's, uh, you know, the long-term strategy of the business or on a specific deal
we're making. Um, and then to coach them through every day, help them make decisions. Uh, whether
that's around supply chain hiring. Um, you know, brand identity marketing, uh, et cetera.
Sonya (01:58):
Awesome. Uh, so one of my personal leadership principles is Better, crazy than lazy, be heard,
break the mold, take smart risk, and make a difference. What is the craziest idea you've had or one of
your team members have had that's worked or maybe one that you've loved, but you tried it and it
didn't go so well?
Katherine (02:02):
Truthfully, it's probably Avaline, right? Um, because Cameron and I had zero experience in
wine or in the adult. Beverage business. And I always say I know how to build a business, but you know,
learning to build a uh, an alcohol business was like learning a foreign language. Um, it is so unique in its
laws and its processes and you know, the rules by which you have to market and, um, disclose and
operate and all of these things. And I think it was. Because we had such a fresh perspective on the
industry and didn't know a lot about it, that's why, you know, we sort of were able to break through, not
only, you know, through to the consumer, but to disrupt, uh, a very old industry, um, and really champion
this new standard, uh, of wine drinking. So, I mean, it was, you know, we virtually and physically knocked
on doors, the two of us in Europe. We found the best, you know, multi-generational. Family owned, um,
vineyards and wine makers who have been making wine this way for generations, but they maybe never
talked about it. They never put it on their bottle because historically, if you put organic on a bottle, you
might end up in a strange section of Whole Foods, right?
Sonya (02:14):
Exactly. Or people don't think it, think it will taste different.
Katherine (02:15):
Exactly. Uh, yeah, but truly these are from some of the best producers in Europe that our
winemaker worked with. You know, we had very specific ideas of what we wanted the blend to, to taste
like, whether it was our rose or red or white or any of our varietals. But you know, to convince these.
Serious winemaking families to work with two girls from Hollywood. Yeah. Was not as easy as you would
think.
Sonya (02:20):
I can only only imagine. That is awesome. Um. So all of the brands that you've created have
launched with a minimalist influence, and they lean really into the wellness, sustainability, and healthy
lifestyle. Uh, I'd love to know how you integrate health and wellness into your own life practices.
Katherine:I do all the things.
Everything, all of it. Share.
Katherine (02:25):
She has, yes. From, from, you know, uh, being as. As, you know, non-toxic in our household as
possible. I obviously have created to clean, you know, color cosmetics and skincare brands and, um, so
4
everything I put on my body and face. Um, lives up to my clean standards as well as, you know, doesn't
create inflammation, doesn't clog pores, all of those things. I do yoga. I work out, you know, three times
a week. Um, I do acupuncture once a week. I take a copious amount. Supplements, um, and am always,
you know, seeking out ways to prevent disease, to stay healthy, to live longer. Um, and Cameron is the
same way. We do. We do all the things.
Sonya (02:33):
That is great. Uh, but it's all about that list, right?
Katherine (02:34):
It's all about balance, because we still wanna drink wine and have a good time. Yes. And now
you've found, uh, a solution for many of our customers. So, yeah. I love the short. I, I always say I,
Cameron and I text each other, you know, nearly once a week just to say, God, thank God we made
Avaline that we have this. To drink and feel good about. Yes. Um, and it's delicious and it's, uh, you know,
just so light and easy to drink that I'm just grateful, you know, it's a fantastic business, but, um, I'm just
grateful we have it in our lives now.
Sonya (02:40):
That's great to hear. Uh, so I'm going to take us to our lightning round. Everyone's favorite part,
rapid fire questions. Uh, first one, all time. Favorite Avaline varietal.
Katherine (02:42):
I would have to say our white blend and our rose, it's very hard for me to choose. It's like
choosing a favorite child. Those two are tied for me.
Sonya (02:44):
Okay, awesome. Uh, grape that failed and surprised you.
Katherine (02:45):
Uh, we haven't had a grape fail yet, knock on wood. Uh, we do exhaustive, you know, testing
and focus grouping before we put something out. But I think the grape that surprised us the most was a
grape we had never heard of, and it's called zerelo. Oh. And it's, uh, it's a Spanish, uh, grape that we
found when we were looking to make our white wine. You know, um, Cameron is someone who prefers
more of a sav blanc. I like something, uh, a little closer to a Pinot Grigio. Okay. We knew we had a lot of
Chardonnay drinkers out there, and we stumbled across this grape when we were in Spain, and
somehow it has this light minerally. Taste that, uh, can appease any white wine drinker. Whether you
love an oaky, chardonnay or a really crisp, acidic, uh, Pinot Grigio, Cameron and I fell in love with it at the
same time. It was so hard to agree on a direction for the white. So I would say Zarello has been really
exciting discovery for us.
Sonya (02:55):
Awesome. Thank you. Um, so what is the best advice you've ever received?
Katherine (02:56):
Just to get started, you know, um, if you are wanting to start a business or a new brand, you
know, just putting one foot in front of the other every day and chipping away at it. Um, sometimes I also
have to mull over things. Um, before I actually put something into action and to me, that's part of the
process. So that's not necessarily advice I've been given, but something I've learned about myself. That is
actually. Part of the creative process to think about something, mull over, you know, mull it over and, and
5
then you just take these baby steps and ultimately those baby steps turn into bigger steps and before
you know it, you have a brand and a trademark and a business plan.
Sonya (03:04):
That's great. Um. Early bird or night owl,
Katherine (03:05):
Early bird.
Sonya (03:06):
early bird, coffee or tea
Katherine (03:07):
matcha
Sonya (03:08):
matcha. Ooh, I'm with you on that one actually. Uh, first 30 minutes of your day.
Katherine (03:09):
Gratitude and my kids.
Sonya (03:10):
Oh, that's nice to hear. Uh, favorite holiday?
Katherine (03:11):
probably Christmas.
Sonya (03:12):
Any, uh, tradition or ritual that's especially important to you?
Katherine:I would say my, my gratitude practice in the morning is really important to me as well as, uh,
my acupuncture that I've been doing for about 15 years now, once a week.
Two very good things. Um, what is your earliest memory related to wine?
Katherine (03:16):
Probably a very French rose. That was an exciting new discovery for me at some point
because Rose wasn't a big thing when I was in my early twenties. Uh, in Los Angeles it kind of came, you
know, over from Europe and, um, I remember tasting it and thinking what a delightful summer drink.
Sonya (03:19):
What's next for Avaline? You know, we are scaling rapidly, um, in the United. States, we have
double distribution year over year. And so we are working closely with our retail partners like Whole
Foods to make sure that, you know, we're getting everything you need, um, and everything to the store
and, and, and listening to our consumers. Uh, about 20% of our business is direct to consumer, so we do
have that direct relationship with our, uh. Our customers through our e-commerce site. So really
understanding that data, uh, to know what to create next.
Very, very cool. Well, thank you, Katherine for going beyond the board with us today. Your
leadership style combined with your instinct for identifying white space and creating innovations that
meet real needs. Is truly impressive. I appreciate you sharing your insights with our listeners today.
Through intention, innovation, and integrity, Katherine Power has established Abilene as a new category
in the white space. The vegan, organic, clean wine industry has reshaped what customers are expecting
6
in their glass. Thanks for tuning in to Beyond the Board. Until next time, keep supporting brands that are
making our food system better. One, sale at a time.
7
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