January 31, 2024 • 34 mins
As I sat down with Dan Coletta amongst the tranquil rows of grapes at Cellar 54, a tale of love, legacy, and the alchemy of winemaking unfolded. Dan, who stepped into a world of viticulture after marrying into a family steeped in the traditions of the land since 1954, shares his journey from novice to vintner. Together, we uncork the stories behind each bottle, from nurturing diverse grape varietals to overcoming the quirks of selling fine wines in a small border town. If the serene beauty of rural life beckons you, or if the transformation of a farm into a flourishing winery captivates your imagination, this conversation promises to pour inspiration into your glass.
The lifeblood of our small communities courses through the veins of local sports, the changing seasons, and family businesses like Dan's, where every debate and decision is infused with resilience and respect. We lace up our boots and tread through the snow-dusted paths of Erie County, where the community's spirit shines brighter than the winter sun, and schools stand steadfast against the harshest of snowfalls. Join us as we delve into the parallels between the discipline of sports and the fortitude needed in business, and how mentorship and humility shape the character of an individual. This episode is a toast to the wisdom of past generations and the cherished bonds within a close-knit community, offering a blend of stories as rich and varied as the wines from Cellar 54.
The lifeblood of our small communities courses through the veins of local sports, the changing seasons, and family businesses like Dan's, where every debate and decision is infused with resilience and respect. We lace up our boots and tread through the snow-dusted paths of Erie County, where the community's spirit shines brighter than the winter sun, and schools stand steadfast against the harshest of snowfalls. Join us as we delve into the parallels between the discipline of sports and the fortitude needed in business, and how mentorship and humility shape the character of an individual. This episode is a toast to the wisdom of past generations and the cherished bonds within a close-knit community, offering a blend of stories as rich and varied as the wines from Cellar 54.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Take a breath, let's dive in.
Yes we're ready to rock androll.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
We are ready to rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Alright, Uncle Danny.
Yes, you guys, you canintroduce yourself to me, your
Uncle Danny.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Alright, so so my name is Dan Coletta.
Dan Coletta.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Which you married into the family.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yes, I did marry into the family.
Yes, you did.
Yes, but that's not why I'msuch a fan of either your wine
or anything, though.
Yeah well, I actually love thewine, and gratitude is my
favorite flavor.
By the way, that's an amazingbatch.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Gratitude, which is made from Concord grape, and
that's one of the largest grapevariety we grow up there in the
Lake Erie region, which is whereWalches is sat.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Which makes the Walchoconcord juice and the
jelly.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, I actually love that.
I was happy that I got to seewhere you guys brought you know
the grapes after thinking ofthem.
Yeah, I was there, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The whole process of how we pick it, put the pickers
and we bring them.
We load the box and everythingon the trucks and we take it
away to the plant and they dumpit in a big hopper and
everything like that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh yeah, it's a good thing, it's a real good thing.
Now you want to know a littlebit about the history of the
family grape farm.
Right, of course.
Now my parents bought that farmat 54.
Uh huh.
And they raised nine childrenon that farm, eight girls and
(02:04):
one boy, which I was lucky to bethat boy?
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Were you lucky or did you have to do a lot of work
because you were the boy?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, I did my share of work.
I would say you know we all doour share of work.
There was pretty.
There was a lot of work to doon that time.
Back in that time period oftime is when you had grapes, but
you had cherries, you hadpeaches, you know you had a
variety of things.
You had tomatoes where we wouldgrow.
(02:32):
So you were all.
You had everything on farm.
You know you even had a couple,had a cattle, you know we milk
cows and stuff like that,chicken.
So you had everything.
So you were self efficient onthere on that.
And then, as as we all gotolder and this and that, when my
(02:55):
parents retired, I brought, Icame into the farm and took it
over at that time and that wasin how was it?
1996.
And that's when, and my wifeAnne and I took it over and we
moved, we moved out of the townwhere we were in northeast and
(03:19):
we moved up to the farm andstarted farming up there.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And then we had our five children, and that carries
on Now how we built, how webecame Silver 54?
Yeah, silver 54 to winery isthat we always made wine.
Ever since I was a kid, my dadmade wine, you know, for himself
.
And then Anne and I did too,and everything, and it came
(03:45):
right.
It came to that point, but itwas Anne.
Anne wanted to do it, you know.
She says let's start our ownlittle wine, you know she's the
one who really pushed it.
you know, yeah, for the kids andeverything, to have a little
bit more than just vineyards.
Because our farm grew as as aswe.
(04:07):
When we took it over, weprobably tripled in size because
we kept buying more vineyardsand growing, and growing, and
growing.
And so we were at the pointwell, let's, let's plant some
varieties of wine grapes, and atthe same time we could sell to
the winery, but we could haveour own winery too.
(04:28):
So we started doing that andthat's how we became seller 54,
which is the year my parentsbought that farm in 1954.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
That's one of the first things that I saw when I
came onto the property too.
Was, you know, at the entranceof the property seller 54 and
Welch's, welch's grapes.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yep, you know, one of the things that I love about
being, you know, on the land, Ilove nature.
Personally, I love nature and Ilove traveling.
And, because I live in a city,I love when I can just escape
from traffic and just being myown thoughts.
(05:14):
And the first night that I camethere and I saw the stars and I
was surrounded, you know, byall the land and the grapes, I
didn't want to go back toFlorida.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
You are.
You are in a mill of a vineyard.
I know you're in a mill ofvineyard, it's.
You're in a mill.
Yeah, you have no street lights.
Yeah, you look at nighttime,yeah, oh yeah, it's amazing the
stars you see at night.
Yeah, but that's just.
Yeah, in the summertime it'sbeautiful along the lake front
and up there and everything.
It's just.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It's a gorgeous little actually it's a little
paradise.
It is.
That's what I'm saying.
I didn't want to.
I honestly didn't want to comeback and I remember you know
telling Mariah I'm like Mariah,I don't want to go back to
Florida.
I honestly like debated stayingthere, like I really didn't
want to go back and it didn't.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, oh yeah, it's.
It is a beautiful place, buteven on that farm, you know, we
we like.
I think I mentioned that we dohave 13 different varieties of
grapes now, which were probablyabout 80% of our wines.
We have 15 different types ofwines now.
(06:28):
80% of those grapes themselvescome off of our farms.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
And so our neighbor farms around us will buy the
other grapes varieties that weneed to produce our wines from
there.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So as far as like distribution is concerned, like
how do you sell wine when you'rea border town, when you're a
border town because you're onthe New York state line as well,
so how does the politics ofthat work out?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I mean it is a little tough there, because on one
side you've got New York state,on the other side of the county
you've got Ohio state, yeah so,and you can't go north because
you've got the lake.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Lake Erie.
Yeah, canada's across thestreet, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So the only way we can basically go is south, and
that's we take care of ErieCounty.
We are working on licenses tosell in New York state.
We're working on that.
We do have other entitiesdistributors and stuff in PA
(07:48):
that we sell our wine to, andthat helps all on sales too.
So we do have a good followingin that point and it keeps us
very busy.
Pennsylvania has a lot of wineshows.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And so we do travel to a lot of those too.
But we are growing for the fewyears that we've been in for
existing, let me see and we'vebeen in there for like two and a
half years, yeah, and we havegrown so much my children take
care of it.
Basically, I let the children Igot the three girls and my son
(08:32):
and my grandson.
They'll take care of thebusiness themselves.
I oversee it, but you know mygrandson, bo, he's the wine
maker.
He went to school for it.
He worked under a couple ofwine makers, Mm-hmm.
And and that was one of thethings that even my wife wanted
to do is, instead of him goingout to California, she says well
(08:55):
, we do have to do that too.
You know we have to.
Let's keep this family togethera little bit and do this and
that, and that's what the bigthing we have done there, to
keep everybody close, keep youknow close together and working
on that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I think it's great when you know as a, as a family,
you and your wife are able toprovide not just food for now or
, you know, shelter untilthey're 18, but to create a
legacy where the entire familycan benefit from what you guys
(09:35):
have created and you know itgoes on to the next generation.
The next generation, oh yeah.
You know, and, and not only that, but as you guys, guys, are all
growing, the town is growingwith you guys too.
I think that's what wasimpressive, because when I was
there and you guys had a showgoing on, everyone that I met
(09:56):
were people from the town, and Ilove that, because everyone
knew each other.
You know, yeah, and that thatthat's something that it's
harder to get.
Here in Florida, where You'veknown someone for generations,
you know.
This just doesn't really existlike that in Florida, where
there I went to a bar that samenight and when I was talking to
(10:21):
strangers, I mean they all knewwho you guys were.
I'm talking to me, they'restrangers, but they already knew
you guys from the 50s.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That was funny Well you know your small towns, which
you know before we got 12,000people living in it.
You know that's a small townand you go 15 miles to the east
and then you have area you know,which is a little you know, a
little small city but you knowit's there.
But when you set your rootsthere and you stay there and it
(10:56):
is a very close-knit area youtend to know everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yes, the history.
But I think too, like there'sthe good history and then
there's like the sportinghistory, because then, if you
are, say that you wrestle, youwrestle in high school.
Right, there's a competingwrestling team from down the
street, then the grandparentsprobably wrestled each other and
(11:26):
then the grandkids wrestledeach other.
That rivalry has been thereforever.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh yeah, and I like that.
Oh yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, it's like that, that rivalry, generational
rivalry.
It's like Romeo and Juliet thefamilies that feed each other.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh yeah, yeah, it's always been you know your sports
like that always came together,like that always.
But and I mentioned the threegirls, yes, I have one more.
You know my other daughter.
I had twin daughters too.
Yes, and so the other twin.
(12:03):
They purchased the golf coursedown the street.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
The golf course very long leg front and so they're
more involved in that instead ofthe winery.
So what we try to do is worktogether with the Benson and
stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, from a marketing standpoint, have you got?
When you guys do events, areyou guys able to sell liquor and
wine at the golf course, orbeer Like?
How does that work?
Since it's also a border, itsits on the border of New York
as well.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Right, yes, Well, as of right now, we're working on.
We're working to sell ourproduct in her clubhouse.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We're not there yet but we are working to sell that
on.
In that case there is licensesyou can purchase on special
events.
Yes, so you know we canpurchase them on special events,
but the salad on the marketpart of it.
(13:10):
We kind of go with adistributor, which we are the
process of.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
So for you like in the state of Florida to purchase
, like a beer and wine licenselast by check it was $50,000 to
do so.
Is it similar?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, it's not like that it's you have to get with a
major distributor.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And so some of these distributors only open the door
up Like a lottery system Forapplications, maybe twice a year
, and so when that door opens up, you've got to have everything.
Your eyes dodgy, your teethcross and everything and submit
your paperwork in with all yoursamples and what it is, and that
(13:52):
goes through the distributorsand if they like it, they accept
you.
They don't, they don't, and youjust keep on trying, and trying
, and trying.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
And.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I don't know about Florida how it works down here.
I'm not, we're not familiarwith the Florida, but I'm more
familiar with PA in New York,you know, on theirs.
And we are looking in Ohio too,right along the lakefront up
there in the Cleveland area,because you know you're talking
(14:21):
areas that's right smack in,right smack in the middle of
Buffalo, cleveland andPittsburgh.
We're, you know, we're rightsmack in the middle of that
region and we get a lot ofpeople coming up from other
cities, especially Pittsburghwe're low to Pittsburgh people
(14:41):
that walk down and they love it.
You know we get three people upthere that's never even seen
the lake.
They say this is an ocean.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, I thought it was the ocean too when I was
looking at Lake Erie and I hadto go on my phone to realize
that that wasn't an ocean.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Oh yeah, it's not a you know, because it stretches
from Buffalo to Detroit.
Yes, it's huge.
I mean you can't see the otherside.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
You know you can go across on a boat before you
better be ready for it, becausesometimes that lake would be.
You know you get roughsometimes.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Did he?
I think, when I was up there,you had just purchased a boat,
right?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, oh yeah, we take it out, wetake it out.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's how I know, if I come back up there, I'm not
going to come back down here,and I'm telling you.
I'm telling you, it's just,it's just not all the things
that I love in life.
It's right there.
I love the water.
I love not being around a tonof people all the time like that
.
I love golfing, so I love one.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, because you can .
The shores of Lake Erie, itmakes a unique for reporting
great region is you've got likefive miles of flat land.
Yes, that goes from the hills,it goes and it goes north and it
flattens out all the way toLake Erie and that lake protects
the vines from but ripening,not ripening, but it protects
(16:27):
the vines from freezing in thespring.
It'll hold back the, it'll holdback the vines from waking up,
let's say, and so they won't budas early, so they'll bud late,
they'll bud maybe around the15th of May.
And if they do that, Get readyby October.
(16:48):
No, you don't hit the dead frost.
The frost it'll kill your budsand it protects that vine in
that part of it and that's thebiggest region.
And then we have we have thegood clay.
We have that clay down therethat holds so much nutrients and
(17:08):
stuff, and the vine itself, theroots.
The roots are very strong, Ithink they, they, they PSI push
is like 300 PSI.
So it pushes down, the rootswill get in that clay and all
the nutrients are in there andit just soaks it up and makes a
beautiful vine.
Now what's unique about thatwhole region?
(17:30):
Okay, you have that, you havethat crop.
And then what are the peoplethat's living there?
In the summertime they got thelake.
In the wintertime they can goup on top of the hill 15 miles
away and go skiing all the time.
So you know, you got skiing,you got terrific hunting up in
the mountains.
(17:51):
Another thing I love.
Yeah, it's just so much you cando in so short of a travel
period and you're not far fromany major cities at all.
You know I can travel to anairport within less than two
hours in any direction.
So you know that'll take youanywhere in the world.
So it is very unique.
(18:12):
You wouldn't believe the peoplethat we do get from other
countries stuff too that lovesthe region, you know.
But you know it's just, it'sjust a nice little area.
Would I ever leave it?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
No, I mean, I didn't want to leave it and I'm not
even from there.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You know the winter used to be really rough up there
, but in the last two years ithasn't been that rough.
Yeah, do we get a couple feetof snow at a time?
Yeah, but you know what you candeal with that and it's just
like this.
You know, schools may have aone hour or two hour delay, two
feet of snow.
They won't even shut down.
They're built for that.
Yeah, you know they're ready togo.
(18:54):
All they have to do is makesure the plows have enough time
to get out there and plow theroads.
They don't shut down.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, that's why you guys are so bitter at wrestling,
because it's the winter sport.
One and two, if you're shut in,it ends the perfect thing to do
on the inside you know that'swhy it's funny like growing up.
You know the two states that Ilove for wrestling the college
wrestling Ohio and Pennsylvania.
(19:22):
Oh, wow, that's my two.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Oh yeah, we've had a lot, a lot of good wrestlers
come from, from Erie County, youknow.
So, yeah, matter of fact, thenthey have a couple of them, and
they have a couple of goodfootball players too, yeah, and
they have a couple throughoutthe colleges.
So, yeah, we produce prettygood athletes and the girls too.
Yeah, a couple.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
So what is this?
This mean, like, this businessmean for you, like, like, is it
for you?
Is it?
My kids have it and I overseeit, but and that's it.
Or do you feel a sense ofaccomplishment from everything
that's coming out of it?
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Oh I've.
It has grown, you know, since Iwas a kid.
I grew up there, yeah, I livedwhen I got married and
everything.
I moved to Northeast and had afamily there for oh, 15 years or
so, whatever.
Then I came back up to the farm, but I always was on the farm.
(20:23):
Yeah, I really never left thefarm, but it has grown so much,
it's unbelievable, I you know.
I sit back and I think myselfwell, we did a lot.
We did a lot to that, you know,and even when my sisters come
back up to visit, they can'tbelieve how much it has grown
(20:46):
and improved and everything.
But that's just.
Every business has to do that.
Every business has to grow andimprove to survive.
Anything you have to, you haveto, not a bunch, but you know,
3%, 4% every year or somethinglike that.
You keep, you keep, dancing,dancing, dancing.
You will have a successfulbusiness and that's just what we
(21:11):
did.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
But I love it.
You know, here's, I lovemarketing.
I love the right kind ofmarketing, you know.
And the thing that I noticedand I don't think I've ever said
this to you was the reason whyI think you guys are also so
successful is because all of youare owners, right.
(21:38):
So your kids are a part oftheir owners and they're on top
of it.
You know, they're putting outthe Facebook messages and
they're doing the events andthey're doing it.
You know, like everyone's, Isee everyone playing their part
and that's, that's beautiful,it's like sure it's family.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So there, there are moments where people are going
to butt heads, but it's in abusiness, I really believe you
have to butt heads a little bit.
I mean that's that's a sign ofgrowth when button heads,
because it's different ideas soyou can.
You can grab a few thoughtshere and a few thoughts there.
I mean it's how you controlwhen you butt your heads.
(22:22):
You know, that's the way Ibelieve it.
It's everybody.
Everybody does everythingdifferent but at the end, how's
it going to come out?
at the end, let's grab a littlehere, grab a little there, and
it'll work out that way.
Then you have to respect that.
I mean you have, you know every, everyone in that business, any
business.
(22:42):
You have to respect that.
Don't just say, guys, no, goodthis, and that you work together
, it'll grow.
It'll grow.
Respect each other.
You got.
You got a clear path to success.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
That's the way it is.
You know it's funny that yousay that, but in a corporate
environment they tell you theexact opposite.
You know it's oh, you keep thepeace.
You know, keep the peace.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
But you do keep the peace in a way they're, they're
right because you do keep thepeace, because you respect each
other's opinions, and so yougrab them a little here and a
little there, and so you're, soyou're, you're, you're taking
that basket full, full of energy, and you're coming out with a
(23:26):
piece of dynamite, which whichis that's how you grow.
You have to have that, you'vegot to have that energy.
You don't have it.
Something's wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
You know one of the things that I hate about you
know, corporate environments isthat a lot of times I mean, yes,
you know, it's true that Idon't get to.
It's not my business, I'm justsomeone that works for the
corporation that's in charge ofother people and I get, like you
(24:02):
know, like I was saying, youknow, in the corporate
environment, one of the thingsthat I hate about this
generation is everyone's okaywith just how things are, like
no one's trying to come up withnew ideas and no one's trying to
improve, and more and morepeople are lazy and they just
(24:29):
don't even know how to finishanything.
Everyone starts things and theyjust don't finish it, and that's
very frustrating for someonelike myself that, like when I
started, I was the youngestperson when I started and I was
privileged enough that everyonethat I worked with were people
who were retired from managementand things of that nature.
(24:52):
So early on I was able to justlearn from everyone that was
older than me.
You know, even if I didn't planon I didn't at the time, I
didn't plan on going intomanagement, but I still took the
information regardless.
And now, you know, you have alot of people who they say they
(25:16):
want to go into management butthey don't want the information.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
You know like they don't well, I think some people
do want to go into managementbut they may not have the
self-confidence in themselves.
You know it might be a littlescared a little bit, but this
and that you know where they.
You know you go into management.
(25:41):
You're out there sometimes byyourself and you gotta come up
with some decisions sometimeswhere you're uncomfortable with.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
So it is tough.
It's tough to get.
You need a good how would I sayit?
You need a good person behindyou to help you out, sometimes
Absolutely.
You know, and that's it.
You know, it's.
(26:12):
That's how it goes.
Everybody you know.
Nobody's born with that.
I think you've developed into amanagement position.
You're not born with it, Iagree.
You've developed yourself into agood relation, a good with your
(26:34):
employer and employers, andthat's where it comes from.
You know, I'm almost to thepoint where now I'm going to be
stepping back, you know, andletting then the family run it
more and more.
Yeah, you know.
(26:58):
So that's how we all grow,that's how they're going to grow
.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Is that now?
Is that something that's hardfor you, or is it something
you've been wanting to do?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Well, I'll tell you.
What's hard about the wholedamn thing is when we first
started this adventure with thewinery, we the wife and I we
started.
She really wanted it going.
I was hesitating a little bit.
I knew it.
I worked out it was a fault.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Did it bring you back to your childlike memories?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
No, it didn't bring me back to childlike memories.
I just knew, man, I got a tonof vineyards out there and I'm
doing this and that I didn'tknow how much work there was.
And I got people working and Igot, and then I'm going, wow,
but she got me going and she didit, but then, you know, she got
sick and she passed away withyou know cause of cancer.
And so we, the kids, ralliedand we got it done and got it up
(27:54):
and got it going and I givethem, I give everyone of my
children, even even Corinne withthe golf course, you know cause
?
Anne was hopping around the golfcourse too getting that
business going and and, yeah, Ithink every one of them picked
up the pace a little bit andtook care of it.
(28:14):
And now, you know, I'm gettingto the point where I got to
start easing back and makingsure everything is going nice
and easy for the.
You know, not easy, but theyknow the directions they're
going in and that's about it.
You know.
It's just, it's been nice tohave Anne around and see it, but
(28:37):
hopefully she's going to see,can see it where she's at.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Yeah, you know, I think that's what makes great
leaders, like what you just said.
Sometimes you know being aleader isn't something that you
decide yourself, like someoneelse kind of pushes it even in
that direction and everythingjust comes together that way.
But then also like a greatleader as someone that knows
(29:04):
when to just back off.
You know back off because whenthey back off, that's the time
that, like like you said,everyone grows.
You know because now they haveto make the decisions and learn
from whatever mistakes they make, and they get comfortable in
that position because now theyhave experience and the more you
(29:24):
have your hand in it, the lessexperience they'll have.
So I mean, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
So I believe everything's going pretty decent
right now and yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
So what's a major takeaway?
If you had to impart someadvice on someone that's young,
that's trying to figure out theworld right now, what would you
tell them?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Well, you know, there's two different ways to
look at that.
All right, I'm all ears If I wasjust getting out of school.
You got to know which way,which direction, you want to go.
You know, if there is a familybusiness, do you want to go in
that family business?
If there's not a familybusiness and you want to, and
you just don't know which wayyou want to go, the young kids
you don't get out of high school, just you know.
(30:14):
Do you want to go with a highereducation, become whatever you
want to become, or do you wantto go to a trade school and look
and pick up a great trade?
There's so much opportunity outthere and it's wide open for
this.
You know it's wide open, butyou'll get out of it.
You got to work hard to get it.
(30:39):
If you don't work hard in thosethree or four years you're in
school learning it, you're goingto have a harder time getting
out.
When you get out of, let's sayyou're done with college or
you're done with a trade schooland you get into the trades, you
get to say you're takingapprenticeship at, are you doing
(31:00):
your?
Wherever you have to go, yougot to work hard for it.
I mean, I really believe that Imean you listen to your like me
old time.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
No say the old time, I think.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Because the old time will help guide you.
It gives them the respect andthey'll tell you what they'll
give you the world.
If you, if you come at themhard and everything, they're
gonna brush you off to the side.
Boy, you can learn a lot ofstuff from them.
They'll get tell you the insand outs and this and that.
Then, with your new experience,you got because every, every
(31:39):
generation is smarter than thelast one.
Yeah, that's what, that's wherewe grow, that's where the
growth is, and so they take thatold stuff, they put in there
with the new stuff and we gotbetter stuff.
Yeah and it's there.
It's actually there and it'ssomething that the young kids,
you know the younger generation,has to realize.
(32:00):
There's a lot out, there's alot of opportunities out there,
it's everywhere, but they haveto Sometime.
You know, just work with theolder guys and girls and go from
there.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
You know it's funny.
I can tell you for a fact, allof the success that I
experienced right now in mycareer is because I Made the
decision to be humble.
You have to humble yourself andbe open to criticism so you can
grow and sometimes you know how, how you, how you get the
(32:38):
criticism.
It may not feel good but it's,it's something that it's
necessary for you to be better.
And and and you know, I have amentor and he's getting ready to
retire and a lot of people theysee that we have a great
relationship, but they don't seethe Harsh side of me getting
(33:02):
from there to here.
They just see the finishedproduct.
Same like with wrestling.
You know, oh, you know, inpractice you could get your butt
kicked every single day.
You probably think you suckBecause you're getting, you know
your butt kicked by people withmore experience.
You're getting you know youryour wrestling coach is Beating
(33:23):
you up every single day and youthink you suck until you go and
wrestle with somebody your ownage and then you realize that,
oh, maybe I don't know, andthat's that's how you know I
feel about.
You know, my career right nowis that I have gotten my butt
kicked so many times in harshways.
(33:44):
That Makes the problems that Iencounter now like see me easy,
like, oh, I don't freak out, I'mjust like, okay, this is what
happens.
You and you know I think thatthis generation could use more
of that.
You know, everyone's just beingpampered and they don't know
how to overcome.
You know, harsh thing, butregardless, you know, I'm just
(34:05):
so grateful that I haveexperienced all those things in
life and I'm also grateful thatI got to experience and vineyard
and be part of the family.
And you know, when I first metyou guys, you guys all made me
feel so welcome.
You know, right away, likeright away, and I and I just
(34:25):
feel so privileged To got youknow, get to be a part of all of
that and thank you guys forjust being great people Not even
good, but great people.
You know that's what.
Maybe that's why I love youwine so much.
Yeah, like I just I just feltlike right at home, like going
there, and this is like almost adecade in now and you know I'm
(34:47):
just so grateful to be a part ofthe family.
All right so thank you Wellthank you.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Take a breath, let's dive in.
Yes we're ready to rock androll.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
We are ready to rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Alright, Uncle Danny.
Yes, you guys, you canintroduce yourself to me, your
Uncle Danny.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Alright, so so my name is Dan Coletta.
Dan Coletta.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Which you married into the family.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yes, I did marry into the family.
Yes, you did.
Yes, but that's not why I'msuch a fan of either your wine
or anything, though.
Yeah well, I actually love thewine, and gratitude is my
favorite flavor.
By the way, that's an amazingbatch.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Gratitude, which is made from Concord grape, and
that's one of the largest grapevariety we grow up there in the
Lake Erie region, which is whereWalches is sat.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Which makes the Walchoconcord juice and the
jelly.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, I actually love that.
I was happy that I got to seewhere you guys brought you know
the grapes after thinking ofthem.
Yeah, I was there, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The whole process of how we pick it, put the pickers
and we bring them.
We load the box and everythingon the trucks and we take it
away to the plant and they dumpit in a big hopper and
everything like that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh yeah, it's a good thing, it's a real good thing.
Now you want to know a littlebit about the history of the
family grape farm.
Right, of course.
Now my parents bought that farmat 54.
Uh huh.
And they raised nine childrenon that farm, eight girls and
(02:04):
one boy, which I was lucky to bethat boy?
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Were you lucky or did you have to do a lot of work
because you were the boy?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, I did my share of work.
I would say you know we all doour share of work.
There was pretty.
There was a lot of work to doon that time.
Back in that time period oftime is when you had grapes, but
you had cherries, you hadpeaches, you know you had a
variety of things.
You had tomatoes where we wouldgrow.
(02:32):
So you were all.
You had everything on farm.
You know you even had a couple,had a cattle, you know we milk
cows and stuff like that,chicken.
So you had everything.
So you were self efficient onthere on that.
And then, as as we all gotolder and this and that, when my
(02:55):
parents retired, I brought, Icame into the farm and took it
over at that time and that wasin how was it?
1996.
And that's when, and my wifeAnne and I took it over and we
moved, we moved out of the townwhere we were in northeast and
(03:19):
we moved up to the farm andstarted farming up there.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And then we had our five children, and that carries
on Now how we built, how webecame Silver 54?
Yeah, silver 54 to winery isthat we always made wine.
Ever since I was a kid, my dadmade wine, you know, for himself
.
And then Anne and I did too,and everything, and it came
(03:45):
right.
It came to that point, but itwas Anne.
Anne wanted to do it, you know.
She says let's start our ownlittle wine, you know she's the
one who really pushed it.
you know, yeah, for the kids andeverything, to have a little
bit more than just vineyards.
Because our farm grew as as aswe.
(04:07):
When we took it over, weprobably tripled in size because
we kept buying more vineyardsand growing, and growing, and
growing.
And so we were at the pointwell, let's, let's plant some
varieties of wine grapes, and atthe same time we could sell to
the winery, but we could haveour own winery too.
(04:28):
So we started doing that andthat's how we became seller 54,
which is the year my parentsbought that farm in 1954.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
That's one of the first things that I saw when I
came onto the property too.
Was, you know, at the entranceof the property seller 54 and
Welch's, welch's grapes.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yep, you know, one of the things that I love about
being, you know, on the land, Ilove nature.
Personally, I love nature and Ilove traveling.
And, because I live in a city,I love when I can just escape
from traffic and just being myown thoughts.
(05:14):
And the first night that I camethere and I saw the stars and I
was surrounded, you know, byall the land and the grapes, I
didn't want to go back toFlorida.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
You are.
You are in a mill of a vineyard.
I know you're in a mill ofvineyard, it's.
You're in a mill.
Yeah, you have no street lights.
Yeah, you look at nighttime,yeah, oh yeah, it's amazing the
stars you see at night.
Yeah, but that's just.
Yeah, in the summertime it'sbeautiful along the lake front
and up there and everything.
It's just.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It's a gorgeous little actually it's a little
paradise.
It is.
That's what I'm saying.
I didn't want to.
I honestly didn't want to comeback and I remember you know
telling Mariah I'm like Mariah,I don't want to go back to
Florida.
I honestly like debated stayingthere, like I really didn't
want to go back and it didn't.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, oh yeah, it's.
It is a beautiful place, buteven on that farm, you know, we
we like.
I think I mentioned that we dohave 13 different varieties of
grapes now, which were probablyabout 80% of our wines.
We have 15 different types ofwines now.
(06:28):
80% of those grapes themselvescome off of our farms.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
And so our neighbor farms around us will buy the
other grapes varieties that weneed to produce our wines from
there.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So as far as like distribution is concerned, like
how do you sell wine when you'rea border town, when you're a
border town because you're onthe New York state line as well,
so how does the politics ofthat work out?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I mean it is a little tough there, because on one
side you've got New York state,on the other side of the county
you've got Ohio state, yeah so,and you can't go north because
you've got the lake.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Lake Erie.
Yeah, canada's across thestreet, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So the only way we can basically go is south, and
that's we take care of ErieCounty.
We are working on licenses tosell in New York state.
We're working on that.
We do have other entitiesdistributors and stuff in PA
(07:48):
that we sell our wine to, andthat helps all on sales too.
So we do have a good followingin that point and it keeps us
very busy.
Pennsylvania has a lot of wineshows.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And so we do travel to a lot of those too.
But we are growing for the fewyears that we've been in for
existing, let me see and we'vebeen in there for like two and a
half years, yeah, and we havegrown so much my children take
care of it.
Basically, I let the children Igot the three girls and my son
(08:32):
and my grandson.
They'll take care of thebusiness themselves.
I oversee it, but you know mygrandson, bo, he's the wine
maker.
He went to school for it.
He worked under a couple ofwine makers, Mm-hmm.
And and that was one of thethings that even my wife wanted
to do is, instead of him goingout to California, she says well
(08:55):
, we do have to do that too.
You know we have to.
Let's keep this family togethera little bit and do this and
that, and that's what the bigthing we have done there, to
keep everybody close, keep youknow close together and working
on that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I think it's great when you know as a, as a family,
you and your wife are able toprovide not just food for now or
, you know, shelter untilthey're 18, but to create a
legacy where the entire familycan benefit from what you guys
(09:35):
have created and you know itgoes on to the next generation.
The next generation, oh yeah.
You know, and, and not only that, but as you guys, guys, are all
growing, the town is growingwith you guys too.
I think that's what wasimpressive, because when I was
there and you guys had a showgoing on, everyone that I met
(09:56):
were people from the town, and Ilove that, because everyone
knew each other.
You know, yeah, and that thatthat's something that it's
harder to get.
Here in Florida, where You'veknown someone for generations,
you know.
This just doesn't really existlike that in Florida, where
there I went to a bar that samenight and when I was talking to
(10:21):
strangers, I mean they all knewwho you guys were.
I'm talking to me, they'restrangers, but they already knew
you guys from the 50s.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That was funny Well you know your small towns, which
you know before we got 12,000people living in it.
You know that's a small townand you go 15 miles to the east
and then you have area you know,which is a little you know, a
little small city but you knowit's there.
But when you set your rootsthere and you stay there and it
(10:56):
is a very close-knit area youtend to know everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yes, the history.
But I think too, like there'sthe good history and then
there's like the sportinghistory, because then, if you
are, say that you wrestle, youwrestle in high school.
Right, there's a competingwrestling team from down the
street, then the grandparentsprobably wrestled each other and
(11:26):
then the grandkids wrestledeach other.
That rivalry has been thereforever.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh yeah, and I like that.
Oh yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, it's like that, that rivalry, generational
rivalry.
It's like Romeo and Juliet thefamilies that feed each other.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh yeah, yeah, it's always been you know your sports
like that always came together,like that always.
But and I mentioned the threegirls, yes, I have one more.
You know my other daughter.
I had twin daughters too.
Yes, and so the other twin.
(12:03):
They purchased the golf coursedown the street.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
The golf course very long leg front and so they're
more involved in that instead ofthe winery.
So what we try to do is worktogether with the Benson and
stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, from a marketing standpoint, have you got?
When you guys do events, areyou guys able to sell liquor and
wine at the golf course, orbeer Like?
How does that work?
Since it's also a border, itsits on the border of New York
as well.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Right, yes, Well, as of right now, we're working on.
We're working to sell ourproduct in her clubhouse.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We're not there yet but we are working to sell that
on.
In that case there is licensesyou can purchase on special
events.
Yes, so you know we canpurchase them on special events,
but the salad on the marketpart of it.
(13:10):
We kind of go with adistributor, which we are the
process of.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
So for you like in the state of Florida to purchase
, like a beer and wine licenselast by check it was $50,000 to
do so.
Is it similar?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, it's not like that it's you have to get with a
major distributor.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And so some of these distributors only open the door
up Like a lottery system Forapplications, maybe twice a year
, and so when that door opens up, you've got to have everything.
Your eyes dodgy, your teethcross and everything and submit
your paperwork in with all yoursamples and what it is, and that
(13:52):
goes through the distributorsand if they like it, they accept
you.
They don't, they don't, and youjust keep on trying, and trying
, and trying.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
And.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I don't know about Florida how it works down here.
I'm not, we're not familiarwith the Florida, but I'm more
familiar with PA in New York,you know, on theirs.
And we are looking in Ohio too,right along the lakefront up
there in the Cleveland area,because you know you're talking
(14:21):
areas that's right smack in,right smack in the middle of
Buffalo, cleveland andPittsburgh.
We're, you know, we're rightsmack in the middle of that
region and we get a lot ofpeople coming up from other
cities, especially Pittsburghwe're low to Pittsburgh people
(14:41):
that walk down and they love it.
You know we get three people upthere that's never even seen
the lake.
They say this is an ocean.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, I thought it was the ocean too when I was
looking at Lake Erie and I hadto go on my phone to realize
that that wasn't an ocean.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Oh yeah, it's not a you know, because it stretches
from Buffalo to Detroit.
Yes, it's huge.
I mean you can't see the otherside.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
You know you can go across on a boat before you
better be ready for it, becausesometimes that lake would be.
You know you get roughsometimes.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Did he?
I think, when I was up there,you had just purchased a boat,
right?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, oh yeah, we take it out, wetake it out.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's how I know, if I come back up there, I'm not
going to come back down here,and I'm telling you.
I'm telling you, it's just,it's just not all the things
that I love in life.
It's right there.
I love the water.
I love not being around a tonof people all the time like that
.
I love golfing, so I love one.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, because you can .
The shores of Lake Erie, itmakes a unique for reporting
great region is you've got likefive miles of flat land.
Yes, that goes from the hills,it goes and it goes north and it
flattens out all the way toLake Erie and that lake protects
the vines from but ripening,not ripening, but it protects
(16:27):
the vines from freezing in thespring.
It'll hold back the, it'll holdback the vines from waking up,
let's say, and so they won't budas early, so they'll bud late,
they'll bud maybe around the15th of May.
And if they do that, Get readyby October.
(16:48):
No, you don't hit the dead frost.
The frost it'll kill your budsand it protects that vine in
that part of it and that's thebiggest region.
And then we have we have thegood clay.
We have that clay down therethat holds so much nutrients and
(17:08):
stuff, and the vine itself, theroots.
The roots are very strong, Ithink they, they, they PSI push
is like 300 PSI.
So it pushes down, the rootswill get in that clay and all
the nutrients are in there andit just soaks it up and makes a
beautiful vine.
Now what's unique about thatwhole region?
(17:30):
Okay, you have that, you havethat crop.
And then what are the peoplethat's living there?
In the summertime they got thelake.
In the wintertime they can goup on top of the hill 15 miles
away and go skiing all the time.
So you know, you got skiing,you got terrific hunting up in
the mountains.
(17:51):
Another thing I love.
Yeah, it's just so much you cando in so short of a travel
period and you're not far fromany major cities at all.
You know I can travel to anairport within less than two
hours in any direction.
So you know that'll take youanywhere in the world.
So it is very unique.
(18:12):
You wouldn't believe the peoplethat we do get from other
countries stuff too that lovesthe region, you know.
But you know it's just, it'sjust a nice little area.
Would I ever leave it?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
No, I mean, I didn't want to leave it and I'm not
even from there.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You know the winter used to be really rough up there
, but in the last two years ithasn't been that rough.
Yeah, do we get a couple feetof snow at a time?
Yeah, but you know what you candeal with that and it's just
like this.
You know, schools may have aone hour or two hour delay, two
feet of snow.
They won't even shut down.
They're built for that.
Yeah, you know they're ready togo.
(18:54):
All they have to do is makesure the plows have enough time
to get out there and plow theroads.
They don't shut down.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, that's why you guys are so bitter at wrestling,
because it's the winter sport.
One and two, if you're shut in,it ends the perfect thing to do
on the inside you know that'swhy it's funny like growing up.
You know the two states that Ilove for wrestling the college
wrestling Ohio and Pennsylvania.
(19:22):
Oh, wow, that's my two.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Oh yeah, we've had a lot, a lot of good wrestlers
come from, from Erie County, youknow.
So, yeah, matter of fact, thenthey have a couple of them, and
they have a couple of goodfootball players too, yeah, and
they have a couple throughoutthe colleges.
So, yeah, we produce prettygood athletes and the girls too.
Yeah, a couple.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
So what is this?
This mean, like, this businessmean for you, like, like, is it
for you?
Is it?
My kids have it and I overseeit, but and that's it.
Or do you feel a sense ofaccomplishment from everything
that's coming out of it?
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Oh I've.
It has grown, you know, since Iwas a kid.
I grew up there, yeah, I livedwhen I got married and
everything.
I moved to Northeast and had afamily there for oh, 15 years or
so, whatever.
Then I came back up to the farm, but I always was on the farm.
(20:23):
Yeah, I really never left thefarm, but it has grown so much,
it's unbelievable, I you know.
I sit back and I think myselfwell, we did a lot.
We did a lot to that, you know,and even when my sisters come
back up to visit, they can'tbelieve how much it has grown
(20:46):
and improved and everything.
But that's just.
Every business has to do that.
Every business has to grow andimprove to survive.
Anything you have to, you haveto, not a bunch, but you know,
3%, 4% every year or somethinglike that.
You keep, you keep, dancing,dancing, dancing.
You will have a successfulbusiness and that's just what we
(21:11):
did.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
But I love it.
You know, here's, I lovemarketing.
I love the right kind ofmarketing, you know.
And the thing that I noticedand I don't think I've ever said
this to you was the reason whyI think you guys are also so
successful is because all of youare owners, right.
(21:38):
So your kids are a part oftheir owners and they're on top
of it.
You know, they're putting outthe Facebook messages and
they're doing the events andthey're doing it.
You know, like everyone's, Isee everyone playing their part
and that's, that's beautiful,it's like sure it's family.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So there, there are moments where people are going
to butt heads, but it's in abusiness, I really believe you
have to butt heads a little bit.
I mean that's that's a sign ofgrowth when button heads,
because it's different ideas soyou can.
You can grab a few thoughtshere and a few thoughts there.
I mean it's how you controlwhen you butt your heads.
(22:22):
You know, that's the way Ibelieve it.
It's everybody.
Everybody does everythingdifferent but at the end, how's
it going to come out?
at the end, let's grab a littlehere, grab a little there, and
it'll work out that way.
Then you have to respect that.
I mean you have, you know every, everyone in that business, any
business.
(22:42):
You have to respect that.
Don't just say, guys, no, goodthis, and that you work together
, it'll grow.
It'll grow.
Respect each other.
You got.
You got a clear path to success.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
That's the way it is.
You know it's funny that yousay that, but in a corporate
environment they tell you theexact opposite.
You know it's oh, you keep thepeace.
You know, keep the peace.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
But you do keep the peace in a way they're, they're
right because you do keep thepeace, because you respect each
other's opinions, and so yougrab them a little here and a
little there, and so you're, soyou're, you're, you're taking
that basket full, full of energy, and you're coming out with a
(23:26):
piece of dynamite, which whichis that's how you grow.
You have to have that, you'vegot to have that energy.
You don't have it.
Something's wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
You know one of the things that I hate about you
know, corporate environments isthat a lot of times I mean, yes,
you know, it's true that Idon't get to.
It's not my business, I'm justsomeone that works for the
corporation that's in charge ofother people and I get, like you
(24:02):
know, like I was saying, youknow, in the corporate
environment, one of the thingsthat I hate about this
generation is everyone's okaywith just how things are, like
no one's trying to come up withnew ideas and no one's trying to
improve, and more and morepeople are lazy and they just
(24:29):
don't even know how to finishanything.
Everyone starts things and theyjust don't finish it, and that's
very frustrating for someonelike myself that, like when I
started, I was the youngestperson when I started and I was
privileged enough that everyonethat I worked with were people
who were retired from managementand things of that nature.
(24:52):
So early on I was able to justlearn from everyone that was
older than me.
You know, even if I didn't planon I didn't at the time, I
didn't plan on going intomanagement, but I still took the
information regardless.
And now, you know, you have alot of people who they say they
(25:16):
want to go into management butthey don't want the information.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
You know like they don't well, I think some people
do want to go into managementbut they may not have the
self-confidence in themselves.
You know it might be a littlescared a little bit, but this
and that you know where they.
You know you go into management.
(25:41):
You're out there sometimes byyourself and you gotta come up
with some decisions sometimeswhere you're uncomfortable with.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
So it is tough.
It's tough to get.
You need a good how would I sayit?
You need a good person behindyou to help you out, sometimes
Absolutely.
You know, and that's it.
You know, it's.
(26:12):
That's how it goes.
Everybody you know.
Nobody's born with that.
I think you've developed into amanagement position.
You're not born with it, Iagree.
You've developed yourself into agood relation, a good with your
(26:34):
employer and employers, andthat's where it comes from.
You know, I'm almost to thepoint where now I'm going to be
stepping back, you know, andletting then the family run it
more and more.
Yeah, you know.
(26:58):
So that's how we all grow,that's how they're going to grow
.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Is that now?
Is that something that's hardfor you, or is it something
you've been wanting to do?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Well, I'll tell you.
What's hard about the wholedamn thing is when we first
started this adventure with thewinery, we the wife and I we
started.
She really wanted it going.
I was hesitating a little bit.
I knew it.
I worked out it was a fault.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Did it bring you back to your childlike memories?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
No, it didn't bring me back to childlike memories.
I just knew, man, I got a tonof vineyards out there and I'm
doing this and that I didn'tknow how much work there was.
And I got people working and Igot, and then I'm going, wow,
but she got me going and she didit, but then, you know, she got
sick and she passed away withyou know cause of cancer.
And so we, the kids, ralliedand we got it done and got it up
(27:54):
and got it going and I givethem, I give everyone of my
children, even even Corinne withthe golf course, you know cause
?
Anne was hopping around the golfcourse too getting that
business going and and, yeah, Ithink every one of them picked
up the pace a little bit andtook care of it.
(28:14):
And now, you know, I'm gettingto the point where I got to
start easing back and makingsure everything is going nice
and easy for the.
You know, not easy, but theyknow the directions they're
going in and that's about it.
You know.
It's just, it's been nice tohave Anne around and see it, but
(28:37):
hopefully she's going to see,can see it where she's at.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Yeah, you know, I think that's what makes great
leaders, like what you just said.
Sometimes you know being aleader isn't something that you
decide yourself, like someoneelse kind of pushes it even in
that direction and everythingjust comes together that way.
But then also like a greatleader as someone that knows
(29:04):
when to just back off.
You know back off because whenthey back off, that's the time
that, like like you said,everyone grows.
You know because now they haveto make the decisions and learn
from whatever mistakes they make, and they get comfortable in
that position because now theyhave experience and the more you
(29:24):
have your hand in it, the lessexperience they'll have.
So I mean, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
So I believe everything's going pretty decent
right now and yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
So what's a major takeaway?
If you had to impart someadvice on someone that's young,
that's trying to figure out theworld right now, what would you
tell them?
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Well, you know, there's two different ways to
look at that.
All right, I'm all ears If I wasjust getting out of school.
You got to know which way,which direction, you want to go.
You know, if there is a familybusiness, do you want to go in
that family business?
If there's not a familybusiness and you want to, and
you just don't know which wayyou want to go, the young kids
you don't get out of high school, just you know.
(30:14):
Do you want to go with a highereducation, become whatever you
want to become, or do you wantto go to a trade school and look
and pick up a great trade?
There's so much opportunity outthere and it's wide open for
this.
You know it's wide open, butyou'll get out of it.
You got to work hard to get it.
(30:39):
If you don't work hard in thosethree or four years you're in
school learning it, you're goingto have a harder time getting
out.
When you get out of, let's sayyou're done with college or
you're done with a trade schooland you get into the trades, you
get to say you're takingapprenticeship at, are you doing
(31:00):
your?
Wherever you have to go, yougot to work hard for it.
I mean, I really believe that Imean you listen to your like me
old time.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
No say the old time, I think.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Because the old time will help guide you.
It gives them the respect andthey'll tell you what they'll
give you the world.
If you, if you come at themhard and everything, they're
gonna brush you off to the side.
Boy, you can learn a lot ofstuff from them.
They'll get tell you the insand outs and this and that.
Then, with your new experience,you got because every, every
(31:39):
generation is smarter than thelast one.
Yeah, that's what, that's wherewe grow, that's where the
growth is, and so they take thatold stuff, they put in there
with the new stuff and we gotbetter stuff.
Yeah and it's there.
It's actually there and it'ssomething that the young kids,
you know the younger generation,has to realize.
(32:00):
There's a lot out, there's alot of opportunities out there,
it's everywhere, but they haveto Sometime.
You know, just work with theolder guys and girls and go from
there.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
You know it's funny.
I can tell you for a fact, allof the success that I
experienced right now in mycareer is because I Made the
decision to be humble.
You have to humble yourself andbe open to criticism so you can
grow and sometimes you know how, how you, how you get the
(32:38):
criticism.
It may not feel good but it's,it's something that it's
necessary for you to be better.
And and and you know, I have amentor and he's getting ready to
retire and a lot of people theysee that we have a great
relationship, but they don't seethe Harsh side of me getting
(33:02):
from there to here.
They just see the finishedproduct.
Same like with wrestling.
You know, oh, you know, inpractice you could get your butt
kicked every single day.
You probably think you suckBecause you're getting, you know
your butt kicked by people withmore experience.
You're getting you know youryour wrestling coach is Beating
(33:23):
you up every single day and youthink you suck until you go and
wrestle with somebody your ownage and then you realize that,
oh, maybe I don't know, andthat's that's how you know I
feel about.
You know, my career right nowis that I have gotten my butt
kicked so many times in harshways.
(33:44):
That Makes the problems that Iencounter now like see me easy,
like, oh, I don't freak out, I'mjust like, okay, this is what
happens.
You and you know I think thatthis generation could use more
of that.
You know, everyone's just beingpampered and they don't know
how to overcome.
You know, harsh thing, butregardless, you know, I'm just
(34:05):
so grateful that I haveexperienced all those things in
life and I'm also grateful thatI got to experience and vineyard
and be part of the family.
And you know, when I first metyou guys, you guys all made me
feel so welcome.
You know, right away, likeright away, and I and I just
(34:25):
feel so privileged To got youknow, get to be a part of all of
that and thank you guys forjust being great people Not even
good, but great people.
You know that's what.
Maybe that's why I love youwine so much.
Yeah, like I just I just feltlike right at home, like going
there, and this is like almost adecade in now and you know I'm
(34:47):
just so grateful to be a part ofthe family.
All right so thank you Wellthank you.
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