April 29, 2021 • 27 mins
Voices of Diversity host Rocki Howard speaks to guest Jacob Gray who is a passionate, charismatic leader and brand strategist.
He heads up business and brand strategy for L’Angolo Estate and he is the guy that keeps Chosen Family Wines running smoothly.
Jake joins us to talk about diversifying the wine industry and making a difference in the community through the One Barrel Challenge.
Jake is helping us to launch our new Diversity Resource Section as he talks to us as the Voice of a Chosen Family.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rocki Howard (00:02):
Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening,
wherever you are in the world.
My name is Rocki Howard and I amthe host of the voices of
diversity podcast. And today, wehave a very special episode
coming at you. Instead of ourtraditional voices of diversity
episode, we are going to do whatwe call a resource of diversity
episode, we're launching a brandnew section on our website to
(00:25):
highlight great diversityresources and initiatives. And I
can't think of a better way toannounce it then with this very
special episode. Now I have totell you guys, I love it when
some of my favorite things likewine, diversity, resources, and
a good cause come together. Andtoday's guest is here to tell us
(00:46):
more about the initiative todiversify the wine industry and
his role in it. And so Jacob, Ibelieve in multiple dimensions
of diversity. I identify as sheher black Christian Chien, ex
wife, Mom, can you introduceyourself today to us today, tell
(01:06):
us who you are, what you do andhow you identify.
Jacob Gray (01:13):
It. I thank you for having me. Rocki. My name is
Jacob gray. I am a white maleborn and raised in Davis,
California, residing inPortland, Oregon. I'm a father,
I'm a husband, I'm a friend. Itry to be a leader. I try to
hold myself accountable. Mymother's Jewish woman from
Philadelphia, my dad's a Quakerfrom California, I'm a mountain
(01:34):
the best way and I've just beenraised to try to be the best
human I can be and hold myselfand the people around me to
accountability andresponsibility. So I'm just
living in my skin and trying tobe me and trying to hold a have
great conversations with peoplethat are trying to move the
needle in the right.
Rocki Howard (01:50):
Absolutely love that. And I couldn't have
written a better intro foranyone. Right. And that's what
happens when you show upauthentically. So thank you for
showing up today. authentically,right? You know what, I know you
are in the wine industry. ButI'm really curious. How long
have you been in the industry?
How does one get started in thewine industry?
Jacob Gray (02:15):
That's a great question. So I've probably been
in the wine industry for aboutfive or six years from a
professional standpoint. Beforethat, I was in the independent
film world. And my lastproducing partner would say, our
job is a 10 year dinner party,you're schmoozing, you're taking
people out, you're sharingstories, you're connecting
(02:36):
people, you're trying to take agreat idea and executed across
the board. So it was a longjourney with a lot learned. And
I would say I ate and drank verywell through that was always
capable of bringing peopletogether and always wanted
information on the things I wassharing with people. And the
more I fall in love with stuff,the more I dive into it, and the
more I want to know, so that Ican be a resource to the people
(02:56):
that I that trust me the most.
And I grew up in Davis,California. And if you know
where that is, it's a littlecollege town outside of
Sacramento. But we're only aboutan hour from Napa County. Okay,
so definitely my my parentsdrank a bit of wine growing up,
definitely had some friends thatwere wine makers. But that
didn't shift the culturalparadigm of being a young man
playing sports and hanging outwith his buddies and drinking
cheap alcohol. I wasn't young. Iwasn't young to the wine game.
(03:20):
But um, I had moved up toPortland about a decade ago to
be with my now wife, andWillamette Valley is about 45
minutes away, and they're makingsome of the best wines in the
world. They focus on Pinot Noirand Chardonnay for the most
part. Beautiful rolling hillsgets cool at night to farm,
these high end grapes. And oneof my now best friends and
(03:42):
business partners and I actuallyorganically met on a golf course
for the first time and justbecame buddies and started
eating and drinking and hisfamily had bought a vineyard and
they were building a beautifultasting room and they were
getting ready to harvest andmake their first wines. So while
this was all happening, I thinkI was just kind of in the right
place the right time to askquestions and was super
intrigued on what they weredoing. still didn't know I'd be
in the wine industry. But I theyinvited me to help with their
(04:05):
first harvest, which means maketheir first wines. I didn't
really do anything other thanmanual labor and show up every
day. But I learned a lot andthat learning turned into why
don't we maybe build a businesstogether because his skill set
and mine are very different whenit comes down to it. I'm a
people person. I'm an extrovert,he's more of an introverted
artist. But coming from astorytelling background. I mean,
(04:26):
art meets commerce, right, a lotof the best artists are they
need help telling their stories,selling their stories and
sharing their story. So that waskind of my brevity into wine was
I love this thing and I want toshare it with my people. And
then very quickly, I realizedthat the common denominator was
how do we market to old richwhite people and is a compelling
is that can be to some people.
(04:48):
It wasn't very compelling to me.
It didn't reflect the dinnertable I had and I think the fact
that we kind of had the abilityto build a brand for ourselves,
our generation, our questions,our comfort level, and I Think
wine all too often had a barrierof entry where people just got
turned off quickly instead ofturned on. And I thought it was
our job to turn people on to whynot turn people off to wine. So
just as you're making a worldclass product doesn't mean you
(05:09):
have to be a jerk about it. Andthat was kind of step one. And
then step two was, I think, theway we speak, the way we dress,
the way we communicate couldstay the way that we are. And
then I think we could learn howto market and brand and build
towards the future of findingpeople that could grow a
business with us, or a brandwith us a consumer isn't with
us, instead of a dying breed ofpeople that only cared about
(05:31):
what it used to be. So it's kindof like, welcome to this world.
I love it. I appreciate it. Andthen how can we kind of curate
it and create a culture of itfor ourselves? I
Rocki Howard (05:41):
absolutely love that. Because you said a couple
of things there that I want tocome back and pick up on
because, like, let's be honest,I think, to your point, the wine
industry is notorious for beingall white and very exclusive.
Right? It doesn't seem veryaccessible. It doesn't seem like
something that shared crossculturally. But it does seem a
(06:05):
little bit hoity toity, if Imight say, so, like, you know, a
girl from the hood from theSouthside of Chicago couldn't
imagine kind of, you know,growing up and wanting to go to
wine country, because it didn'tseem like there was a place for
me. So it's really interestingthat as you came into the
industry, you saw that samething.
Jacob Gray (06:26):
Yeah, I think we understood that that was
something that we wouldhopefully be a part of the
change of just because oursocial circles, the people that
we gravitate towards the dinnertables we were at, and then let
alone if you throw in athleticsand the color barrier there. And
then if I have some friends thatplay professional sports, I was
in the entertainment industry,it wasn't just white and Heidi
(06:47):
toidy. But it was also how canyou connect people to something
that you love that? I mean,we're talking about a luxury
good, we're talking about abeverage? Why would there ever
be a beverage that has coloredblinders on? It just doesn't
make sense. But at the sametime, where is your aha moment,
where is the moment that youfell in love with something to
pursue it to put time and energybehind it? Right? I think all of
our hobbies are something thatwe found someone shared with us.
(07:09):
And then we had the one and wellto go pursue. And I think we
needed to kind of tackle thatwith wine a little bit. And it's
an ever evolving thing. It'sjust more of I don't think that
as the human that I am and thebrand that we were building that
we were going to segment ourmarketing to anyone other than
just an age group and a thoughtprocess and a culture. And
(07:29):
thankfully, Nikes in ourbackyard, Adidas is in our
backyard. So there's people fromevery walk of life moving here,
and they're realizing in theirbackyard is one of the prettiest
wine countries in the world. Andif they could find a clubhouse
that's architecturally pleasingwith great views, and they're
listening to a little hip hopwhile they drink some of the
best wine in the world. There'sno reason that that can't
resonate to any color. Right?
And not that it has to be hipup. But maybe it's any kind of
it's something that makes peoplenot just feel hoity toity,
(07:52):
right. And again, just becauseour vineyard outside dictates
really high price points fortheir wines means the farming
quality and the things that wedo to make sure we deliver a
great product doesn't mean thatwe can't host people in a
capacity that makes themcomfortable. There's no wrong
questions. It's all subjective.
Anyway, what you taste and whatI taste is different. So why
would I ever tell you yourtastes are wrong? So it's really
(08:12):
just kind of finding that thattouch point to make people go?
Yeah, this can be for me, thisis awesome. And frankly, as I
got older, I wasn't out at theclub as much I wasn't partying
as much my party was a dinnertable with great conversations.
And if you want to have a dinnerparty with me with great
conversation, we should probablyopen a great bottle of wine, and
then talk about where it camefrom, and then go to Spain real
(08:33):
quick, go to Italy real quick,go to Napa, go to Oregon. And
all of a sudden, it just buildsrapport with the people that
around you. And I mean, peoplealways ask when should you open
a fancy bottle of wine? But it'slike, what do you listen to?
What do you cook? And did youhave a good day, like, there's
so many other things that canset the tone for your own
hospitality for your own mode,magical moments that I think I
(08:54):
was just kind of like, I triedto learn all this. So I can
share all this right? And thenwhoever I get to share that with
that's the point. So then theycan share it with people. And it
didn't have to be a very smallsegment of the world. Not that I
can define or shift it. But I'mjust going to do my best to
share what I've learned andshare it with the people that I
love. And I don't think thatthere's a color. I
Rocki Howard (09:10):
love that. When you think about sitting around
the dinner table and the peoplethat sit around your table. I'm
wondering if that impacted thename chosen family. Tell us a
little bit about how we chosethe name chosen family and then
tell us about chosen family.
Unknown (09:28):
Sure.
Jacob Gray (09:29):
And just for clarity, though the wine that
the brand that I'm speakingabout is called long below
estate and it's I'm the generalmanager of a winery called
Longfellow estate. It's a familyowned small business and we make
killer wine and have a greattasting room. And then out of
that that the growth of thatbusiness one of my best friends
who became really good friendswith my owner and winemaker
chase Wren. His name is ChanningFrye and Channing Frye is a
(09:49):
seven foot black man that playedin the NBA won an NBA
championship is married has fourbeautiful kids and decided to
make portland oregon his homeand I've known him for Almost 15
years now. And if you canimagine, I'm almost 40. So 15
years ago, I wasn't reallydrinking that much wine. So as
humans, we knew each other. Ashumans, we've evolved. And as
we've evolved, we've alwaysshared things that we loved. And
(10:11):
when we, when we get together,whether it was traveling or in
our hometowns along the way, wewould break bread, we'd eat
dinner, you know, we'd catch up.
And a lot of times we started aswe got older drinking good wines
or asking questions about goodwine. There's nothing more
intimidating than going to anice restaurant getting handed a
wine.
Rocki Howard (10:28):
What goes where?
Who goes, What?
Unknown (10:31):
Yeah, like a foreign
Jacob Gray (10:32):
language, and then you're just picking it out on
price points, and you're gettingyour best, you know, you're just
guessing basically, it's aneducated guess. So we've just
kind of tried to gradually getbetter at that. And then I got
in the wine industry. And thenas Channing was getting out of
the NBA, we were talking aboutlaunching a brand together, we'd
always thought it'd be a coolidea. I think my career needed
to be where it was, I think histime level and passion level
(10:53):
needed to be where it was, andthen chase our other business
partner at the moment. And KevinLove, just join us. We can talk
about that later. But um, we gotto work. It's just like, let's
launch a brand. And yes, we satdown, we sat with a creative
agency, we sat with ourselves.
And then one of the things tothe dinner table comment is,
that's our chosen family. Theone thing that we lose as we get
busier is time, we only get tosee the people we love so much,
(11:15):
and who you really go throughlife with is your chosen family,
whether it's your real family,or the people that you choose to
spend your time with that yourchosen family. And I think
that's what we wanted this wine.
This brand, this idea of sharingour favorite wines from with
people was to share it with ourchosen family so they can share
it with their chosen family sothey can share with their chosen
family. And I think the touchpoint of things being shared
(11:36):
with you by people you love iswhere you fall in love with
things, and where I thinkconsumerism and marketing can
really bump their heads on apowerful, authentic thing. And
then when we were doing that, welearn so CJ McCollum is another
basketball player and youngblack man that plays for the
Portland Trailblazers, helaunched a wine brand around the
same time that we did. And whenwe were both launching our
(11:58):
brands, we learned that CJ andChanning is champions, the
majority owner of our brand,that both of them were majority
on black wine brands. And Ithink at that moment, which is
less than a year ago, there wasbetween 70 and 80 majority owned
black wine brands in the world,I believe. Don't quote me on
that. But I think I'm right. Andthen if you think about the
(12:19):
world of wine, I don't want tosay there's millions. But
there's a lot of wine brands. Soto see the disparity in just
ownership, which you know, a lotof that goes with socio economic
things, there's layers to allthat. But all the shift has to
start somewhere. And then whenyou start seeing a young black
man from Phoenix, Arizona, or Ithink CJs, from Ohio, somewhere,
become getting in the wine gameand the NBA having a voice in a
(12:42):
platform and people being turnedon to wine by it. Now we're
connecting with people, nowwe're having the ability to tell
story. Now we're being able tosay, well look at them, they did
it. And it's not just aboutownership. It's not just about
being lucky enough to makemillions of dollars playing
basketball, there's stories totell there's content to be
created, there's wine to besold, there's farming to be
done. There's the wine industryis a beautiful place. But if we
don't create something, where wecan invite people into it, where
(13:05):
your son's not asking, Hey, whatif I get out of college and go
to do this, right? We need totouch points to get people to
go, Well, I didn't know thisindustry could be for me. And
it's not just in one way.
There's so many different ways.
And I think that's our point isjust going like we love this, we
want to share it with people.
But we want everyone to know,they're welcome. If their
passion points are there, it'snot just because of a color of
your skin. But if your color ofthe skin is different than maybe
(13:26):
the majority of white ownedbrands doesn't mean that there
isn't a place from you. And itdoesn't mean that if you don't
help if you get involved, thatyou're not the help, that's
going to shift, right. So we'rejust kind of starting that
conversation. So I'm sorry, I'mgetting no no but chosen. That
because the brand that we
Rocki Howard (13:41):
Yeah, I was gonna say no, that's not long winded,
because that's the point thatwhat you just talked about is
the broader implication ofdiversifying an industry, right?
You change the game, you change,who sits at the table, you
change how they look at careeropportunities, you literally
open up opportunities for peoplewho are severely
(14:02):
underrepresented in an industryand you change the game when you
do that.
Jacob Gray (14:07):
And that's, and that's the goal. And so to segue
from that, what the chosenfamily wines is literally a
business in a wine brand. And itis a black owned wine brand. And
it's something we're reallypassionate about. And someone
put a lot of work and effortinto it. And we're literally
also trying to make and sharesome of the best wines in the
world. So we're working on pricepoint, inclusion, all the things
but we are going about it in away that we're passionate about
to share with other people. Andthen one of the things that that
(14:30):
spawn when I got into like laborand workforce and changing the
dream and empowering people. Andas we launched an initiative
called the one barrel challengethat kind of came out of these
learning processes, these deepconversations 70 black wine
brands in the world, Holysmokes. That's not a lot. How do
we get more people to getinvolved? How do we hold
ourselves accountable? How do weget the industry to hold itself
(14:50):
accountable? So I think out ofthose conversations in the
bigger social justiceconversations that we're having
a few of my favorite people saidyou know if you're going to be
in the wind industry, you mightwant to just kick that door
open. Like if you're havingthese conversations, where's
your time and your energy spentand I'm in the wine industry,
I've got a couple businesses andI'm, I'm busy and it's like,
well, then go put your time andenergy there. So Channing and I,
(15:13):
and six, or five or six otherseven total brands started the
one barrel challenge, which ischallenging ourselves, our peers
in our industry in Oregon, totake a barrel of wine and give
100% of those proceeds to anonprofit to start helping the
betterment of the barrier ofentry for people of color into
the wine industry. So I think alot of these touch points that
I'm talking to were kind of thecause and effect of us trying to
(15:36):
do something even bigger thanwhat we were talking about at
Rocki Howard (15:39):
our one action at a time is our belief you change
the world, one story, oneconversation, one action, one
glass of wine at a time. Talk tous about one barrel challenge
this year, who I know that youare supporting a particular
organization, it seems like thevision is going to be that you
will do this annually, and youwill support a particular
(16:02):
organization annually tell us alittle bit about this year's
organization.
Jacob Gray (16:08):
So this year's organization is called the
Maurice Lucas foundation. Andthen Reese Lucas foundation is a
nonprofit organization that'sbeen around for many years in
the Portland Community, givingback to people of need and young
people of color to have lifeexperiences that they might not
have always had. So we've justseen the work that they've done.
And it's not as a lot of peoplewill, what does that have to do
(16:32):
with wine. But during a globalpandemic, during the huge fires
we had this year, we had all theopportunities to not do this.
And we wanted to do this. And wealso wanted to give back and
impact where we live, which isOregon and Portland,
specifically. So we wanted topick someone that was doing
great work in Portland that wecould then find some harmony
with to build out scholarshipprograms build out something in
the future. So we're startingsomewhere that we know the
(16:53):
impact will be felt. And thenwe're going to go Okay, so how
do we hold higher educationaccountable? How do we get them
to help us so I think we're justbuilding the base layer of what
we hope to do into the future,which is create a barrier of
entry for people of color intothe wine industry. But the Reese
Lucas Foundation, he played forthe Portland Trailblazers, his
son runs the foundation. Now, hepassed away a little too early.
(17:15):
And they did this in his honorto get back to the community he
loved so much. So that's what wesaw. And we just wanted to do
something. And then you know,one barrel of wine equals 300
bottles of wine. So 300 bottlesof wine is $50 a bottle $30 a
bottle $40 a bottle and 100% ofthose by seven different brands,
which is 2100 bottles of wine,you can do the math on it a
(17:36):
little bit. It's a startingpoint, right. And I think if I'm
I think we're limitless in ourpotential, I think the the
timing is great, I think thatthe people are going to pay
attention to it. And it's in alot of people I've spoke to
about it have been like, That'sawesome, bravo. And we're glad
someone's doing something likethat. And then I think we're
gonna find like mindedcommunities and people that go,
we're working on this too. So Ithink there's gonna be tentacles
(17:57):
and there's ways to empower eachother. And then if we're doing
an Oregon, if you go out into awinery, anywhere in the world,
which is the production facilitywhere you make the wine, there's
one language that everyonespeaks, and that's barrels of
wine. So whether it's France,Italy, Greece, China, Napa,
Georgia, New York, Oregon, Ithink that if people like what
we're doing and understand whywe're doing it, and it resonates
(18:19):
with them, and they want toraise their hand to be held
accountable, I think this thingcan be done anywhere. So we
started small to try to learnthrough it and execute it
correctly, so that we canempower others to join us in in
the cause. And in the work we'retrying to do into the future,
Craig,
Rocki Howard (18:35):
I want to know, and I will make sure this is the
whole purpose for doing this.
I'm so excited about what youguys are doing. And we're going
to make sure that the resourcethat your information and how we
can support you is put on ourresources page, so that people
know how to come in and not onlybuy great wine and learn more
about it, but to support the onebarrel challenge. Before we wrap
(18:58):
up today, like teacup, I've soenjoyed our conversation. And
you know, I've talked offline, Ican't wait to have you back,
you're going to come back andsit with me. And we're going to
talk a little bit about allyship and what that really means
and how to do that. But beforewe wrap up today, and maybe in
that vein, I love for you totell our audience, why it was
(19:21):
important for you personally,right? So we started at the top
you identified as a white man,I'd love for you to tell us why
it was important for youpersonally to be a voice of
diversity and part of thischanging industry.
Jacob Gray (19:40):
Well, that's a powerful question. Um I don't
know. I don't know if I had achoice in the best way possible.
I don't know that I could livein my skin say I am who I am.
Want to impact the things that Iwant to impact that if I want to
ask these hard questions andhold people accountable around
me and the best way possible,then I think that if I have a
(20:02):
vision that I want to be aleader that I need to be the man
that I'm trying to speak intoexistence. So I think, if my
partners are of African Americanor black guys that and we're
getting asked all thesequestions, and if I'm a part of
a black owned wine brand, if I'min an industry that I love that
I want to share with people, butit does it just continuously,
where it feels like it's verywhite across the board, I mean,
(20:23):
what can we do to help that?
Right? So I just, I just thinkit's been a natural
conversation, just kind of bringlife into the wine industry in a
great way, but also to shine alight on maybe where we think
some things are lacking, andmaybe how things could get
better into the future. Because,I mean, if involvement and
growth isn't a part of our dailyroutine as humans, I don't know
what we're doing. So if we wantto get better, and we want to
(20:46):
get better as ourselves, then wewant the people around us to
have the opportunity to getbetter. And I've never seen a
world get better where, wherepeople aren't given
opportunities to, to participatein right like, I don't, I think
that in Channing loves to say,Well, shit, if we're going to
say that this thing is soamazing, but it's only getting
one perspective, then that's notthe truth. So I think if one
(21:07):
wants to grow, then the peoplethat participate in it need to
grow. And I think we need tohave different points of view
from across the globe. And noneof us are right or wrong, but at
the same time, US empoweringeach other to have those
conversations to share thisthing that we love. Yeah, I
mean, I guess it just, it waswhat I was supposed to be doing
at this moment in my life. And Ithink I just felt an urge to
(21:29):
speak this into existence. And Iknow when we first thought about
the one barrel challenge, we we,in a way control two brands,
right? We could have said yes tothis idea for two chosen family
wines and long Lewis state, ascool as that could have been.
And as much as that might have,some people might have been like
good for them. I think we neededsome ally ship some
partnerships, some people thatsaid, No, we see what you're
(21:52):
doing, we want to be a part ofit. So as much as any of us
could take credit for whothought of this or why I was
thought of when you see acommunity come together to
empower each other and to raisetheir hands to want to be
better. That's where thestrength is. So I think if we
can impact the industry itself,if we can have the industrial
complex of wine askingquestions, if we can have the
people that hire and pay forthings asking the right
(22:14):
questions, then I think we canactually see some change. And
it's not doesn't need to beovernight. I don't know what
change really means into thefuture other than it needs to
happen. And we need to speakabout it. And people need to
know the opportunity is there ifthey want it. Now, if people
don't want to participate in whybecause they find it boring. I
didn't know that I would bedoing this 1510 years ago,
(22:36):
right. But I love it. Iabsolutely love it. And I just
would love that if I'm going toown brands and manage people and
have the ability to lead peoplethat I want to have the
opportunity to meet all kinds ofwalks of life going yo I want to
be here. This is I here's myresume, this is what I'm looking
to do. This is what I bring tothe table. And not that that is
just a color thing. But it'sjust a cultural thing. It's a
(22:57):
life life experience thing. Ithink that we all benefit from
meeting and experiencing andsharing with people from all
different walks. Oh, man,
Rocki Howard (23:07):
I appreciate you.
Not only do I appreciate chosenfamily and the work that you're
doing, and the change thatyou're driving, but I appreciate
to your point, you said Icouldn't be the person that I
am. I couldn't be the man that Iam. I couldn't sit in my own
skin. And I see you and Iappreciate the man that you are
to thank you so much. You're notgonna make me come chase you too
(23:30):
hard when I get ready to do ournext episode, right?
Jacob Gray (23:36):
You're amazing. I love I love holding a
conversation with you. And Ilove the questions that you ask.
And I love your perspective onit. And I your energy's
infectious and I think thatthese things are very important.
So I think the ability for us toget a hold each other
accountable to get a hold, askeach other tough questions, to
build a relationship, and tosupport and empower each other
while we're trying to makechanges what's needed well,
Rocki Howard (23:58):
and it is absolutely needed. Because you
know what it is, I believe inall dimensions of diversity. And
I believe it takes all of us toactually change the narrative.
It can't be just diverseindividuals. It takes all of us
It takes all of us as humanbeings it takes all of us as
citizens to come together, havea conversation, see a challenge
(24:21):
and say let's go walk throughthat door together. And so I
want to thank you today forwalking through this door with
me. And we are going to makesure that everyone listening
knows about the one barrelchallenge and chosen family and
langostino as well so thank youso much for joining us.
Jacob Gray (24:40):
Your your absolute welcome. Thank you for having
me. And yeah, just in a simplesense one barrel challenge calm,
it goes live may 1 chosen familywines, calm. Any support is
always appreciated. That's notwhat we're here for. We're just
here to share our story and andhope to add to the narrative of
us all being in the middletrying to Make this thing right
(25:00):
and doing it together notseparating people on all of us
Rocki Howard (25:03):
being one chosen family.
Jacob Gray (25:06):
Exactly.
Thank you rock
Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening,
wherever you are in the world.
My name is Rocki Howard and I amthe host of the voices of
diversity podcast. And today, wehave a very special episode
coming at you. Instead of ourtraditional voices of diversity
episode, we are going to do whatwe call a resource of diversity
episode, we're launching a brandnew section on our website to
(00:25):
highlight great diversityresources and initiatives. And I
can't think of a better way toannounce it then with this very
special episode. Now I have totell you guys, I love it when
some of my favorite things likewine, diversity, resources, and
a good cause come together. Andtoday's guest is here to tell us
(00:46):
more about the initiative todiversify the wine industry and
his role in it. And so Jacob, Ibelieve in multiple dimensions
of diversity. I identify as sheher black Christian Chien, ex
wife, Mom, can you introduceyourself today to us today, tell
(01:06):
us who you are, what you do andhow you identify.
Jacob Gray (01:13):
It. I thank you for having me. Rocki. My name is
Jacob gray. I am a white maleborn and raised in Davis,
California, residing inPortland, Oregon. I'm a father,
I'm a husband, I'm a friend. Itry to be a leader. I try to
hold myself accountable. Mymother's Jewish woman from
Philadelphia, my dad's a Quakerfrom California, I'm a mountain
(01:34):
the best way and I've just beenraised to try to be the best
human I can be and hold myselfand the people around me to
accountability andresponsibility. So I'm just
living in my skin and trying tobe me and trying to hold a have
great conversations with peoplethat are trying to move the
needle in the right.
Rocki Howard (01:50):
Absolutely love that. And I couldn't have
written a better intro foranyone. Right. And that's what
happens when you show upauthentically. So thank you for
showing up today. authentically,right? You know what, I know you
are in the wine industry. ButI'm really curious. How long
have you been in the industry?
How does one get started in thewine industry?
Jacob Gray (02:15):
That's a great question. So I've probably been
in the wine industry for aboutfive or six years from a
professional standpoint. Beforethat, I was in the independent
film world. And my lastproducing partner would say, our
job is a 10 year dinner party,you're schmoozing, you're taking
people out, you're sharingstories, you're connecting
(02:36):
people, you're trying to take agreat idea and executed across
the board. So it was a longjourney with a lot learned. And
I would say I ate and drank verywell through that was always
capable of bringing peopletogether and always wanted
information on the things I wassharing with people. And the
more I fall in love with stuff,the more I dive into it, and the
more I want to know, so that Ican be a resource to the people
(02:56):
that I that trust me the most.
And I grew up in Davis,California. And if you know
where that is, it's a littlecollege town outside of
Sacramento. But we're only aboutan hour from Napa County. Okay,
so definitely my my parentsdrank a bit of wine growing up,
definitely had some friends thatwere wine makers. But that
didn't shift the culturalparadigm of being a young man
playing sports and hanging outwith his buddies and drinking
cheap alcohol. I wasn't young. Iwasn't young to the wine game.
(03:20):
But um, I had moved up toPortland about a decade ago to
be with my now wife, andWillamette Valley is about 45
minutes away, and they're makingsome of the best wines in the
world. They focus on Pinot Noirand Chardonnay for the most
part. Beautiful rolling hillsgets cool at night to farm,
these high end grapes. And oneof my now best friends and
(03:42):
business partners and I actuallyorganically met on a golf course
for the first time and justbecame buddies and started
eating and drinking and hisfamily had bought a vineyard and
they were building a beautifultasting room and they were
getting ready to harvest andmake their first wines. So while
this was all happening, I thinkI was just kind of in the right
place the right time to askquestions and was super
intrigued on what they weredoing. still didn't know I'd be
in the wine industry. But I theyinvited me to help with their
(04:05):
first harvest, which means maketheir first wines. I didn't
really do anything other thanmanual labor and show up every
day. But I learned a lot andthat learning turned into why
don't we maybe build a businesstogether because his skill set
and mine are very different whenit comes down to it. I'm a
people person. I'm an extrovert,he's more of an introverted
artist. But coming from astorytelling background. I mean,
(04:26):
art meets commerce, right, a lotof the best artists are they
need help telling their stories,selling their stories and
sharing their story. So that waskind of my brevity into wine was
I love this thing and I want toshare it with my people. And
then very quickly, I realizedthat the common denominator was
how do we market to old richwhite people and is a compelling
is that can be to some people.
(04:48):
It wasn't very compelling to me.
It didn't reflect the dinnertable I had and I think the fact
that we kind of had the abilityto build a brand for ourselves,
our generation, our questions,our comfort level, and I Think
wine all too often had a barrierof entry where people just got
turned off quickly instead ofturned on. And I thought it was
our job to turn people on to whynot turn people off to wine. So
just as you're making a worldclass product doesn't mean you
(05:09):
have to be a jerk about it. Andthat was kind of step one. And
then step two was, I think, theway we speak, the way we dress,
the way we communicate couldstay the way that we are. And
then I think we could learn howto market and brand and build
towards the future of findingpeople that could grow a
business with us, or a brandwith us a consumer isn't with
us, instead of a dying breed ofpeople that only cared about
(05:31):
what it used to be. So it's kindof like, welcome to this world.
I love it. I appreciate it. Andthen how can we kind of curate
it and create a culture of itfor ourselves? I
Rocki Howard (05:41):
absolutely love that. Because you said a couple
of things there that I want tocome back and pick up on
because, like, let's be honest,I think, to your point, the wine
industry is notorious for beingall white and very exclusive.
Right? It doesn't seem veryaccessible. It doesn't seem like
something that shared crossculturally. But it does seem a
(06:05):
little bit hoity toity, if Imight say, so, like, you know, a
girl from the hood from theSouthside of Chicago couldn't
imagine kind of, you know,growing up and wanting to go to
wine country, because it didn'tseem like there was a place for
me. So it's really interestingthat as you came into the
industry, you saw that samething.
Jacob Gray (06:26):
Yeah, I think we understood that that was
something that we wouldhopefully be a part of the
change of just because oursocial circles, the people that
we gravitate towards the dinnertables we were at, and then let
alone if you throw in athleticsand the color barrier there. And
then if I have some friends thatplay professional sports, I was
in the entertainment industry,it wasn't just white and Heidi
(06:47):
toidy. But it was also how canyou connect people to something
that you love that? I mean,we're talking about a luxury
good, we're talking about abeverage? Why would there ever
be a beverage that has coloredblinders on? It just doesn't
make sense. But at the sametime, where is your aha moment,
where is the moment that youfell in love with something to
pursue it to put time and energybehind it? Right? I think all of
our hobbies are something thatwe found someone shared with us.
(07:09):
And then we had the one and wellto go pursue. And I think we
needed to kind of tackle thatwith wine a little bit. And it's
an ever evolving thing. It'sjust more of I don't think that
as the human that I am and thebrand that we were building that
we were going to segment ourmarketing to anyone other than
just an age group and a thoughtprocess and a culture. And
(07:29):
thankfully, Nikes in ourbackyard, Adidas is in our
backyard. So there's people fromevery walk of life moving here,
and they're realizing in theirbackyard is one of the prettiest
wine countries in the world. Andif they could find a clubhouse
that's architecturally pleasingwith great views, and they're
listening to a little hip hopwhile they drink some of the
best wine in the world. There'sno reason that that can't
resonate to any color. Right?
And not that it has to be hipup. But maybe it's any kind of
it's something that makes peoplenot just feel hoity toity,
(07:52):
right. And again, just becauseour vineyard outside dictates
really high price points fortheir wines means the farming
quality and the things that wedo to make sure we deliver a
great product doesn't mean thatwe can't host people in a
capacity that makes themcomfortable. There's no wrong
questions. It's all subjective.
Anyway, what you taste and whatI taste is different. So why
would I ever tell you yourtastes are wrong? So it's really
(08:12):
just kind of finding that thattouch point to make people go?
Yeah, this can be for me, thisis awesome. And frankly, as I
got older, I wasn't out at theclub as much I wasn't partying
as much my party was a dinnertable with great conversations.
And if you want to have a dinnerparty with me with great
conversation, we should probablyopen a great bottle of wine, and
then talk about where it camefrom, and then go to Spain real
(08:33):
quick, go to Italy real quick,go to Napa, go to Oregon. And
all of a sudden, it just buildsrapport with the people that
around you. And I mean, peoplealways ask when should you open
a fancy bottle of wine? But it'slike, what do you listen to?
What do you cook? And did youhave a good day, like, there's
so many other things that canset the tone for your own
hospitality for your own mode,magical moments that I think I
(08:54):
was just kind of like, I triedto learn all this. So I can
share all this right? And thenwhoever I get to share that with
that's the point. So then theycan share it with people. And it
didn't have to be a very smallsegment of the world. Not that I
can define or shift it. But I'mjust going to do my best to
share what I've learned andshare it with the people that I
love. And I don't think thatthere's a color. I
Rocki Howard (09:10):
love that. When you think about sitting around
the dinner table and the peoplethat sit around your table. I'm
wondering if that impacted thename chosen family. Tell us a
little bit about how we chosethe name chosen family and then
tell us about chosen family.
Unknown (09:28):
Sure.
Jacob Gray (09:29):
And just for clarity, though the wine that
the brand that I'm speakingabout is called long below
estate and it's I'm the generalmanager of a winery called
Longfellow estate. It's a familyowned small business and we make
killer wine and have a greattasting room. And then out of
that that the growth of thatbusiness one of my best friends
who became really good friendswith my owner and winemaker
chase Wren. His name is ChanningFrye and Channing Frye is a
(09:49):
seven foot black man that playedin the NBA won an NBA
championship is married has fourbeautiful kids and decided to
make portland oregon his homeand I've known him for Almost 15
years now. And if you canimagine, I'm almost 40. So 15
years ago, I wasn't reallydrinking that much wine. So as
humans, we knew each other. Ashumans, we've evolved. And as
we've evolved, we've alwaysshared things that we loved. And
(10:11):
when we, when we get together,whether it was traveling or in
our hometowns along the way, wewould break bread, we'd eat
dinner, you know, we'd catch up.
And a lot of times we started aswe got older drinking good wines
or asking questions about goodwine. There's nothing more
intimidating than going to anice restaurant getting handed a
wine.
Rocki Howard (10:28):
What goes where?
Who goes, What?
Unknown (10:31):
Yeah, like a foreign
Jacob Gray (10:32):
language, and then you're just picking it out on
price points, and you're gettingyour best, you know, you're just
guessing basically, it's aneducated guess. So we've just
kind of tried to gradually getbetter at that. And then I got
in the wine industry. And thenas Channing was getting out of
the NBA, we were talking aboutlaunching a brand together, we'd
always thought it'd be a coolidea. I think my career needed
to be where it was, I think histime level and passion level
(10:53):
needed to be where it was, andthen chase our other business
partner at the moment. And KevinLove, just join us. We can talk
about that later. But um, we gotto work. It's just like, let's
launch a brand. And yes, we satdown, we sat with a creative
agency, we sat with ourselves.
And then one of the things tothe dinner table comment is,
that's our chosen family. Theone thing that we lose as we get
busier is time, we only get tosee the people we love so much,
(11:15):
and who you really go throughlife with is your chosen family,
whether it's your real family,or the people that you choose to
spend your time with that yourchosen family. And I think
that's what we wanted this wine.
This brand, this idea of sharingour favorite wines from with
people was to share it with ourchosen family so they can share
it with their chosen family sothey can share with their chosen
family. And I think the touchpoint of things being shared
(11:36):
with you by people you love iswhere you fall in love with
things, and where I thinkconsumerism and marketing can
really bump their heads on apowerful, authentic thing. And
then when we were doing that, welearn so CJ McCollum is another
basketball player and youngblack man that plays for the
Portland Trailblazers, helaunched a wine brand around the
same time that we did. And whenwe were both launching our
(11:58):
brands, we learned that CJ andChanning is champions, the
majority owner of our brand,that both of them were majority
on black wine brands. And Ithink at that moment, which is
less than a year ago, there wasbetween 70 and 80 majority owned
black wine brands in the world,I believe. Don't quote me on
that. But I think I'm right. Andthen if you think about the
(12:19):
world of wine, I don't want tosay there's millions. But
there's a lot of wine brands. Soto see the disparity in just
ownership, which you know, a lotof that goes with socio economic
things, there's layers to allthat. But all the shift has to
start somewhere. And then whenyou start seeing a young black
man from Phoenix, Arizona, or Ithink CJs, from Ohio, somewhere,
become getting in the wine gameand the NBA having a voice in a
(12:42):
platform and people being turnedon to wine by it. Now we're
connecting with people, nowwe're having the ability to tell
story. Now we're being able tosay, well look at them, they did
it. And it's not just aboutownership. It's not just about
being lucky enough to makemillions of dollars playing
basketball, there's stories totell there's content to be
created, there's wine to besold, there's farming to be
done. There's the wine industryis a beautiful place. But if we
don't create something, where wecan invite people into it, where
(13:05):
your son's not asking, Hey, whatif I get out of college and go
to do this, right? We need totouch points to get people to
go, Well, I didn't know thisindustry could be for me. And
it's not just in one way.
There's so many different ways.
And I think that's our point isjust going like we love this, we
want to share it with people.
But we want everyone to know,they're welcome. If their
passion points are there, it'snot just because of a color of
your skin. But if your color ofthe skin is different than maybe
(13:26):
the majority of white ownedbrands doesn't mean that there
isn't a place from you. And itdoesn't mean that if you don't
help if you get involved, thatyou're not the help, that's
going to shift, right. So we'rejust kind of starting that
conversation. So I'm sorry, I'mgetting no no but chosen. That
because the brand that we
Rocki Howard (13:41):
Yeah, I was gonna say no, that's not long winded,
because that's the point thatwhat you just talked about is
the broader implication ofdiversifying an industry, right?
You change the game, you change,who sits at the table, you
change how they look at careeropportunities, you literally
open up opportunities for peoplewho are severely
(14:02):
underrepresented in an industryand you change the game when you
do that.
Jacob Gray (14:07):
And that's, and that's the goal. And so to segue
from that, what the chosenfamily wines is literally a
business in a wine brand. And itis a black owned wine brand. And
it's something we're reallypassionate about. And someone
put a lot of work and effortinto it. And we're literally
also trying to make and sharesome of the best wines in the
world. So we're working on pricepoint, inclusion, all the things
but we are going about it in away that we're passionate about
to share with other people. Andthen one of the things that that
(14:30):
spawn when I got into like laborand workforce and changing the
dream and empowering people. Andas we launched an initiative
called the one barrel challengethat kind of came out of these
learning processes, these deepconversations 70 black wine
brands in the world, Holysmokes. That's not a lot. How do
we get more people to getinvolved? How do we hold
ourselves accountable? How do weget the industry to hold itself
(14:50):
accountable? So I think out ofthose conversations in the
bigger social justiceconversations that we're having
a few of my favorite people saidyou know if you're going to be
in the wind industry, you mightwant to just kick that door
open. Like if you're havingthese conversations, where's
your time and your energy spentand I'm in the wine industry,
I've got a couple businesses andI'm, I'm busy and it's like,
well, then go put your time andenergy there. So Channing and I,
(15:13):
and six, or five or six otherseven total brands started the
one barrel challenge, which ischallenging ourselves, our peers
in our industry in Oregon, totake a barrel of wine and give
100% of those proceeds to anonprofit to start helping the
betterment of the barrier ofentry for people of color into
the wine industry. So I think alot of these touch points that
I'm talking to were kind of thecause and effect of us trying to
(15:36):
do something even bigger thanwhat we were talking about at
Rocki Howard (15:39):
our one action at a time is our belief you change
the world, one story, oneconversation, one action, one
glass of wine at a time. Talk tous about one barrel challenge
this year, who I know that youare supporting a particular
organization, it seems like thevision is going to be that you
will do this annually, and youwill support a particular
(16:02):
organization annually tell us alittle bit about this year's
organization.
Jacob Gray (16:08):
So this year's organization is called the
Maurice Lucas foundation. Andthen Reese Lucas foundation is a
nonprofit organization that'sbeen around for many years in
the Portland Community, givingback to people of need and young
people of color to have lifeexperiences that they might not
have always had. So we've justseen the work that they've done.
And it's not as a lot of peoplewill, what does that have to do
(16:32):
with wine. But during a globalpandemic, during the huge fires
we had this year, we had all theopportunities to not do this.
And we wanted to do this. And wealso wanted to give back and
impact where we live, which isOregon and Portland,
specifically. So we wanted topick someone that was doing
great work in Portland that wecould then find some harmony
with to build out scholarshipprograms build out something in
the future. So we're startingsomewhere that we know the
(16:53):
impact will be felt. And thenwe're going to go Okay, so how
do we hold higher educationaccountable? How do we get them
to help us so I think we're justbuilding the base layer of what
we hope to do into the future,which is create a barrier of
entry for people of color intothe wine industry. But the Reese
Lucas Foundation, he played forthe Portland Trailblazers, his
son runs the foundation. Now, hepassed away a little too early.
(17:15):
And they did this in his honorto get back to the community he
loved so much. So that's what wesaw. And we just wanted to do
something. And then you know,one barrel of wine equals 300
bottles of wine. So 300 bottlesof wine is $50 a bottle $30 a
bottle $40 a bottle and 100% ofthose by seven different brands,
which is 2100 bottles of wine,you can do the math on it a
(17:36):
little bit. It's a startingpoint, right. And I think if I'm
I think we're limitless in ourpotential, I think the the
timing is great, I think thatthe people are going to pay
attention to it. And it's in alot of people I've spoke to
about it have been like, That'sawesome, bravo. And we're glad
someone's doing something likethat. And then I think we're
gonna find like mindedcommunities and people that go,
we're working on this too. So Ithink there's gonna be tentacles
(17:57):
and there's ways to empower eachother. And then if we're doing
an Oregon, if you go out into awinery, anywhere in the world,
which is the production facilitywhere you make the wine, there's
one language that everyonespeaks, and that's barrels of
wine. So whether it's France,Italy, Greece, China, Napa,
Georgia, New York, Oregon, Ithink that if people like what
we're doing and understand whywe're doing it, and it resonates
(18:19):
with them, and they want toraise their hand to be held
accountable, I think this thingcan be done anywhere. So we
started small to try to learnthrough it and execute it
correctly, so that we canempower others to join us in in
the cause. And in the work we'retrying to do into the future,
Craig,
Rocki Howard (18:35):
I want to know, and I will make sure this is the
whole purpose for doing this.
I'm so excited about what youguys are doing. And we're going
to make sure that the resourcethat your information and how we
can support you is put on ourresources page, so that people
know how to come in and not onlybuy great wine and learn more
about it, but to support the onebarrel challenge. Before we wrap
(18:58):
up today, like teacup, I've soenjoyed our conversation. And
you know, I've talked offline, Ican't wait to have you back,
you're going to come back andsit with me. And we're going to
talk a little bit about allyship and what that really means
and how to do that. But beforewe wrap up today, and maybe in
that vein, I love for you totell our audience, why it was
(19:21):
important for you personally,right? So we started at the top
you identified as a white man,I'd love for you to tell us why
it was important for youpersonally to be a voice of
diversity and part of thischanging industry.
Jacob Gray (19:40):
Well, that's a powerful question. Um I don't
know. I don't know if I had achoice in the best way possible.
I don't know that I could livein my skin say I am who I am.
Want to impact the things that Iwant to impact that if I want to
ask these hard questions andhold people accountable around
me and the best way possible,then I think that if I have a
(20:02):
vision that I want to be aleader that I need to be the man
that I'm trying to speak intoexistence. So I think, if my
partners are of African Americanor black guys that and we're
getting asked all thesequestions, and if I'm a part of
a black owned wine brand, if I'min an industry that I love that
I want to share with people, butit does it just continuously,
where it feels like it's verywhite across the board, I mean,
(20:23):
what can we do to help that?
Right? So I just, I just thinkit's been a natural
conversation, just kind of bringlife into the wine industry in a
great way, but also to shine alight on maybe where we think
some things are lacking, andmaybe how things could get
better into the future. Because,I mean, if involvement and
growth isn't a part of our dailyroutine as humans, I don't know
what we're doing. So if we wantto get better, and we want to
(20:46):
get better as ourselves, then wewant the people around us to
have the opportunity to getbetter. And I've never seen a
world get better where, wherepeople aren't given
opportunities to, to participatein right like, I don't, I think
that in Channing loves to say,Well, shit, if we're going to
say that this thing is soamazing, but it's only getting
one perspective, then that's notthe truth. So I think if one
(21:07):
wants to grow, then the peoplethat participate in it need to
grow. And I think we need tohave different points of view
from across the globe. And noneof us are right or wrong, but at
the same time, US empoweringeach other to have those
conversations to share thisthing that we love. Yeah, I
mean, I guess it just, it waswhat I was supposed to be doing
at this moment in my life. And Ithink I just felt an urge to
(21:29):
speak this into existence. And Iknow when we first thought about
the one barrel challenge, we we,in a way control two brands,
right? We could have said yes tothis idea for two chosen family
wines and long Lewis state, ascool as that could have been.
And as much as that might have,some people might have been like
good for them. I think we neededsome ally ship some
partnerships, some people thatsaid, No, we see what you're
(21:52):
doing, we want to be a part ofit. So as much as any of us
could take credit for whothought of this or why I was
thought of when you see acommunity come together to
empower each other and to raisetheir hands to want to be
better. That's where thestrength is. So I think if we
can impact the industry itself,if we can have the industrial
complex of wine askingquestions, if we can have the
people that hire and pay forthings asking the right
(22:14):
questions, then I think we canactually see some change. And
it's not doesn't need to beovernight. I don't know what
change really means into thefuture other than it needs to
happen. And we need to speakabout it. And people need to
know the opportunity is there ifthey want it. Now, if people
don't want to participate in whybecause they find it boring. I
didn't know that I would bedoing this 1510 years ago,
(22:36):
right. But I love it. Iabsolutely love it. And I just
would love that if I'm going toown brands and manage people and
have the ability to lead peoplethat I want to have the
opportunity to meet all kinds ofwalks of life going yo I want to
be here. This is I here's myresume, this is what I'm looking
to do. This is what I bring tothe table. And not that that is
just a color thing. But it'sjust a cultural thing. It's a
(22:57):
life life experience thing. Ithink that we all benefit from
meeting and experiencing andsharing with people from all
different walks. Oh, man,
Rocki Howard (23:07):
I appreciate you.
Not only do I appreciate chosenfamily and the work that you're
doing, and the change thatyou're driving, but I appreciate
to your point, you said Icouldn't be the person that I
am. I couldn't be the man that Iam. I couldn't sit in my own
skin. And I see you and Iappreciate the man that you are
to thank you so much. You're notgonna make me come chase you too
(23:30):
hard when I get ready to do ournext episode, right?
Jacob Gray (23:36):
You're amazing. I love I love holding a
conversation with you. And Ilove the questions that you ask.
And I love your perspective onit. And I your energy's
infectious and I think thatthese things are very important.
So I think the ability for us toget a hold each other
accountable to get a hold, askeach other tough questions, to
build a relationship, and tosupport and empower each other
while we're trying to makechanges what's needed well,
Rocki Howard (23:58):
and it is absolutely needed. Because you
know what it is, I believe inall dimensions of diversity. And
I believe it takes all of us toactually change the narrative.
It can't be just diverseindividuals. It takes all of us
It takes all of us as humanbeings it takes all of us as
citizens to come together, havea conversation, see a challenge
(24:21):
and say let's go walk throughthat door together. And so I
want to thank you today forwalking through this door with
me. And we are going to makesure that everyone listening
knows about the one barrelchallenge and chosen family and
langostino as well so thank youso much for joining us.
Jacob Gray (24:40):
Your your absolute welcome. Thank you for having
me. And yeah, just in a simplesense one barrel challenge calm,
it goes live may 1 chosen familywines, calm. Any support is
always appreciated. That's notwhat we're here for. We're just
here to share our story and andhope to add to the narrative of
us all being in the middletrying to Make this thing right
(25:00):
and doing it together notseparating people on all of us
Rocki Howard (25:03):
being one chosen family.
Jacob Gray (25:06):
Exactly.
Thank you rock
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