Wine Club Raises $1M for One of Its Members to Produce Dream Wine
California man goes from 'wine drinker to winemaker' by crowdfunding through NakedWines.com
NAPA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Amateur winemaker Tom Shula announced today he has secured $1M for an independent winemaking venture. Shula, a trained theoretical physicist, and now real estate broker "by day" plans to produce a 100 percent Merlot from Pickberry Vineyard, a unique 30-acre vineyard located on the northeast slope of Sonoma Mountain near Glen Ellen, Calif., which has supplied premium Bordeaux varietals to the Ravenswood and other prominent Sonoma Country winery brands since the 1980's. Shula raised the money by turning to Angel members of NakedWines.com, an online wine company that lets wine drinkers crowdfund winemakers.
As part of the deal, Shula, who has won numerous amateur winemaking awards in recent years, will collaborate on his Merlot with existing NakedWines.com crowdfunded winemaker, Jim Olsen. Additionally, Shula has plans to create a Sonoma County Merlot blend as part of an independent venture.
Prior to becoming a real estate broker, Shula worked in the Silicon Valley high tech sector for 25 years.
"Tom was originally an Angel himself … he was making wine in his garage since 2007 until he connected with our team," Gormley said. "After realizing the quality of wine that Tom was producing, we quickly spread the word to our Angels about his incredible talents. Shortly thereafter, we managed to raise the money for him to launch his efforts into a full-scale project, as well as a financially sustainable winemaking career. Tom's angel investors are eagerly awaiting their opportunity to sample his delicious, unique creations."
Shula's wine will initially be available to Angel investors for the first month at wholesale price, after which the public can purchase at the full list price of $35.99.
Shula, an avid wine enthusiast who has studied fine wines for more than 35 years, said he is grateful for the NakedWines.com funding opportunity. He also said he's excited about offering customers his expertise from the vineyard straight to the glass. The unique funding structure at NakedWines.com gives winemakers (amateurs and industry veterans alike) like Shula the chance to do what they love–make fantastic wine–without worrying about all the sales and marketing costs involved in creating a new brand, said Rowan Gormley, founder and CEO of NakedWines.com.
"A few years ago, I looked for a path to go commercial, but couldn't pull together the financial resources needed in the conventional model," he said. "However, when I became an Angel in 2012, I thought this type of funding might actually work for me. And, now, thanks to NakedWines.com Angel funding, my lifelong dream of being a winemaker is becoming a reality."
For more information, please visit www.nakedwines.com.
About NakedWines.com
NakedWines.com is a privately funded online wine company that helps everyday wine lovers drink like the rich and famous. They do this by crowd-funding winemakers. Over 200,000 customers called Angels invest directly in winemakers by setting aside $40 per month, all of which goes toward their next purchase. The company invests these funds in top-tier winemakers around the world to make wine exclusively for NakedWines.com.
SOURCE NakedWines.com
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