Two Entrepreneurs Launch Campaign to Support the Wine Industry During COVID-19
Feature image courtesy of The Storm Cellar
DENVER—Inspired by Les Makepeace of MyWineList.co and Jayme Henderson of The Storm Cellar, My New Cellar was created by a collective of wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts who have come together to support wineries affected by COVID-19. Following the pandemic, the two entrepreneurs started spitballing ideas on how to support wineries during this difficult time. Les mentioned that building a wine cellar had been on his to-do list for quite some time—and a lightbulb went on. The two friends then decided it was time to act and provide a valuable online resource for wine drinkers and the wineries they love.
“Independent wineries have essentially seen their tasting room and restaurant sales channels go to zero from the recent stay-at-home orders,” says Les Makepeace, Founder of MyWineList.co. “Even though tasting rooms are closed, wineries can still ship you wine—and that’s the best method to help them increase revenue during this difficult time.”
Whether it’s creating a cellar or growing your wine collection, My New Cellar is not only a resource but a movement, a call to arms, for the wine industry. The growing online resource is asking wineries to get involved by supplying their wine and shipping discounts here.
“The wine industry, and so many others, are scrambling to stay afloat,” says Makepeace. “Whatever we can do to help would greatly benefit this thriving and creative community.”
If you have any questions about My New Cellar, contact Chea Franz at chea@indiecreativeco.com.
About MyWineList.co
MyWineList.co is a tool that allows independent wineries to publish and maintain their own apps for Android and iOS mobile devices, and at a price point that works for small businesses. Features include; direct communications and scheduling, wine club management, multi-media newsfeed, and remote DTC purchases (with sales tax calculations). The Beta release will happen soon, so stay tuned.
About The Storm Cellar
The Storm Cellar is a collaborative vision between Steve Steese and Jayme Henderson. During our many years in the restaurant industry, whether for business, study, or pleasure, we spent most of our time away from work in wine country. And we fell in love with it. We traveled the world’s wine regions in search of our next home and adventure for years, only to finally realize that it was just over four hours west of our former home in Denver, on Colorado’s western slope. The Storm Cellar is a project founded upon a love of Colorado, a desire to make great wine in this great state, and a goal of helping to put a relatively unknown, yet up-and-coming region, on the national map.