New Member Spotlight: Sipwell Wine Co.
Posted on Oct. 13, 2021 / Subscribe 0
We are so excited to welcome Sipwell Wine Co. to the Mainstreet Association! It all started with a sip... and was launched earlier this year, created & founded by Hilary Cocalis.
What is the inspiration behind the wines?
I had two inspirations: (1) as a mom of two young kids, I drink less than I used to, but I still wanted a way to enjoy a little bit of wine without opening a whole bottle -- especially sparkling wine, which would otherwise go flat. (2) Coming from the beer industry, I saw how cans were embraced for being more portable, more sustainable, and just overall more convenient; and I wanted to create a conversation about making wine more sustainable and more approachable by using cans.
What has been a highlight in the last year?
The feedback and support I've gotten from local businesses has been great, especially as a new small business - it's so gratifying to see our cans on store shelves locally in Leucadia and throughout San Diego.
Any obstacles?
It's an obstacle and an opportunity, but a lot of people automatically write off canned wine as being bad quality. Every time we do an event or a tasting, it's so cool to see the look of surprise on people's faces once they try the wine, and realize it's really good!
Why support local?
I live and work in Leucadia, and I try to support as many neighborhood businesses as possible because I love this neighborhood. Likewise, for Sipwell, most of our support so far has been from local small businesses. As I work on growing this business, I want to know I have the support of the local community first, and I can do that myself by supporting the local businesses I know and love.
We also like to support our local customers - we offer free local delivery to anyone in North County who orders online.
Sustainability is one of our core tenets. We have a "sip responsibly" pledge that includes being responsible to the planet. Wine is fundamentally an agricultural product, so sustainability starts with farming - we only source from sustainably farmed vineyards, and are pushing toward certified organic for future releases. Likewise, we chose cans specifically for their recyclability--aluminum is infinitely recyclable and new cans are usually made from ~75% recycled materials. Cans are also much lighter, take up less space and need less packaging to ship - which reduces our carbon footprint along our supply chain. Lastly, we ship our products in 100% recyclable, plastic-free packaging. As a manufactured and distributed product, we know we are going to have an impact on the environment, so we are doing whatever we can to lessen that impact.Follow Sipwell on Instagram HEREOrder online by clicking HERE
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