Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaun Pierce.
Hi Shaun, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My wife and I started dating in 2012 and developed a mutual love of traveling to wineries and enjoying the unique experiences we had at each. It was during a 2013 visit to the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan that we first fantasized about what it would be like to have our own winery (likely after one too many wine tastings). Of course, we didn’t know the first thing about winemaking or running a winery but that didn’t stop us from dreaming.
When we returned home from Michigan, the dream followed us. We started having more serious chats about what it would take to start a winery. Neither of our professional backgrounds or education included winemaking, so the first logical step was to successfully learn how to make a quality wine. It was at that point that we started researching wine and eventually made the first five-gallon batch in our basement in Troy Ohio. The first few wines tasted more like rocket fuel than wine, but by the summer of 2014, we had won some awards at amateur wine competitions. Over the next few years, we continued to make small batches of wine in our basement and researching what it would take to open a winery in Ohio.
In 2016 Danielle and I got engaged and committed to make all the wine for our wedding the following year. We thought it’d be a great opportunity to get feedback and save some money on alcohol for the wedding. The feedback was good, and it seemed like people genuinely liked what we made. After we got married, we started to look for properties where we could envision starting our winery. We looked at several properties over the course of a year, and at times it seemed we would never find what we were looking for. Finally, In the summer of 2018, we were able to find the ideal property on the outskirts of Bradford Ohio to start making our dream a reality. That winter we worked on designing the winery building and working with different agencies to understand the requirements to open. We nailed down our business plan and decided our production volume would be around 1,260 gallons our first year. This is where the name Twenty One Barrels comes from.
We hired a local contractor and by October 2019 our winery building was completed. Many inspections (and stacks of paperwork later), we received our license to start making wine (shortly before the statewide Covid 19 shutdown. Due to the pandemic, we were uncertain about what the future would hold and feared that our business would fail before it even opened. Despite our fears, we persisted. We were able to open our doors (for carry-out only) on June 12th, 2020, offering three hard ciders and seven wines. It wasn’t quite the grand opening we had dreamed of, but we were pleasantly surprised by the support we received. Thankfully within a few months we were able to open our indoor and outdoor seating and started booking live music and food trucks for our customers to enjoy.
In 2022 we expanded to twelve taps of hard cider and grew our wine selection to include canned wines. We also started a cider club that offers a pickup and shipping option, both of which continue to grow. We were able to invest in a small canning line and upgrade our tanks which has allowed us to start distributing our products to retailers and restaurants in Ohio and Indiana. We also built a small mobile tap trailer that can travel to special events and farmers’ markets. Our growth in 2022 has allowed us to expand our staff and reinvest back into our business. In 2023, we hope to grow our distribution footprint and watch our dream continue to develop. As for our original goal of twenty-one barrels, we’ve far exceeded that…but we still think the name has a nice ring to it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Some of the struggles include opening in the midst of the pandemic, supply chain issues, personal health issues, running a business while continuing to work full-time jobs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Twenty One Barrels, innovation and quality are at the forefront of everything we do. We are committed to producing unique and high-quality ciders that stand out in the market and deliver a truly memorable experience.
In addition to our core offerings, we are always experimenting with new and unique flavors, using ingredients such as herbs, spices, and fruits, to create limited edition and seasonal ciders and wine that push the boundaries of traditional cider/wine-making that are truly one of a kind. Our mission at Twenty One Barrels is to create high-quality, unique ciders and wine that celebrate the art of fermentation and the local community.
We believe in the importance of community engagement and giving back to the local community. That’s why we created our Music in the Vines series to focus on community outreach and engagement. We bring in local musicians and bands to perform for our guests, and we use these events as an opportunity to support local non-profits. A portion of the proceeds from the event series is donated to a local non-profit organization.
These events provide an opportunity for people to come together, enjoy live music, food trucks, hard cider and wine while supporting a good cause. Our Music in the Vines series is one of the ways we are able to support local non-profits and bring people together, and we are always looking for new ways to engage with and support our community.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Persistence and the ability to adapt. Paying attention to what works and doesn’t work and making changes accordingly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.21barrels.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/21barrelswine
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/21barrelswine
- TikTok: @21barrels
Image Credits
Twenty One Barrels
Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau
