Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Coolidge.
Hi Robin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Before I was a Wine Maker and Winery Owner I was an IT professional. About 30 years ago I was in San Francisco on business. It was close to my wedding anniversary, so I decided to extend my visit and brought my wife to be with me as a quick celebration. She wanted to visit the Napa Valley to taste wine. I was not a wine drinker at all at the time, and honestly expected to be kind of bored. In addition, I had no what wineries to visit. I decide to hire a transport company that had a van and would take us through the valley visiting wineries. We visited some exceptional wineries, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the experience. I also became fascinated by the range of complexity in the wines I was tasting. For instance, we tasted several Cabernet Sauvignons at the wineries we visited. What I found was that there was a similarity between each bottle that made it a Cabernet Sauvignon, but there were also other qualities that made each different. Now I know that those qualities have to do with where the grapes were grown and how the decisions the winemaker made as he was guiding the new wine through the process, but at the time I had no idea, and it fascinated me. When we got home I started to experiment with winemaking, first from kits, and then using juice and fruit. At the time I was thinking about a change of changing careers from IT to something else, and I really wanted to have my own business. My wife Valerie tripped across a winery called Wyandotte Winery being for sale, and the rest was history. We purchased Wyandotte Winery in 2006, and three years later I left my IT position and made winemaking my new career. In 2014 we purchased Rockside Winery and Vineyards near Lancaster, mainly because our son wanted to join our business and Wyandotte, because of where it was, did not have any real growth potential. Rockside Winery had plenty of expansion potential, and had 4 acres of grapes. Wyandotte did not have any grapes, and that was a new opportunity that we were excited about. Valerie takes care of all the vines, my son Ryan is now the General Manager in charge of the Tasting Room and Production, and I run the business and handle all the other things that need done. We owned and were very successful with both wineries for almost 10 years, but the drive between them began to be too much for us. Towards the end of 2023 we sold Wyandotte to new owners and now live and work in Lancaster at Rockside Winery.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning your own business is never smooth. There are always bumps in the road that have to be handled. The margin produced on a bottle of wine is not huge, so expenses and cash flow are always challenges. Wineries are license for alcohol production by both the state and the federal governments, and dealing with the government always has its challenges. We are not wealthy people, and obtaining loans from banks to do things like purchase Rockside take a lot of time and effort and are not always successful. I love the wine business because I get to meet so many good people, but at the same time any retail business can expose you to people who are not always the most patient. A vineyard is a huge challenge in Ohio. Vineyards are expensive to grow and maintain, and Mother Nature is not always kind to us. When that happens harvests can be very thing, and finding the fruit and juice to maintain operations is not always easy. All in all the challenges are always there, but I love the business, and I love being my own boss.
Wineries, particularly those with vineyards, are a also an infesting blend of many business types. We deal in agriculture when we grow the grapes. We deal in manufacturing when we produce the wine. We are a retail business in the Tasting Room, and we rely on tourism to bring people into the tasting room. This can make for a business management challenge as an owner tries to become as proficient as possible in all these different business practices.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In addition to being a winemaker and winery owner, I am also a semi-professional cellist. I play around Columbus and the vicinity for musical productions for groups like Gallery Players and the Short North Stage. I also play for many weddings, and occasionally play with small groups in the winery. Music is a passion for me and I love playing.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Be realistic. It is so easy to plan for the best and never consider the downside. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Know that owning a business, any kind of business, comes with challenges. Resilience is key. Meet your challenges head on and deal with them as quickly as you can. Procrastination is your enemy.
As I mentioned before, wineries are an interesting combination of agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and tourism. Make sure you know as much as possible about each of those business areas, and don’t neglect any of them.
If you hate what you are doing, get out and don’t do it. If you start your winery and don’t enjoy what you are doing don’t continue to try and make it work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rocksidewinery.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocksidewinery
