Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/365438
50 W i n e s & V i n e s s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 littered with meaningless and story-less brands. It takes something special, not just distribution, to make a new idea work. It's much easier to take an existing brand like Qupé and inject some capital, energy and financial discipline. That being said, there is only one Qupé and one Bob Lindquist. Fate needs to smile on you sometimes! W&V: When you invest in a winery like Wind Gap or Qupé, what does your role become in the operation of the company? Banks: My role varies project to project. overall, I need to be a loud voice support- ing a clear vision on the production side while providing the discipline and infra- structure for the sales, marketing and fi- nancial side. For example, we invested in one winery that had more than 20 SKUs. our task was to clean up the portfolio and identify which wines were the drivers of the business. I need to be making sure each brand is understood and respected under our um- brella while laying the tracks for the future growth of Terroir and our team. As I men- tioned earlier, the people are key. My wife Ali and I want to make sure we are support- ing each and every partner and team mem- Wine brand with a charitable ethos O ne of Charles banks' wine ventures is a brand called Cultivate, created with the idea of donating 10% of sales to charitable causes around the world. "Cultivate is the result of an epic date with my wife, ali, at blackberry Farm in 2010," banks says, referring to the tennessee resort in which he's an investor. "We sat down to a five-hour dinner and talked about what we wanted to cultivate in our lives going forward. the list was love, joy, peace, hope, celebration, friends, family, passion and a strong desire to build a company that mattered and made a difference in the world. i looked at the list and told my wife these were the reasons i wanted to stay in the wine business. she agreed, and we hatched Cultivate over the next few hours.…the idea is better wines for a better world." Cultivate was launched in 2011, and banks admits there have been some miscues. "our biggest mistake was becoming known as a 'charity wine.' We want to be seen more like ben & Jerry's or patagonia. Companies that make a great product and give back to communities because of their ethos. it's not a marketing gim- mick." Going forward, banks says he'd like to see more collaboration between Cultivate and some of his other brands. "our winemaker, Nat Gunter, has the amazing opportunity to collaborate and be mentored by our partners and winemakers all over the world." L.D. QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS Banks says Cultivate is not just a 'charity wine' brand. F I N A N C E