Covington’s Custom Wine Online was the fruit of a realized dream that sprang from loss. Doug Pacheco, a longtime winemaker, and his wife, Miriam, launched an internet wine shop this year when Pacheco was laid off from his marketing job.
“I’ve been a winemaker for over a decade, and back in February when I was laid off, I said, 'Now is the time to do this',” said Pacheco, who lives with his wife on a Union, Ky. farm.
Custom Wine online combines Pacheco’s passion for winemaking with his skill in marketing and design to provide a unique buying experience for anyone who visits their web site or small retail shop in the Covington Wedding Mall at 630 Madison Avenue.
Customers can pick from 10 varietals of wine, including White Zinfandel, Shiraz, Chilean Malbec, and German Mosel River Valley Riesling. The Pachecos also offer customized label design.
Custom Wine Online sells full, half and quarter-spilt bottles, and has a 350,000-image family crest catalog, a favorite design choice.
“When someone contacts us, we ask them basics questions about what they want, and we ask them to email a 600 dpi image of what they would like. I send them a label idea as a PDF for their approval,” Doug Pacheco said.
The company reflects the couple’s personal view of wine’s purpose: to commemorate, celebrate or appreciate a special person or event.
The company specializes in wedding, corporate event, and gift giving. Custom Wine online ships orders by the case, and delivers free in the Greater Cincinnati area. Don’t want to buy a case? You can buy individual bottles at their Covington shop. It's open Wednesday through Friday 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The wine is made by the Pachecos’ who are the company’s only employees. But if the business continues to grow, they may hire workers in the next six months.
Though Custom Wine Online does have a retail shop, it’s primarily an online company. Pacheco decided to go the web route to keep quality high and overhead low.
“We feel this is a niche market that we think is only going to grow in time. I met with a competitor who wanted me to buy their business, and then I realized I could do the same thing,” he said.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Doug Pacheco, Custom Wine Online Senior Vintner and founder
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