Kristin Taylor & Macie Mincey, Founders of KT Winery, Share Their Journey To Creating Mom Juice
WRITTEN BY ANNIE BLOJ
Kristin Taylor and Macie Mincey, founders of KT Winery are out to break the cultural norms around wine and winemaking. Inspired by the casual everyday celebrations that foster connection, KT Winery is meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Kristen and Macie follow their customers' guidance when building their brand and work with world-class winemakers in Napa Valley to achieve varietals that are not only special but approachable. We always love to raise a glass to women making waves, so we are thrilled to speak with these two powerful women about their journey in creating KT Winery.
Annie Bloj: Kristin and Macie, let's start from the beginning- how did you both meet?
Kristin & Macie: Every great love story starts over food. Technically, we shook hands briefly at an event for Macie’s previous company. Then a mutual friend asked to take us to lunch to see if we could do some business together. At the time, there wasn’t that much symmetry. Years later - here we are!
AB: You both come from very different backgrounds, namely Tech and Event Planning. How did the idea for KT Winery come to you and how did you get started?
Kristin: We have such different backgrounds but share similar values. We are both super scrappy and really want to make our mark on the world. This is evident through our previous career moves and our desire for our careers to be more.
KT Winery originally started back in Kristen's apartment in Denver. She had been muddling around with the idea when she first moved in 2019 but didn’t feel confident that she could make it happen. The idea around the wine came from a need to foster connection. Wine is this great equalizer and has been in Kristen's life throughout all of her experiences. Mostly with her girlfriends drinking wine, watching bad tv, and laughing. Fast forward several months later, after helping another wine startup get off the ground -Kristen realized that she could do it. She came up with a plan, called around, and got the ball rolling. Kristen called Macie for advice, and her guidance turned into a beautiful partnership that made all the difference.
AB: There is undeniably a lack of representation of women, particularly women of color, in this space. Do you feel a certain amount of responsibility as founders of KT Winery to make wine-making more accessible to women and women of color?
Kristin & Macie: We 100% feel this discrepancy frequently in the industry. Being born into this industry gives you a significant leg up and we are starting from scratch. Intentionally, we try to partner with women and specifically women of color. The only way to claim our space is to create it. To be honest, we don’t care about “how it’s done”; we care about the people we partner with and what their mission is. So we’ll always choose the woman trying to make her mark on the world.
We feel a huge responsibility to represent women of color as well. There are so few Black female winery owners and Asian American winery owners in the US. Everything we do informs how the world views us so we feel the pressure every day. However, we also feel supported by our communities. Every smile we get at a tasting, festival, and kind message in our inbox - goes a long way.
AB: KT Winery is based here in Denver but made in Napa. Have there been any surprises along the way? How do you see your varietals differentiating themselves from what is already available?
Kristin: HAH! This whole endeavor has been a surprise. We are learning there’s no such thing as a timeline for a wine company. It comes down to the team, support system, sponsors, and grit. A funny but not so funny thing - barcodes. We didn’t foresee being in stores so early in different parts of the US so barcodes never crossed our minds. Well, turns out that happened very quickly so we had to add barcodes to the wines already labeled in the warehouse. One of those positive surprises that makes you think “why didn't we think of that?”
AB: What experiences have guided you to make KT Winery stand out in this very crowded market?
Macie: Our first secret weapon is our customers. We listen when we are at events and engaging with our consumers; we ask them what they think, what they are missing, and what they would like to see from our brand. We take on all feedback; down to how we are positioning ourselves in the market and when we determine our next varietals.
Our second secret weapon is our winemaker, Brian Kosi. He has an amazing resume (Kendall Jackson, OpusOne, etc.) but really has a strong sense of what people like. He understands our customers and crafts the wines for them. KT Winery is positioned for the whole of America rather than just wine country, and that’s how we stand out. Also, how can you not love the name Mom Juice?
AB: What is in the future for you both and KT Winery? Do you have any new developments to share as we head into the colder months?
Kristin & Macie: So much!! We have a lot of new things rolling out including our ambassador program, wine club, and two new varieties all within the next three months. Hint: one of the new wines comes out in September!
AB: Kristin and Macie, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It's inspiring to see anyone achieve a goal they once thought was out of reach. We can’t wait to see what you introduce next, Cheers!