Women’s History Month at purple cork
Bridgette Taylor, Founder and CEO of Harridan Vodka
March kicks off Women’s History Month! As a female-led business, supporting other women is something we’re incredibly passionate about. That’s why we love to partner with other badass women who are rewriting the rules in the hospitality industry. Here we profile five women-led businesses that you should consider for your next virtual or in-person event.
Vicky Farrow and Ashley Herzberg at Amista Vineyards
A trip to Healdsburg isn’t complete without a trip to Amista Vineyards. If you can’t make it to wine country, you can still experience winemaker Ashley Herzberg or owner Vicky Farrow’s shining personality on a purple cork virtual event. Ashley has been at the winery since 2011, when she did a stint in Sonoma County working a harvest in a winery lab. Her intention was to head to Medical School but it was love at first smell, and taste, and the rest is history.
Joan Szkutak at SAMsARA
Southern California has become a hot spot for wine lovers and SAMsARA, which has tasting rooms in Goleta and Los Olivos, is on top of the list. Owned by Joan Szkutak, who got into the wine business after 33 years at Procter & Gamble, SAMsARA produces limited releases of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache and Chardonnay from carefully selected micro-sites within Sta. Rita Hill’s most distinctive vineyards. The wines showcase the distinctive natural elements at play on each vineyard, harnessed through a low intervention winemaking style.
"I alway reflect back on my best wine experiences and they were not because it was the best wine I ever tasted. It was the experience (meeting the winemaker, touring the cellar, sharing the experience with special friends) combined with great wine - and that is what we are trying to create at SAMsARA.” - Joan Szkutak
Bridgette Taylor at Harridan Vodka
The homepage of Harridan Vodka shows the dictionary definition of Harridan – a bossy and/or belligerent old woman. Bridgette Taylor launched Harridan Vodka in upstate New York with a commitment to quality, which means organic, gluten-free ingredients grown by fifth-generation farmers.
“In 2023, we hope to put the vodka category on notice – amplifying our intention to shake up the world’s perception of female-led brands and vodka as a neutral grain spirit. With so many male gate keepers in the spirits industry, we are grateful to partners like purple cork, who proactively seek to champion women-owned businesses.” - Bridgette Taylor
The vodka is strong (88 proof!) and ‘an homage to the bossy, defiant women of the past that inspired the brand’s namesake’.
Chef Nicole Patel at Delysia
Chef Nicole Patel is the first chocolatier in Texas to handcraft award-winning chocolates incorporating the fruit-forward flavors of wine. Owner and Chocolatier, Nicole Patel, has been a featured speaker at The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, educating on the proper way to savor wine and chocolate together. Named 2020’s Best Chocolatier in the Americas, Nicole Patel is an amazing purple cork hostess who guides participants through pairing wines with a selection of chocolate truffles, how to properly taste chocolate and techniques for savoring wine (or bourbon) and chocolate together in this exclusive tasting experience.
The Giacomini sisters and Point Reyes Cheese
There’s cheese and then there’s Point Reyes Cheese. The sisters have a long history in dairy. Their great grandfather, Tobias Giacomini left Northern Italy to pursue his vision of farming the fabled, fertile lands of California. In 1959 their parents, Bob and Dean, purchased the dairy farm on Tomales Bay and started making milk to sell to the local creamery. Later, they pivoted to cheese. The company’s mission sums up what makes the company different: Customer happiness, employee well-being and environmental sustainability are the priorities of our multi-generational, women-owned, family business, in order to produce and sell the highest quality milk and cheese.
Planning an event for your female prospects and customers or internal staff? Think about incorporating these industry-leading women in a social networking event with purple cork.
