In vino veritas – in wine there is truth – is an ancient phrase, but any contemporary fan of the Romans’ favorite pastime could hardly dispute it.
But while Pliny the Elder’s quintessentially Roman locution has stood the test of time (and any amateur drinker’s feeble attempt to disprove it), Erica and Jamie Zdroik hope that another Latin-inspired turn of phrase – this one coined in A.D. 2012 – will soon be dancing on the lips of wine lovers across the state.
Lovino, a mash-up of “love” and the Latin “vino,” was created by Erica Zdroik during a brainstorming session as she and her husband struggled to come up with a name for their new company, which launched its first product, a sangria, in July.
“We were just sitting around thinking about names, and we thought it would be fun to create something that doesn’t even exist and would be unique,” said Erica, a Milwaukee resident. “We wanted something that ended with a vowel, because we wanted it to sound romantic. I was thinking that two things that bring joy to my life are love and wine, so we said, ‘Vino, that’s how they say it in Italy, and that’s a romantic language. How perfect.”
| “We wanted to go into the market being the Starbucks for sangria.” – Erica Zdroik, co-founder, Lovino |
Of course, “love” and “vino” could also serve as a fitting subject and predicate in this case, because Erica and Jamie’s love for wine is no secret to anyone who knows them.
The couple is particularly fond of sangria, a popular, summery blend of red wine and juice that’s typically served on ice with fruit slices.
“Since I have basically been legal to drink, I’ve always enjoyed sangria and mixing up my own concoction, and my husband and I have done it enough for family and friends and heard the feedback many times that they really enjoyed it and that we should really go out and do this as a business venture,” said Erica. “We’ve also heard from bartenders who had to make the product for us because whenever we’d go out, sangria was rarely available, and we heard enough times it would be a good idea for us to try to make it ourselves, and so here we are.”
Liquid courage
Of course, thousands of people hear similar things about old family recipes they have or concoctions they’ve created, but few actually take the next step toward crafting a business plan and securing distribution. But you might say the Zdroiks had an inside track.
Jamie has an MBA with an emphasis in entrepreneurism and finance, and is currently the operations manager for Nelson Container. And as the food resource manager for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Erica had already established relationships with many local retailers. They also have an entrepreneurial pedigree of sorts. When they were growing up, Jamie’s family owned a farm, and Erica’s family operated a printing business and grocery stores.
So while dealing with the business minutiae and securing financing may be what dissuades a lot of people from taking a product from concept stage to reality, in the Zdroiks’ case, perfecting the product was the biggest hurdle.
“The hardest part I think was getting the formula down,” said Erica, who moved forward with the product launch after she and her husband secured financing from the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. “We went through probably nine different trials, two different manufacturers, until we settled with von Stiehl Winery in Algoma. That was probably the hardest part, but you know, they made it very simple for us. They’re really cool people, and it’s a great location, and they’re such professionals. We were able to get the formula down in less than four trials with them.”
The Starbucks model
Of course, perfecting the product was of particular importance to the Zdroiks, considering that they’re trying, in some sense, to change the way people view sangria.
“We wanted to go into the market being the Starbucks for sangria,” said Zdroik, “taking a product that’s very simple but can vary in quality. We want to be the high-quality sangria – sangria that doesn’t dilute and that carries the wine as a strong note throughout the product.
“There are no artificial sweeteners in the product. It doesn’t taste overly sweet. In fact, it’s pretty concentrated. And it’s just like when you go to a Starbucks. The product is a little higher quality, it’s a little higher priced, but you’re getting what you pay for.”
According to Erica, many of the sangrias on the market fall a little short of the couple’s expectations for a good sangria. Their sangria – a mix of von Stiehl Cabernet franc, a little blueberry wine, and flavors of orange, lime, and coconut – differs from most sangrias in alcohol content. Lovino Sangria is about 12-1/2% alcohol – similar to many full-bodied wines on the market – whereas most sangrias come in between 6% and 10% alcohol.
So while most companies launching a new product have their hands full simply getting the word out, in Lovino’s case, educating the consumer – largely through sampling – is an important goal.
“The product is about 30% to 40% more expensive than what other sangrias are, so there have been times where we’ve been faced with, ‘Well, it’s sangria. Sangria’s supposed to be cheap. I don’t think people will pay for this,’” said Erica. “That part’s been kind of difficult with some of the folks we’ve worked with. But once they taste it and they sample it, they get past it. And they love that we want to support this stuff ourselves and are not afraid to put the rubber to the road and go out and do the sampling face-to-face and do whatever we can to increase our visibility.”
So how does the couple balance full-time work and, in Erica’s case, school (she’s pursuing a master’s at UW-Milwaukee), with what they humbly refer to as their “hobby”?
“Very carefully,” said Erica. “Both of us are really social people, we love to get out. I think the most exciting thing about this is just getting out and sampling.”
Right now, Lovino by Sangria is in 83 Roundy’s locations across the state and a handful of other retailers, which is a pretty impressive start for a venture that just recently got off the ground.
However, to the Zdroiks, the reality of their enterprise hit home when they first saw the product on a single store shelf.
“It was kind of surreal, to be honest,” said Erica. “We had to take a picture. We were like, oh my goodness. … You know, it’s our little moment to feel like movie stars or something.”
So what advice would the Zdroiks give to other would-be entrepreneurs looking for their own movie-star moment?
“Have the confidence to stick it through and see it to the end, because there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your product on the shelves and hearing folks talk about how they’re enjoying it,” said Erica. “It’s really worth it. And don’t reinvent the wheel.
“Also, you don’t have to do it on your own. There are so many good resources in the state that can help you on your way. There’s no reason not to take your idea all the way to market.”
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