Dr Chris Wachira: Kenyan who defied odds to establish wine company in the US
File image of Wachira Wines brands. |Courtesy| Wachira Wines|[/caption]
Wachira notes that just like any other business, the entry was tough and the investment was substantially high.
Five years later, Wachira says she is now revelling in a season of full-circle abundance. Her company produces more than six California wine brands with a Kenyan accent. Some of her products include Cabernets, Zinfandels, Miscat and Chardonnay which are mainly sold in the US, Japan, and Canada. Recently, she visited Kenya to popularize her brands.
Despite studying nursing, she has found her haven in the winemaking industry.
She notes that her philosophy for winemaking is heavily influenced by her dual Kenyan-American heritage. Growing up in Kenya, she enjoyed a rich, cultural heritage and the love of building community by sharing food and drink with complete strangers.
"When I migrated to CA and discovered its wine regions, I fell in love with wine, the mysterious science of winemaking, and the euphoric excitement that consumed my friends and I each time we planned out a wine country trip. I struggled to identify wines that complimented my mother's and grandmother's cuisine.
"It also bothered me that I did not see myself represented behind the counter as a winemaker or as a wine expert. These two were significant motivators behind bringing the Wachira Wines dream to fruition," Wachira says according to the Wachira Wines website.
"My winemaking style is centred around taking, for example, a Cabernet grape and infusing it with my "Kenyanese" twist to craft high quality, easy to drink wine that maintains the integrity of each grape’s varietal. Such that a Wachira Cabernet or Wachira Rosé still has characteristics associated with the grape varietal but with that little je-ne-sais-qouis that is uniquely me - the Kenyan accent," she says.
Wachira adds that her drive was as simple and as selfish as wanting to make a wine that would compliment my mother's dishes. she could not find a wine that would go well with the Kenyan delicacies she made, therefore, she established the company driven by the need to fill a gap in the wine sector.
“When one goes abroad for further studies, their intention is to make and better their lives as well as being a professional in their area of studies. For me, winemaking was a viable option. I want people to see that in me. I consider it a valuable business. People are always curious most of the time when I explain my majors and the career path I have taken. But I always encourage people to venture into the unknown," she told Newsofaustralia.com.
|Courtesy| ABC & Bay Area News|
https://youtu.be/Bl9eq_nrO8o
On why she named her company Wachira, she noted that most winemakers name their businesses with respect to their family name, and Wachira is who she is.
Starting up a winery in a foreign country, especially as a black person and a woman, is one of the hardest things to do. The industry is mostly dominated by white males but she made it.
Wachira made different visits to family-owned wineries and went to different wine tasting events to get the necessary knowledge for starting up her business. These visits built up her networks in winemaking.
In addition, she says she met her husband during the visits. Her band, Chadwick Spell, who is the chief operating officer of the company, has supported her all through.
She says that failure is part of the journey and when she encountered challenges and failure, she took the experience as a learning opportunity. Once you fail, you learn from your mistakes and you tend to do better next time.
Wachira sources her grapes from farmers in Napa, Lodi and Paso Robles regions in California who supply the grapes.
“The regions are different in topography, the soils, and climate. Each of the wines we make has grapes from two of the three regions. Our Cabernet has grapes from all three, which creates a very unique flavour profile," she said.
She, however, has no plans of owning her own vineyard.
“With global warming and climate change and their impact on agriculture, that is not my desire. I have partners who are going to fulfil that part of the business (producing grapes)," Wachira told Newsofaustralia.com.
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File image of Wachira Wines brands. |Courtesy| Wachira Wines|[/caption]
When the company started, Wachira focused on festivals and social events such as parties. Getting her products on shelves was a challenge.
"Major distributors did not think I was large enough to support. When I met Spell, we built our distribution company, Soko. Soko creates access pipelines for minority-owned brands and small and locally-crafted wine brands, ”she recalls.
Wachira Wines scaled to corporate events and opened “Karibu” a tasting room in East Bay in California for wine experiences.
“The beauty about wine is people drank before the pandemic and during the pandemic. They will also drink after the pandemic. People drink both when they are happy and when they are sad, ”she says.
Her business greatly benefited from a cultural shift in California driven by the Black social awareness movement since 2020.
“There has been intentionality among people in looking for specifically black-owned businesses. When this movement started, we were able to pivot and target this opportunity since we were already positioned," she said.
Wachira is a trailblazer in the wine industry. Out of about 11,000 wineries in the US alone, less than one per cent are owned by Blacks. Even fewer by black women.
“I want folks to come and experience wine from a position of inclusion without judgment or fear of ignorance. I want people to have fun with it and learn about it, ”she said.
So, why Kenya? Why now? Wachira insists that it has always been about Kenya for her.
“There is a certain sense of nationalism everywhere in the world, including in the US. As a Kenyan, I want to be connected to my motherland.”
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File image of a wine tasting at Wachira Wines. |Courtesy| Wachira Wines|[/caption]
She adds that she has kept pace with the progression of the Kenyan wine market, and is she is impressed by Kenyans’ curiosity to learn about wine.
Like other minority wineries, her journey has not been without challenges, the main one being financing.
“The wine business is capital-heavy, that is, buying the grapes, the machinery and storage facilities for the grape juice to age it. We are self-funded. We reinvest the money to help the business grow, ”she explains, noting that few lenders have been willing to fund in the business.
The other challenge has been having to continuously convince the market about their products. This has yielded fruits, with the company being recognized during wine competitions in the US.
“We have a very loyal customer base. Our following is growing. ”
On competing with more established traditional brands, Wachira says everyone has a flavour profile that appeals to their palate.
“At my tastings in Alameda, California, I serve different cabernets and zinfandels from other wineries as well. I do not try to make my wine like the Americans, Italians, or French. That [style] is taken. I am authentically Kenyan. I craft my wines using formulations that appeal to my Kenyan palate. ” The only palate that is correct is yours, she adds.
There is also having a storyline that goes with the brand. For her, telling the story of her brand is to tell the story of her Kenyan and African heritage as well. Nothing tells the story of her heritage better than the packaging that features one of the Big Five animals of Kenyan safari on each bottle.
“Each of the wines matches the characteristics of the animal depicted in its flavour profiles. The lion, for instance, which is the symbol of our sparkling wine, can start and end any party. A lion is commanding.”
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File image of Wachira Wines brands. |Courtesy| Wachira Wines|[/caption]
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