Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amy Frenchko, National Sales Director of The Northeast Wine Company, located in Kingston, PA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

The Northeast Wine Company was established in 2018 with a love for undiscovered boutique wines across the globe. Our wines are quality sourced by our team of experts in the industry combined for over 20 years of experience. We select our products from family-owned and operated vineyards and wineries that have a story to tell. We believe wines should be paired with all of life’s moments in an unpretentious manner. From farm to bottle, we are proud to share our wines that will give you an experience of global terroirs and cultures.

The Northeast Wine Company operates in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Cadiz, Spain. Our secondary office in the south of Spain gives us a direct pipeline to our European wineries. We have exclusivity with each producer, competitive pricing, and wines that your company can brand. Our customers are distributors, retailers, consumers, DTC eCommerce, restauranteurs, and anyone who loves to drink wine!

Tell us about yourself

I am a Kingston Native, mom, wife, sommelier, and wine importer at the present time. I am a graduate of WVW High School, attending PSU for 10 minutes. I slept on every girlfriend’s couch, trying to figure out my life. I picked up my life, packed it into a Nissan Sentra (Sally Sentra) sometime in the ‘90s, and drove to Oregon. This adventure scared me, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and ended up teaching me independence, strength, what not to do, and learning how to get up after you fail. While in Oregon, I realized I was not a hippy, hated stinky armpits, and needed to wear mascara. I traveled the West Coast touring with a punk band (DON’T ASK). The experience of traveling across the country and stopping in every state gave me a feeling I could not get in a classroom.

My next journey led me to a small southern town on the coast of South Carolina, where I stayed put for years and found my love was wine and food. AND THE BEACH! Ladies, wear sunscreen while you are young, trust me! This will cost you lots of money in corrective laser treatments. I worked in the fine-dining restaurant industry on the grand strand. My roots are in NEPA; my family has Irish and Polish heritage. I moved home near my family as I was blessed by the universe with my baby girl and needed her to grow up with my family. Also, let’s face it: NEPA has the best pizza, wings, pierogi, and $1 drafts. These are reasons to come back! Settling back into The Valley, as we call it, I landed at igourmet.com. I learned and grew with this company contributing to all things wine and cheese, traveling all over the U.S. for wine shows.

During my years, I learned the ins and outs of the gourmet food space and ate more cheese and serrano ham than you can imagine. In the middle of this, I worked for a vineyard, opened a women’s and men’s clothing store, and raised my little girl with the help of the lovely ladies in my family. My tenacious, entrepreneurial spirit, sense of humor, and relentless pursuit to share my love of wine led to my current endeavor, The Northeast Wine Company. I specialize in European Wines that have not been in the U.S. market. There are so many grape varietals in the world; why do we only drink a handful of them? I like to expose people to new things and explore what is out there. My priority is to always be happy and enjoy every second of my journey through this life. Sharing this and impacting someone’s day with a great undiscovered bottle of wine and my happiness.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Seeing the undiscovered wines we select on shelves in retail stores, in restaurants, and being enjoyed by everyone who buys them across the United States.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Finding the courage to keep positive after rejection. You need to make mistakes and fail to get to where you are supposed to be.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do what scares the shit out of you.
  2. Go wayyyyyyyyy out of your comfort zone.
  3. Find out what NOT to do.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://linktr.ee/thenortheastwinecompany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenortheastwinecompany/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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