Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Hugo Bonjean, President of Spirit Hills Winery, located in Millarville, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Spirit Hills crafts one-of-a-kind flower wines from wildflower nectar, infused with flower petals from the terroir of the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Southern Alberta. Spirit Hills flowers wines are sought by those who expire an extraordinary lifestyle. They have been exported to Japan and Europe where they have been served in fine dining restaurants.
Tell us about yourself
Spirit Hills is a multi-generational family farm and winery. We believe in sustainable living and treading lightly on our planet. We grow all of our own food and out of that desire of living on the land came the crafting of a wine product that also allowed us to make a living on our land. Wine is steeped in myth and lore and that certainly applies to the Spirit Hills flower wines, each comes with a story. Our flower wines are our way to bring love and joy to this world which is shared from our land.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The Spirit Hills flower wines won multiple awards in a variety of wine competitions. They have been exported to Japan and Europe and been served in Michelin star restaurants between Brussels and Rome.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing a business owner has to deal with is government bureaucracy. It comes from people who do not understand the challenges and complexities of building and running a business and whose only focus seems to obtain as much control as possible and make it more challenging for an entrepreneur to succeed. They can be found at municipal, provincial, and federal levels and are the biggest threat to the success of a business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
For those who want to start a business today I would suggest 3 things:
- Find another country than Canada with a better political climate and less bureaucracy.
- Find a country that supports its economic growth by giving freedom to its entrepreneurs.
- Find a market and product that allows you to ride a rising tide.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I hope Canada finds a way to return to its former self. It is a great country with awesome people, but it is currently being destroyed economically and politically. At Spirit Hills, we are focusing our growth and expansion on other countries where there are rising tides until such time that Canada once again becomes the true North, strong and free.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.spirithillswinery.com
https://www.instagram.com/spirithillswinery/
https://twitter.com/spirithillswine
https://www.facebook.com/spirithillswinery
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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