Brian Retherford's guest appearances

Brian Retherford

Beyond the Uniform

Service Academy Business Mastermind

XChateau Wine Podcast

Bruce Cleveland

Preston Pysh

Brendan Aronson

France Hoang

Trevor Shirk

Charles Mullenger

Jason Van Camp

Jon Macaskill

Chris Hsu

Jesse Iwuji

Laura Renner

Chris West

Ken Coleman

Robert Morris

Chris Hogan

OwlTail

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Brian Retherford, founder of Claudine Wines, a modern, American micro-negociant.  We discuss the wine market inefficiencies that make a negociant model possible, how the wines of Claudine differ from the wineries’ wines, and where the best deals will be going forward. Other topics covered in this episode include:Brain’s background - 15 years in the US Army, now a cybersecurity consultantStarted by doing a Crushpad project - micro winemaking project that ended up being too expensive with insufficient qualityTypes of negociant modelsBuying fruitBuying bulk wineBuying finished wine in a barrel - Claudine’s main focusBuying bottled wineMarket inefficiencies in the wine industryTakes 3-4 years from harvest decision to selling wine, which creates supply/demand mismatchesOther opportunities: tasting room that burnt down in the fires, the winery decided not to release a wine it made to focus on the core region, yield variations year to year creating more wineWhat can Claudine put on the wine labelTry to be as specific as possible - using the AVA, but can’t discuss producer, winemaker, or vineyards usuallyOften shares a copy of language with winery before releasingSustainability of the businessKeep small scale (3-5 barrel projects) and do more projects vs bigger projectsFocus on higher-value - if a similar wine could be bought at Costco, won’t do the projectCurating great product and building customer trust over timeDifferences between Claudine and the winery’s wineMight be the same - “the last 100 cases off the line” or already bottled wineSome wine that didn’t make it into the final blend and have extra barrelsThe wine bulk marketBifurcated between top juice and commodity winesThe upper end is more competitiveWinery options other than negociants to sell excess wineDon’t produce (often not done b/c the marginal cost to produce is small)Lower price (not a popular option in the US)Sell to flash sale sites (e.g. - Last Bottle, WTSO)Wine gets “poured out” or destroyedClaudine customer demographicsCA - had wine events pre-COVIDNY, Boston, Kansas City - where Brian used to liveBrian knows about 1 in 10 customers nowSkews older in the age groupUpcoming deals - likely good opportunities by focusing on deepening relationship in NapaIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Brian Retherford, founder of <a href="https://www.claudinewines.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Claudine Wines</a>, a modern, American micro-negociant.  We discuss the wine market inefficiencies that make a negociant model possible, how the wines of Claudine differ from the wineries’ wines, and where the best deals will be going forward. Other topics covered in this episode include:<ul><li>Brain’s background - 15 years in the US Army, now a cybersecurity consultant</li><li>Started by doing a Crushpad project - micro winemaking project that ended up being too expensive with insufficient quality</li><li>Types of negociant models<ul><li>Buying fruit</li><li>Buying bulk wine</li><li>Buying finished wine in a barrel - Claudine’s main focus</li><li>Buying bottled wine</li></ul></li><li>Market inefficiencies in the wine industry<ul><li>Takes 3-4 years from harvest decision to selling wine, which creates supply/demand mismatches</li><li>Other opportunities: tasting room that burnt down in the fires, the winery decided not to release a wine it made to focus on the core region, yield variations year to year creating more wine</li></ul></li><li>What can Claudine put on the wine label<ul><li>Try to be as specific as possible - using the AVA, but can’t discuss producer, winemaker, or vineyards usually</li><li>Often shares a copy of language with winery before releasing</li></ul></li><li>Sustainability of the business<ul><li>Keep small scale (3-5 barrel projects) and do more projects vs bigger projects</li><li>Focus on higher-value - if a similar wine could be bought at Costco, won’t do the project</li><li>Curating great product and building customer trust over time</li></ul></li><li>Differences between Claudine and the winery’s wine<ul><li>Might be the same - “the last 100 cases off the line” or already bottled wine</li><li>Some wine that didn’t make it into the final blend and have extra barrels</li></ul></li><li>The wine bulk market<ul><li>Bifurcated between top juice and commodity wines</li><li>The upper end is more competitive</li></ul></li><li>Winery options other than negociants to sell excess wine<ul><li>Don’t produce (often not done b/c the marginal cost to produce is small)</li><li>Lower price (not a popular option in the US)</li><li>Sell to flash sale sites (e.g. - Last Bottle, WTSO)</li><li>Wine gets “poured out” or destroyed</li></ul></li><li>Claudine customer demographics<ul><li>CA - had wine events pre-COVID</li><li>NY, Boston, Kansas City - where Brian used to live</li><li>Brian knows about 1 in 10 customers now</li><li>Skews older in the age group</li></ul></li><li>Upcoming deals - likely good opportunities by focusing on deepening relationship in Napa</li></ul>If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! <a href="https://open.acast.com/public/patreon/fanSubscribe/7472761" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Get access to library episodes</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The American Negociant: Brian Retherford, Claudine Wines

Why Listen: Brian co-founded a wine business while on Active Duty, which is one of several “side hustles” in his life. Regardless of your interest in wine, entrepreneurship, or side hustles, this is a FANTASTIC interview. We talk about how you can use an existing product while bringing marketing and branding to the table to make it a business. In Brian’s case, he is redistributing wines from incredible vineyards under his own label, which means he doesn’t have to worry about creating and maintaining a product. We talk about how preparation happens well before the opportunity arises, about giving back, about using volunteering opportunities, about cultivating side pursuits while in the military and more.  About Brian: Brian Retherford is currently serving in the US Army, where he is the team leader for a multi-function cyberspace operations team, and has served for 15 years. He is also the Founder of Claudine Wines, which is what we're going to spend most of our time talking about today. He started out at West Point, and has served in the Army since he graduated in 2004. He has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Why Listen: Brian co-founded a wine business while on Active Duty, which is one of several “side hustles” in his life. Regardless of your interest in wine, entrepreneurship, or side hustles, this is a FANTASTIC interview. We talk about how you can use an existing product while bringing marketing and branding to the table to make it a business. In Brian’s case, he is redistributing wines from incredible vineyards under his own label, which means he doesn’t have to worry about creating and maintaining a product. We talk about how preparation happens well before the opportunity arises, about giving back, about using volunteering opportunities, about cultivating side pursuits while in the military and more. About Brian: Brian Retherford is currently serving in the US Army, where he is the team leader for a multi-function cyberspace operations team, and has served for 15 years. He is also the Founder of Claudine Wines, which is what we're going to spend most of our time talking about today. He started out at West Point, and has served in the Army since he graduated in 2004. He has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

BTU #298 - Making Wine on Active Duty (Brian Retherford)

Website link: https://www.sabmgroup.com/brian-retherford/ Brian Retherford (USMA '04) is an Army Officer and the Founder of Claudine Wines, an online wine company that sells high-end wines at affordable prices.  Claudine Wines buys excess barrels from fine wine producers and bottles it under their own label. By cutting out unnecessary expenses and streamlining the production and ordering process, they can bring top-flight wine to their customers for a fraction of the price. In this episode, Brian and I discuss:  How he connected with a winery and got his first customers Why he sells his wine exclusively online The biggest lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey  Connect with Brian  Claudine Wines Brian on LinkedIn  If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show:  Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review!  Special thanks to Brian for joining me this week.  Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA ’01

Website link: <a href="https://www.sabmgroup.com/?p=1932&amp;preview=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.sabmgroup.com/brian-retherford/</a> Brian Retherford (USMA '04) is an Army Officer and the Founder of <a href="https://www.claudinewines.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Claudine Wines</a>, an online wine company that sells high-end wines at affordable prices.  Claudine Wines buys excess barrels from fine wine producers and bottles it under their own label. By cutting out unnecessary expenses and streamlining the production and ordering process, they can bring top-flight wine to their customers for a fraction of the price. In this episode, Brian and I discuss: <ul> <li>How he connected with a winery and got his first customers</li> <li>Why he sells his wine exclusively online</li> <li>The biggest lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey</li> </ul> Connect with Brian <ul> <li><a href="https://www.claudinewines.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Claudine Wines</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianretherford/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brian on LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can <a href="http://www.sabmgroup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">join our supportive community</a> and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: <ul> <li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/service-academy-business-mastermind/id1233995120" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe on iTunes</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=185096&amp;refid=stpr" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe on Stitcher</a></li> <li>Leave us a 5-star review!</li> </ul> Special thanks to Brian for joining me this week.  Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA ’01

#48: Launching an Online Wine Company with Brian Retherford, USMA ‘04