Tony Coleman joins company as Vice President, Supply Chain
LIVERMORE VALLEY, CA – March 5, 2019 – Wente Family Estates is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Tony Coleman to the position of Vice President Supply Chain, joining the senior leadership team. The company is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery, focused on producing top quality, appellation-driven California wines with strong distribution in a competitive marketplace both domestically and internationally.
Coleman brings to Wente Family Estates a wealth of industry experience over the last 27 years. Prior to joining the team, he was Director of Bottling at Trinchero Family Estates and also held operations leadership positions at Diageo Chateau & Estates and E&J Gallo Winery. He has spent 18 years focused on the wine & spirits business, and his areas of expertise including engineering and maintenance, plant operations, project management, training and lean manufacturing principles. As Vice President of Supply Chain at Wente Family Estates, reporting to COO and Chief Winemaker Karl D. Wente, Coleman will work to streamline processes, communications and set best practices to deliver the family’s wines to the marketplace of trade and consumers. He joins the current Senior Leadership team comprised of 4th generation winegrowers including CEO Carolyn Wente, Chairman of the Board Eric Wente, Vice Chairman Phil Wente, Fifth Generation Winegrower, COO and Chief Winemaker Karl D. Wente, Fifth Generation Winegrower and President of Wente Foundation for Arts Education Christine Wente, President Amy Hoopes, CFO Arthur Jeannet, EVP and Chief Sales Officer Tyson Overton and EVP of Hospitality and DTC Retail Brendan Finley.
Of the appointment, CEO Carolyn Wente stated, “As we tirelessly seek to refine our market strategy and emulate best business practices in the wine industry, upholding a five generation tradition for my family, we sought to find an insightful leader for supply chain management for our evolving business. Tony’s experience and skills suited our needs perfectly.” Wente Family Estates is among the top 30 wineries in the United States from the standpoint of production and distribution. The winery has a brisk domestic business and a significant share of the export wine market, where the wines have enjoyed international acclaim for decades. More on the winery’s insights and future goals here.
About Wente Family Estates
Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards is coming off its 135th anniversary, when it was resoundingly celebrated for its industry-wide contributions to innovation as the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country, now owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. The company portfolio is comprised of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta’s Well, Hayes Ranch, Ravel & Stitch, entwine and Double Decker brands. The winery draws from certified sustainable Estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay and Arroyo Seco, Monterey appellations to create an outstanding array of fine wines that are distributed in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide. In 2010, it joined the top 2% of California wineries who meet all three tiers within the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing codes & designation. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast and a top 30 wine company by Wine Business Monthly. 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the Wente family bringing Chardonnay cuttings to California from France. Today, the Wente clones of Chardonnay are the most widely planted in California.
Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations. In 2018, the winery took a leadership role in its longstanding mission to inspire employees and guests to make time for what really matters, as realized through Wente Vineyards’ best practices, outstanding wines and wine country experiences. The property features wine tasting, world-class concerts, award-winning fine dining and championship golf. For more information, visit www.wentevineyards.com.
