Laura Booras, former CEO of Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, assumes leadership role at her family’s North Carolina-based distributorship
8 March – Greensboro, North Carolina – Long time wine industry executive and thought-leader, Laura Booras, has joined her family’s business, Freedom Beverage, where she will be assuming the role of Vice President of Sales full time. Founded in 2002 by her father, Tim Booras, Freedom Beverage is a specialty wine and beer distributor based in Greensboro, serving the entire state of North Carolina. Their impressive book of supplier clients includes storied champagne house, Billecart-Salmon, for which they are the exclusive distributor statewide. Freedom Beverage also represents Scarpetta, DuMol, Niepoort and Martine’s Wines, among numerous others.
“I am looking forward to working alongside my daughter,” says Founder and President Tim Booras. “We have long shared a mutual love of wine and North Carolina, so to have her home and working at Freedom Beverage is an exciting prospect. She will undoubtedly bring a fresh perspective to our family business.” As Vice President of Sales, Booras will create and implement corporate sales strategies; oversee a 20-person sales team located throughout the state and direct the company’s wine and beer education program.
Previously, Booras was at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery in California’s Santa Barbara County, where for 15 years she rose through the ranks from Brand Manager to General Manager, to Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. In this role, Booras had full operational control, including oversight of all financials, facilities, vineyard management, production, and sales channels. Originally intended by its owners to only produce still wines, it was Booras who steered the Riverbench team and ownership towards the production of ultra-premium, vineyard-designated sparking lines. Riverbench subsequently became a leader in the domestic ultra-premium sparkling wine category. Additionally, among her many achievements while there, Booras was central to the development of the company’s successful tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara’s funk zone, as well as the introduction of Sparkling Pinot Meunier (Santa Maria Valley) to the winery’s line up of products; still considered a rare offering domestically.
Simultaneously, Booras was recruiting Santa Barbara-based supplier talent for the Freedom Beverage book, introducing Brewer-Clifton, Liquid Farm, Margerum, Laetitia and Lucas and Lewellen, noteworthy Central Coast producers, to North Carolinians. Throughout her tenure in Santa Barbara County, Booras traveled frequently abroad, representing Freedom Beverage as Winery Liaison in Chile (Maipo Valley and Colchagua Valley), Argentina (Mendoza), France (Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, Beaujolais, Loire), Italy (Piemonte) and Australia (Barossa, Clare Valley, Coonawarra). During one of her trips to France, Booras enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Paris, where she received her Basic Cuisine Diploma (Mention Bien).
Throughout her career thus far, Booras has been an avid supporter of California’s Central Coast and its wine industry in general, having served as Regional Director for The Wine Institute; President of the World of Pinot Noir, Board Member of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association (twice) and the President of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association.
Nicholas Miller, of the Miller-family-owned iconic Santa Barbara County vineyard designate, Bien Nacido Vineyards, says of Booras, “While I am excited for Laura to advance in the next step of her career in the wine industry, it is a true loss for Santa Barbara County to be losing one of our great advocates and leaders. Laura made a profound impact on Santa Barbara County as an inspired leader for numerous organizations and events. She was a road warrior carrying the wines of Riverbench to sale all over this country, but also a presence here locally. She led Riverbench into being one of the early adopters of the Funk Zone, opening up a second tasting room in the heart of it. I’m sure Laura will excel in her new role, but Santa Barbara County will miss her.”
During her leisure time, Booras enjoys traveling throughout North Carolina in an Airstream trailer with her partner, William, and their pets. She is an avid home chef, drummer and together with William, is currently cultivating a truffle orchard near company headquarters.
To learn more about Freedom Beverage, please visit www.freedombev.com.
