Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Martain.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
15 years ago, I started the adventure of bringing wines from Baja into the US, a backpack filled with three bottles of wines, and working my way in the trolley of San Diego (car was not in my budget back then)… so many stories, faces of people with surprise when I talked to them about Mexico producing wine. Some of them were so open to trying, some of them would not even consider a taste. And so much has happened ever since. Nowadays, our wines are being considered as “locals” in San Diego, and we are expanding more and more accounts in Orange County, l.A, San Francisco, I am now working not only with CA market, but also made several alliances with distributors throughout the US- NV, TX, GA, FL, NY, IL, DC, WA, VA, even Puerto Rico and Bahamas!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not been smooth, the first years were extremely difficult due to the fact that Mexico was not known as a wine producer- even though we are neighbors. Also, I started business with no budget, and just tried to be creative with what I had available, knocking door to door, working at all events possible to spread the word out
Please tell us about Michelle Martain dba La Mision Associates (LMA wines).
My work is all about the importation, distribution, and promotion of Mexican Wine in the US. I am proud of every single bottle of wine that I sell- all of them have great stories behind. I was born in San Diego but grew up in Ensenada and in the middle of this evolution of Valle de Guadalupe. My parents own one of the oldest boutique wineries in Ensenada, and so, literally, I grew up between barrels of wine and vineyards. It was natural for me to represent with great pride all these amazing wines in San Diego, and to feel confident that once people try them they’ll want more…
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I think every day, we have more and more opportunities as women, I really believe we are great multitaskers and we can achieve anything we decide to- no limits.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9475 Nicola Tesla Ct. Suite C
San Diego, CA 92154 - Website: WWW.LMAWINES.COM
- Phone: 9512947531
- Email: mmartain@Lmawines.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lmawines/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/la.assoc
Image Credit:
Cynthia Soto for 1 of the pictures.
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