“There’re amazing experiences associated with popping open a bottle with friends and family.” – Michelle Howard
Michelle and Keon Howard at pop-up tasting with local makeup artist Renee Chester
Michelle and Keon Howard, the owners of new startup Winedays – a wine importer, distributor, wholesaler, and online retailer intent on broadening Guyanese appreciation of wine with their mobile wine bar “Vinny”, pop-up tastings and diverse offerings – first bonded over wine. Michelle, a wine aficionado raised in Toronto but of Guyanese parentage, and Keon, who migrated in his 20s from Guyana with more familiar tastes, had their first dates in wineries in Niagara Peninsula.
“It was a cheap date,” Michelle recalled with a hint of a smile in her voice. “Wineries on the Niagara Peninsula and Long Island would offer wine tastings on the weekends, four to five pours, 3.5(ounce) pours for $5 (US/CND).”
One wedding – where they gave away as favours three types of wines they made, bottled and labelled themselves with the help of a winery – and two children later, wine remains an important part of the couple’s lives. “We want to offer Guyanese quality wines at affordable prices,” Michelle said.
“Money is not our motivation. We love wines and are passionate about wines. We love people, and we want to share it [wines].”
Offering her husband who first gravitated towards sweet wines after expressing disdain for “those sour wines”, but has now expanded his palate after sampling a wide range of wines as an example, Michelle – who believes wine should be enjoyed at any time by anyone – fervently declared, “There are no rules any more around drinking wines….None of this wine snobbery stuff….it’s not a rich people thing; it’s your thing; it’s a healthier choice; it’s a choice that offers explosions in your mouth.” “My philosophy is: How would you know if you like it if you have not tried it?”
In democratising and popularising wine locally, the Howards’ ultimate aim is to provide a space where new wine drinkers feel comfortable and wine connoisseurs feel challenged. Michelle noted that they have been working hard towards that goal over the past eight months. Winedays delivers chilled wines to your home or office within an hour with no delivery charge for Georgetown residents, but the mobile, full-service wine bar “Vinny” (short for vino, which is Italian for wine (“there is truth in wine”) is the signature initiative. It can be hired for weddings and other events, and comes complete with décor, two trained servers who have been rigorously background-checked who arrive one and a half hours before the event’s start time to set up and spend the same amount of time after the event cleaning up. The company is also launching its monthly wine box subscription service, offering home delivery of bottles of wines and delicious morsels that complement them for a fixed fee. Michelle, who says her biggest influence is her entrepreneur father who taught her that you should treat everyone with decency and respect, explained that they have been very careful to ensure that they are “taking all the right steps and respecting the laws”.
“It’s very scary starting a business around wine in a country that’s not open to it,” Michelle revealed, adding that she has learnt to exercise patience and not worry about things she cannot control. “I am thankful for my husband, thankful he is my partner. His favourite saying is: “Every setback is a setup for a comeback.” He says, “Don’t worry, what’s for us will be.”” The self-confessed “fiery” half of the husband-and-wife team cautioned, “You are going to get a lot of no’s, don’t take it personally.” She says the most important quality of an entrepreneur is being tenacious, because “you just can’t quit”.
Questioned about what can be done to assist entrepreneurs, Michelle highlighted that financial and other institutions should make it easier for persons to start businesses by reducing the red tape.
“I believe success is whatever it is for you.” And for Michelle, success is making everyone aware of the joys of everyday wines. “The sky is the limit,” she declared. “We want to be a force to be reckoned with, that is sustainable.”
Michelle, a wine aficionado raised in Toronto but of Guyanese parentage, and Keon, who migrated in his 20s from Guyana with more familiar tastes, had their first dates in wineries in Niagara Peninsula.
“We want to offer Guyanese quality wines at affordable prices,” Michelle said.
“My philosophy is: How would you know if you like it if you have not tried it?”
Michelle, who says her biggest influence is her entrepreneur father who taught her that you should treat everyone with decency and respect, explained that they have been very careful to ensure that they are “taking all the right steps and respecting the laws”.
The self-confessed “fiery” half of the husband-and-wife team cautioned, “You are going to get a lot of no’s, don’t take it personally.” She says the most important quality of an entrepreneur is being tenacious, because “you just can’t quit”.
