Black-owned wine company one of few in billion dollar industry

When Chrishon Lampley was growing up in suburban Downers Grove, she never imagined owning her own wine company. But the late thirty-something Lampley, who also is a radio personality, is making a name for herself in an industry dominated by white men. Lampley’s Love Cork Screw white and red wines can be purchased in 34 locations throughout the Chicago area. With six different flavors to choose from, Lampley believes her brand offers something for all wine lovers.

“It’s a wine lifestyle brand and private label that I developed in December of 2013,” Lampley explained. “I used to own a popular wine bar called Three Peas Art Lounge in the South Loop and from there I learned a lot about the industry as I used to prepare the wine list for the lounge and I worked on the distribution side as well. Being on those two sides I knew I wanted to have my own wine. I wanted to have something people could rely on and know that if they bought this brand it would be something they could go to.”

Lampley said people used to always ask her what wine to buy for certain meals and social occasions. So she decided to create a written blog when the lounge closed in 2011. That grew into a radio show when one day her business partner Tiffany Taylor came to her and said they should own a wine company. Lampley said she was always cultured around wine, as her parents took her to fancy restaurants, but she never took a huge interest in wine until the late 90s.

“Being a woman-owned company in this industry is always difficult because people don’t take you seriously,” Lampley said. “People think I just promote the wine, not that I’m the actual owner. It’s a huge industry and Chicago is one of the top markets in the world for beverages. You have to stay relevant, stay on top of things and reinvent yourself constantly.”

Most of her marketing has come through social media. She said it is amazing the exposure she has gotten through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and people contacting her via those avenues.

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