Winery Spotlight: Frichette Winery on Community, Customers, and Voice

Shae Frichette is the Co-owner and Assistant Winemaker at Frichette Winery, a limited-production winery and tasting room in Washington State’s Red Mountain AVA. She is the Head Winemaker for Sashay, her label that focuses on approachable reds and off-dry rosés using Columbia Valley AVA wine grapes. Shae is also currently Chair of the Board of the Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Board of Directors for the Red Mountain AVA Alliance, Visit Tri-Cities, and Advisory Board for UW Foster School of Business.     

Shae completed Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 and an introductory Course and Exam to Court of Master Sommeliers. She is the recipient of the 2015 ATHENA Young Professional Award, the 2015 Entrepreneurial Award, and was a Rising Star inductee to the Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame. She’s also a graduate of the Leadership Tri-Cities Class XX.

Outside of the wine industry, Shae is a Mentor with eMERGE, a STEM-based leadership program for girls. She is an active volunteer with the American Heart Association, hosting an annual fundraising and awareness event. She also founded the Benton City Wineries Giving Garden Project, where more than a dozen wineries grow food and provide financial donations to the local food bank. As a community advocate, Shae volunteers by sharing wine and wine education for more than twenty nonprofits in the Tri-Cities area each year. She’s active in speaking at conferences and events on topics such as networking, providing stellar service, and teambuilding.

How do you craft a brand that’s grounded in your community while still being its own unique establishment? What does it take to attract like-minded customers to your business?

With years of volunteer experience under her belt, Shae Frichette knew she had to cohesively blend her winery’s values, her personal values, and the values of the customer in order to make an impact across the community. How did she achieve this? Shae reflected on what she wanted to see in her area and used that as a driving force for her brand. And instead of taking on the task alone, Shae suggests collaborating with other local businesses in an effort to serve others and celebrate the growth of your community.

In this episode of VINTed, Scout Driscoll talks with Shae Frichette, Co-owner and Assistant Winemaker at Frichette Winery, about drawing in the right customers and connecting with your community. Shae shares her story of working in the corporate world to starting a winery with her partner, the lessons she learned early on in the winery, and her tips for leveraging brand opportunity while serving others.