Winery Spotlight: Soleil Mimosa Sales Talk With National Sales Director Sandra Pacheco

Sandra Pacheco, National Sales Director for Lescombes Family Vineyards, started her career with the winery in 2004. She has worked with the company in many different roles, including special projects, wholesale division manager, business development manager, and marketing director. In her current role, she is developing a national and international presence for the winery’s products in independent accounts, regional chain accounts, and national and international chain accounts. 

Sandra was responsible for setting up relationships for the wines with over 70 national distributors in 48 states. She was also responsible for establishing wine placement with national chain accounts in the 48 states where the wines are currently sold. Some of these regional retailers include Costco, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s, and The Fresh Market. Her ongoing accomplishments have involved extensive research and lengthy communication with distributor partners and corporate buyers to secure distribution, placement of wines, and ongoing programming. 

Through her and her team’s efforts, Lescombes’ Soleil Mimosa brand received the Growth Brand, Rising Star Award from Beverage Information Group (Beverage Dynamics) for the sixth year. In addition, the brand was also named as a 2020 Impact Hot Prospect Brand by M. Shanken Communications (Market Watch).

Sandra holds a master’s degree in organizational management and a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in professional writing. She is Total Quality Management for Service certified, a Level I Certified Wine Sommelier, and she has successfully completed the Wine Executive Program at UC Davis. In addition, Sandra serves as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. She held a previous position as a Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning and Zoning Commissioner and served as a member of the 2035 Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Master Planning committee.

How did Lescombes Family Vineyards rebrand Soleil Mimosa into the #1 mimosa winery in the nation?

It didn’t happen overnight. For National Sales Director Sandra Pacheco, it took an abundance of pride, passion, and persistence. Although Soleil Mimosa was already a nationally-recognized brand, it needed a transformation in order to stay relevant on the shelves. Sandra challenged the production and creative teams, began knocking on doors, and didn’t let rejection halt their progress. The most important part? She stayed true to the brand throughout the whole process. 

In this episode of VINTed, Scout Driscoll sits down with Sandra Pacheco, the National Sales Director for Lescombes Family Vineyards, to discuss the successful rebranding of Soleil Mimosa. Sandra goes into detail about the rebranding process, shares advice for working with distributors, talks about the history of winemaking in New Mexico, and gushes about the power of women in wine. You don’t want to miss it!