Success stories don’t happen overnight. Though sometimes it may appear that way, stories like Napa Valley’s Mi Sueño Winery remind us that there’s often more than meets the eye. The Mexican-owned and family-operated winery’s co-founder, Ronaldo Herrera, spoke to Remezcla about starting in the business from the bottom, his American Dream, and his advice to up-and-coming Latine winemakers.
Although Herrera founded the winery in 1997 alongside his wife Lorena, the Mexican immigrant businessman has been part of the vineyard profession since he was 17 years old. He “fell in love” with the industry in 1985 when he set foot in a wine cellar. But a job in the grape business didn’t magically appear; he was fortunately part of the crew remodeling the late Warren Winiarski’s home when he met the winemaker who would change his life. Winiarski, known as an influential winemaker in Napa Valley, hired the hardworking Mexican, who was at the time living in the U.S. by himself and balancing his work and education.
After a couple of months of helping Winiarski with anything from mixing concrete to digging trenches, Herrera had to step back from working to continue his education in high school. Upon hearing the news, the winemaker offered him a job on the harvest side of his Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars solely based on his work ethic. He remembers the life-changing moment as if it were yesterday. “From the moment I set foot in the cellar, I just fell in love and [felt] excitement of seeing barrels and tanks and the smell. I enjoyed every single moment learning everything from the bottom up,” he says.
Herrera would continue to work at the winery — eventually becoming a cellar master — for 10 years before quitting to take his career to the next level. This was a significant moment, especially since the promotion would make him the first Mexican employee to work in the winery and winemaking team. And that’s all thanks to Winiarski, who saw something in him. “I remember when I walked into Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, everybody was surprised. Like, ‘You work inside the winery? I go, ‘Yeah.’ [They’d ask] ‘Who did it?’ [I’d say] Warren. Warren embraced me. Warren opened those doors, and whatever he saw in me back then, he gave me the opportunity to work inside the winery.”
Throughout the mid-90s and early aughts, he continued his education at Napa Valley College and stacked his wine resume with jobs at the Chateau Potelle Winery as an assistant winemaker, the Vine Cliff Winery as a head winemaker, and as a director of winemaking for the influential winemaker Paul Hobbs. Around that time in 1997, Herrera began experimenting with his own grapes with his wife in his garage. But he was juggling multiple jobs: he was working for Hobbs, making his own wine, and running his own consulting company. In 2003, he decided to make another career move to elevate his life by quitting his other jobs to focus on his American dream: running Mi Sueño Winery full-time with his family.
Now, 28 years after stepping into his first wine cellar, the 58-year-old knows his efforts and grind were worth it. “Mi Sueño is definitely one of thousands or millions of stories that make this country the greatest country in the world, where you can come, work hard, work smart, and stay true to your goals, stay focused, stay true to your passion, and you can accomplish the American dream,” he shares. “For me, the American dream is still alive. And there’s really no secret to it. I get that question a lot. I think the secret to accomplishing our goals, our dream, is the same path that our ancestors taught us, our parents, which is work hard, work smart; be responsible, be accountable, be loyal. All the basic things that are going to get you good results.” His winery now offers a collection that includes Chardonnay, red wine, Pinot Noir, and white wine.
“… The secret to accomplishing our goals, our dream, is the same path that our ancestors taught us, our parents, which is work hard, work smart; be responsible, be accountable, be loyal. All the basic things that are going to get you good results.”
Though it’s been hard work, he is a firm believer that anyone can achieve their dreams, regardless of where you’re from. He points out that though it’s a tough industry and that he’s competing against wealthy families who own wineries as “hobbies,” success can be still found if there’s passion. “Is it a little more challenging in some areas? Of course it is, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he explains. “It gives us an opportunity to prove other people wrong, or it gives an opportunity to dig even deeper into who we are and pull the best of us to continue pursuing our dreams and accomplishing our goals.”
Now, almost three decades since starting Mi Sueño Winery, he’s finally enjoying the fruits of his labor. Mi Sueño Winery was chosen to be part of Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready (SMBDR) program. The program will provide Herrera with a social media mentorship that will help him expand his business. Although he’s new to the digital world, he’s ready to keep showing up and pushing his wine passion forward.
“At the end, what matters for me is what I put in the bottle,” he says. “I’m proud of my wines, [and] I like to let my wines do the talking. That’s the beauty of this industry.”
Travel and accommodations were provided to the author by Verizon for the purpose of writing this story.
