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Food Brands
Food Brands Thursday
03Jan
Vino de Milo - Wine Infused Passion
Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 12:30AM Foodpreneur:
Jonathan Leal
About the Foodpreneur:
Following a successful career in catering, I founded Milo's in 2003. I've traveled all over the world, love food & international flavors. I have 2 degrees in French and an MBA, and am actively involved in the specialty food industry.
My middle name is Milo -- a family name going back 3 generations (and forward 1!), for 5 generations of men named Milo. When we hit on the idea of using wine in our sauces, the name "Vino de Milo" -- a play on Venus de Milo -- just seemed perfect. It's fun and playful and authentic to who I am.
About the Vino de Milo Biz:
It all started by accident, with the creation of an eggplant sauce at a food business incubator in Athens, Ohio. But something was missing: at a focus group, it was suggested that wine be added, and voila - a brand was born!
In the four years since, Vino de Milo has grown by leaps and bounds. We now have 5 flavors of wine-based pasta sauces, and recently added wine-based salad dressings (3 flavors). We've grown across the country and are now carried in 48 states, Canada, and Ireland, and continue to grow fast and strong. Everything we make is wine-based, 100% natural and has no sugars added.
Founded:
2003
Marketing Strategies:
We do lots of demos in stores, advertise in national industry publications, and do sampling at wine & food festivals to introduce people to Vino de Milo.
Jonathan knew Vino de Milo was a hit when:
Distributors and larger stores started calling us (instead of the other way around)!
Current Clients:
Whole Foods, Giant Eagle, lots of independent specialty food & wine stores.
In the News:
Gourmet Retailer, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, Ohio Magazine, Portland Picks, Fancy Food Magazine, Columbus Dispatch, Specialty Food Magazine, The Nibble, Drinks magazine, the Rosengarten Report.
Why is Jonathan in the Food Business?
I love this industry -- I've met so many amazing people who have mentored me and provided inspiration (and support), and I enjoy having the ability to do this in turn for other businesses. Plus you get to travel a lot to shows & sales meetings, and I've gotten to see a lot more of the country than I otherwise would have.
Words from the Wise:
It's remarkable how much time and money it takes to succeed in this business. You have to be prepared to put in years of your life and 10x more money than you initially would expect. But in the end I find it to be incredibly worthwhile.
A Final note from Jonathan:
It's a labor of love -- I love what I do, and that translates into all aspects of the business.
Foodpreneur Says:
Vino de Milo is a food brand success story to follow. I personally stopped by their booth while presenting at the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland Ohio this past November 2007. It is always great to watch the reactions of others tasting food products. This crowd pleaser is available nationwide and has been featured in some major media. These wine infused sauces along with the passion of Jonathan Leal will keep Vino De Milo in the direction of continued success.
Contacting Vino de Milo:
Vino de Milo94c Columbus Rd
Athens, OH 45701
740.589.6456
Website: Vino De Milo
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