BIG CHANGES! WHERE'S KIM?, AND CONGRATS LIBBY!

A HUGE congratulations to Libby, as she's been promoted to Store Manager of Toast! Libby has been with Toast! for a couple years, and has been a major asset to the shop. We are delighted she will be running the show from here on out! stop in to congratulate her on your next visit!

So, where's Kim? Is she still the owner?

--The BIG answer is YES! Kim remains the owner and has been for over 18 years!

A note from the owner, Kim:

Don't worry!! I still own Toast! and I plan to as long as I live, as long as there are wonderful people like you walking in the front door! It is too special of a store to let go of, thanks to people like you, the relationships, friendships and community built over almost two decades in business.

After doing the same thing for 18 years, it was time for me to step away and let Toast! run independently. I pride myself on hiring talented, friendly, and professional people who I am confident can take the reins successfully.

A little history, and why it was time for a change:

I started Toast! along with my late husband, Brian. He always wanted to run a boutique bottle shop where guests felt welcomed, didn't feel pressured into a sale, and where they felt seen and that they mattered. We were both from corporate backgrounds, and we were tired of the high pressure sales environment.

When we opened the doors at Toast! we immediately began building relationships. We were making friends, and were becoming a part of the community. Toast! was everything we dreamed it would be, and all our wishes came true.

In 2020, after Brian's untimely passing, I had incredible friends who also happened to work for Toast! who took the reins for me while I mourned his loss and made the decision if I could continue with running the store. Thanks to their help, compassionate and patient customers, and time and healing, I decided to keep running it. I couldn't let go of it. I opened Toast! with my husband, shared in the joy of the birth of our daughter with all of our Toast! family, and mourned his loss along with everyone at the time. I healed, found love again, remarried, and grew professionally and personally. My whole life is in the store. It was the definition of me.

After 18 years running Toast!, I decided it was time for me to move on and assume an owner role, versus an owner/operator role. I will be in and out periodically, but for the most part it will Libby and the team running it day to day. It was time for me to grow professionally, do something that fosters my degree and to be honest, remove myself from a lot of the memories that still exist every day I'm there.

What I'm doing now

I have accepted an exciting admin role with South Adams County Fire Department. It's completely different, but that's what I was looking for. While I will miss discussing wine, pairing delicious libations to your upcoming meals, parties, etc, and asking you all about your weekends, kids, pets, and how your day really was (because I really do care!), I am excited for this new chapter.

While I am away from the store, I still have my finger on the pulse of it. I am available to you should you have questions, concerns, or just want to say hi! Feel free to email me at kim@toastwineandspirits.com.

There may be some growing pains as Libby learns her new role. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this transition.

Thank you for your continued support of my little store. There are no words to express how grateful I am to each and every one of you.

I hope you continue to shop with us, and that we continue to exceed your expectations. If ever that is not the case, please let me know by sending an email to the address above.

We strive to provide only top service, and pride ourselves on our excellent reputation for friendly, no pressure interactions with our customers. I, as the sole owner, will accept nothing but the best for you.

My most sincerest thank you ~ Kim (proud owner of Toast!)

And Still They Rise! Celebrating Women in the Alcohol Beverage Industry.

In what was once an industry dominated by men, many women paved the way for others, and today they continue to fizzle into every aspect of the alcohol beverage industry. We at Toast!, a woman owned company, celebrate and thank these ladies for never listening to the voices that tried to hold them back. Here are just a few of the women in our industry we would like call attention to, not only today, but everyday. We are featuring items by these women, as well as many others, owned or crafted by our fellow females in the field. Please stop in for a more detailed list of all our products that are woman owned, distilled or crafted and drink up the equality!

Marianne Eaves-Master Distiller at Castle & Key Frankfurt, Kentucky

As many industry professionals questioned if Marianne had the right to take the title of Master Distiller, the first woman in history to do so, she stepped up and is slaying it at what she calls her "fairy tale job." Castle & Key is known for their bourbon, but they have an incredible vodka and gin as well that you will consistently find on the shelves at Toast! The bourbon industry is very insular, largely ran by white men with legacies handed down generation to generation. Marianne ruffled feathers when she accepted the role of master distiller after receiving a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville, followed by five years at Brown-Forman, the company behind whiskey brands such as: Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, and Jack Daniels. There, she climbed from intern to master taster, mentored by master distiller Chris Morrison. The rest, as they say, is history, as she will now go down as the first female in history to receive the honorary title of Kentucky bourbon's master distiller.

Marilena Barbera- Winemaker and Owner of Cantine Barbera Menfi, Agrigento • Sicily - Italy

Marilena produces her wines using only organic farming and natural winemaking. She chooses to only work with spontaneous fermentation and non-invasive wine practices in order to respect the native grape varietals and the unique land and soil from which they come. If ever you have the opportunity to meet Ms. Marilena Barbera she will most likely greet you with a large smile and bright eyes, which light up even brighter as she speaks about the art of her craft. A third generation winemaker in her family, she still grows the experimental varietals her father chose over 30 years ago, but adds to them the grape varieties known well in the region. Her white wines are vibrant, with zestful salinity, and her reds are big, round, and juicy. They explode on your palate with notes of the soil and sea of the area. To love is to drink Marilena Barbera's Nero D'Avola, which can be found on the shelves at Toast! this very moment. Perhaps tonight is the night you prepare a steamy pot of bolognese and open a bottle of her Nero d'Avola, only to be transported to Sicily in your mind, spirit and taste.

Brigid, Moira, Roisin and Marie-Therese O'Reilly Nomen Wine Newburg, Oregon

The sisters who started a winery by women, for women (that's ok, men can drink it too!) The girls grew up helping their parents do it all in the family-owned winery, Owen Roe, started by their parents in the 1980's. Their parents instilled the value that women can do anything and the girls took it to heart. They did everything from pulling weeds, planting vines, sorting grapes, lab analysis, running the tasting rooms and selling the wine. They took this knowledge and ran with it, creating the ground-breaking sustainable Nomen Winery, a sly nod that there are no men in the creation of the brand. Contained in the ground-breaking, low carbon footprint, PET plastic bottle there is spectacular juice, a black sheep idea in the mainstream landscape of the Oregon wine world. The bottle they use has 77% less carbon emission than glass bottles, and contains no hormone disrupters, so, no health issues, and no mood swings. Here, here sisters! A wine we can hike with, take to the pool, the park, drink at home, embrace equality and not get moody! Drink up women of the world! Thank you O'Reilly sisters for your ingenious business idea!

Virginia Willcock Vasse Felix Margaret River, Australia

As a teenager, Virginia saw the happiness and joy wine brought her parents and their friends after a long, hard days work in their small family vineyard. Fast-forward several years, and now Virginia is the chief winemaker behind some of Australia's most widely awarded wines. She has driven the revolutionary development of wild yeast fermentation in their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. She's quoted as saying "Make the wines you love to drink." “I loved the idea of growing fruit, and then turning it into something that could be more beautiful and would make people happy.” A regular on our new-world Cabernet Sauvignon rack, you will find the Vasse Felix very reasonably priced, especially knowing the accolades it has received.

Melly Barajas La Gritonia Reposado Tequila Valle de Guadalupe, Jalisco Mexico

From clothing designer to business owner and distiller. Melly fought her way into the world of tequila, literally knocking on doors to find those who would teach her. Once she broke her way through those closed doors she went to work making tequila where she found she loved the smell, taste and the industry. She had found her new passion, profession and her home. She eventually opened her own distillery, Raza Azteca, being one of only 8 or 9 female distillers out of the 79 producers of tequila at the time. Raza Azteca produces 100 percent tequila, which is not mixed with sugar or flavors, for three in-house brands, as well as for other companies, such as La Gritona. She only uses mature agave of 9 to 10 years, and the pinas must mature in the iron-rich red soil of the local Jalisco highlands. Not only is La Gritonia produced by a woman distiller, but Melly also only employs women, making it a 100% woman-owned and ran company. Wether it's in a margarita, neat, or on the rocks, we can say Salud! to Melly, her devotion to her craft, and to other women in the industry with each sip of her meticulously crafted tequila. We've received word her blanco is coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for it to hit our shelves. The reposado is regular staple found in 750ml bottles as well as in 375ml format.

#embraceequity #womeninwine #womendistillers #internationalwomensday2023

JOIN OUR MONTHLY WINE CLUB!

Get TWO WINES every month when you become a member. Choose from a white and red wine, or two reds. $25 and $50 memberships available ($50 club comes with recipe pairings curated specially for the wines chosen that month.)

For information on our monthly Wine Club, please email kim@toastwineandspirits.com.