Ep. 1503 Michelle Schromm | Masterclass US Wine Market With Juliana Colangelo

Since twenty seventeen, the Italian One podcast has exploded and expects to hit six million listens by the end of July twenty twenty three. We're celebrating this success by recognizing those who have shared the journey with us and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the on success of the shows. By buying a paper copy of the Italian wine unplugged two point o or making a donation to help the ongoing running costs, members of the international Italian wine community will be given the chance to nominate future guests and even enter a price draw to have lunch with Stevie Kim and Professor Atigioshenza. To find out more, visit us at Italian wine podcast dot com. Welcome to Mastercross US Market with me, Juliana Colangelo. This has been designed to demystify the US market for Italian wineries through interviews of experts in sales and distribution, social media, communications, and so much more. We will quiz each of our esteemed guests at the end of each episode to solidify the lessons that we've learned. To sharpen your pencils, get out your notebooks, and join us each week to learn more about the US market. Hello. Welcome to Masterclass US wine market. Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Michelle Schrom to the podcast. Michelle is the newly appointed executive director of Batonanage as well as the director of marketing and sales for Rain winery. Michelle has over a decade of international experience and proven success in marketing, sales, brand management, and hospitality, as well as as if nonprofit management experience. Welcome to the show, Michelle. It's so great to have you here. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for having me, Juliana. Of course. We're so excited to learn more about your new role with Batnage as well as your, you know, your background on your your cart well with rain. But before we dive in today's discussion about mentorship and the wine industry, tell us a little bit about how you got into this world. We always love hearing everyone's stories and and how they entered this space. Yeah. It's so great. It's one of my favorite things about the wine industry because they're rarely follow a similar path. Everyone has their own unique story. And I actually am from the Midwest, so definitely didn't grow up around wine. And I studied up my sort of love of travel and, desire to learn Spanish took me to Argentina. I did a study abroad program there, through my undergrad and, happened to land in Mendoza, which is wine country for Argentina. I really fell in love with the place and the people and the culture, and so ended up staying there. I got a position at a really beautiful, sort of boutique family winery running their hospitality program, and did that for several years, lived in Argentina for a total of about seven. And then through that, I actually got recruited, to come back to California and work, at the importer of that winery. So it was one of those I was in Argentina I can work in the wine industry, because I live here and I speak English, and I was doing hospitality, and then then moved to California. Now eight years ago, really solidified. This is actually my career. And something I'm gonna be doing I think for the rest of my life, and then got more into the marketing and sales aspect here in the US market in particular. And then now here I am over a decade later. Still working in in within the wine industry, and do more passionate than ever about it. So not a not a super obvious choice from Missouri to Mendoza to California. But it's been a real really wonderful one. Yeah. What were you studying in college that took you you mentioned Spanish. Correct? So that was the focus when you went down there. Yeah. I mean, rule was to learn Spanish, but I studied political science, actually. I thought I was gonna become an immigration lawyer, that was, like, you know, at twenty when you're supposed to pick what you're supposed to do with your life, and then I thought I had in mind. But what I loved about the wine industry, and really, you know, my intrigued to for even my career choices have been connecting cultures, and connecting people with places, which I feel like is so valuable and wonderful. And so the wine industry does that, you know, tenfold over when you talk about it, you know, it spans the globe, and it brings people together in a way that, really nothing else does. So that's what my state attracted to it and why I felt it could actually be a career, which I'm so thrilled that it has been. Yeah. Absolutely. And I was a political science major as well, and I studied abroad in South Africa, and then my first big campaign was winds of South Africa. So, so maybe there's a trend here with the political science majors who veer off from the law, path, and go into wine. Yeah. That's so true. And South Africa was actually on my list of places to go. I ended up choosing, Argentina for the the desire of the language, but South Africa was another country that always felt super attractive to me. So that's really cool. Yeah. It's amazing down there. I hope you get a chance to visit, but we are on the Italian wine podcast. I won't talk too much about But I forgot. Steve will stop me on the wrist. But, anyway, diving into today's episode. So, Michelle, we're gonna talk about your new role at Batonanage, and you're gonna talk to us more about what Batonanage is. But we're gonna talk more specifically about how mentorship programs like Batonanage can really change the nature of the wine industry. So our three key takeaways for today's master class and what we're excited to learn from you, Michelle, are number one, what do wine mentorship programs like BatonOSH accomplish? Number two, what do wine mentorship programs change for the employee pool in the US market. And number three, what are some tips and strategies for those in other wine regions like Italy who might be looking to perhaps start a mentorship program or an are inspired by the work that Batonoz does. So let's dive in. And for starters, tell us a brief history about Baton Rouge as well as a little bit more about what took you to your new role as executive director just a couple months ago. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, mentorship is such a powerful tool, and so it's a really exciting topic, to discuss. Really excited to dive into it. The couple sort of twofold maestro of Batonanage actually begins with the inception of Batonanage. So both those questions really milled together nicely. Batonach began in twenty eighteen as a forum. So it was an in person event here in wine country in Napa, a day long event where, the founders, really incredible, powerful women, got together and, just set up a day for us to, for women to come and talk about the issues we face. So Batonanaj coming from the stirring up conversations, kind of the play on words with the wine industry, of course, really looking to talk about what are the challenges women face in the wine industry, obviously a very male dominated industry, and, you know, what can we do about them? And so it started as a forum. It was one that I was really thrilled to attend, and then I attended the consecutive years as well. And then through conversations, obviously, you know, what comes to be is what can we do about these issues and how can we address them? And one of the most, kind of the first thing that came up was mentorship. And how can we connect women wanting to enter the wine industry or wanting to change careers within the industry to, you know, mentors, industry professionals for guidance, for insights for networking. So pretty quickly, or after a couple years of having the, the forum every year, we began the mentorship program, and so too, when that began, it was a level one sort of a blanket program. And then over time, it's really expanded. So, you know, fast forward to today where we are in twenty twenty three. If remembering we were a one day form in twenty eighteen, we have, you know, thousands of people within our community that have made connections with mentors and mentees. We actually today have, three programs of mentorship, which has also been an evolution of talking about and staying connected with our community you know, what works and what what is the need here and making sure we're fulfilling that as much as we can. So we have a level one, level two, level three, which are different sort of facets of introduction to to start with level one, level two, a little bit more in-depth, and one on one interactions and then level three being actual real work experiences. And so this really powerful mentorship program we run throughout the year, every year, and then coupled with the community events that we do forums that will still take place. Really allow for this platform for women to connect with mentors and to have that exchange of information, have access to, jobs that maybe they wouldn't have known about, get insights to their career. And so it's become this really visible way. We do sort of these feedback forms every with every program, and the feedback we get is just almost overwhelming, by how excited people are about what they've received and also how impactful it is, in their career. And so it's that that really wonderful way to bring, that support, talk about, again, beginning with what are what are the challenges we face as women, and then how are we going to address them? It becomes that, like, action item for a real impact within the Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. And it sounds like what came out of that first one day forum, and I I was there as well. It was amazing in in twenty eighteen. But what came out of the forums was that the number one need, for women in the industry was mentorship. Is that right? And that's kind of what the Batanage organization decided to really respond to? Yeah. Exactly. I think what's so wonderful about Batonanage is that connection with the community. It's like, it's not people coming in from the outside saying this is what we need. This has been grassroots. Volunteers having conversations. And then, you know, for example, our mentorship director, Pianca French, she was just a powerhouse. She was like, okay, we need a mentorship program. So, you know, if we want we're gonna do something about these challenges, let's let's get after it and just recruited people that she knew within the history. We have friends and colleagues. And then from there, every year, it's just expanded from that, which is Amazing. Super awesome. And then just like you too, you know, we attended the first couple, and then we both or mentors. That's kind of my continuation with the story of Batonanage was I was, had the opportunity to work in the marketing and communications just like you and, did the mentorship program as a mentor, which is so incredibly fulfilling and exciting to talk to people who you're able to really influence or impact and give insights to. I think, you know, we all get in our silos a little bit of our our work silos and then we forget how meaningful it is to have someone tell you, you know, feedback on your resume or, you know, tell your negotiations skills and things like that. And then, then it was really full circle when when they reached out and asked if I would was willing to take on the position of, of ED, and I was very thrilled to say yes, and so get to see that kind of next level of impact that we can have as an organization. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. And I'm I've been a part of the mentorship program now my second year, and it it really isn't incredible. I think I've gained so much of it on my end too as as a mentor in terms of the network and the people I've had the chance to meet. And I've seen how it's also just the introductions so much about the wine industry as we know is about community and and people. Right? And if you're not a part of that community or you didn't enter into it in early in your career or you didn't have somebody get guiding you can be really challenging, right, to make those connections. So you see the power of the connection through through this program. That's that's what I've I've really witnessed. So, that's amazing. Well, congratulations again, Michelle in the position. That's that's so exciting. So, you know, you mentioned Batnage is really driven by women in the industry, which is amazing, but is the mentorship program modeling itself after anything else that maybe outside of the wine industry or are there any inspirations for that program that the team has drawn from other outside organizations? Tell us just a little bit more about the structure of the mentorship program. Yeah. That's a great question. I think, you know, as we've seen since really twenty twenty eighteen and then beyond, and then really in the pandemic in twenty twenty, and then beyond, the glaring need for diversification in cross fields, right, but really, you know, speaking of what we do, of course, within the wine industry. And so there has been there are, you know, other mentorship programs that have come up that support, diversity, and underrepresented communities. And so I think there's definitely always a sharing of information. And there's definitely a kind of a true north that we guide ourselves with. I think what's been so, what I feel so special about Batonanage, and the, the women behind it. And it's, I mean, if you look at, like, our our board and our our, IAF, our industry area focus heads, and, everyone who's who volunteers with the mentorship program, they're just some of the most incredible powerhouse of women, within the industry. And I think, What has been really wonderful kinda going back to what we talked about previously is that we're very connected with our community. So everything that we do is in response to. We got this feedback, and now let's adjust to the chain the either the change that's happening around us or the change or what we're receiving from our community that we're we're hoping to support. So our evolution has been, I feel a lot less from kind of the outside looking in and more of the inside being connected with and part of the community. And so you know, when we talk about when I know when the mentorship program started, there was an idea of let's do, okay, let's do a level one, and that was something that we tried out. And then we adjusted, and then saw the need for a level two, saw the need for from five industry areas of focus to six and then to seven. And these are sort of different fields, of course, within the wine industry, whether it's winemaking or, Viticulture, marketing, sales, etcetera. And so I feel kind of more than, obviously, always checking in what everybody else is doing, of course. But I think what's been so special about batonnages that have been really kind of with the community we've grown as an organization, and through feedback and that flow of communication, been able to adjust what we do or grow what we do based on the glaring needs that we see to support our community. Right. So it's really driven what I'm hearing, Michelle, is that it's been really driven from the inside in as opposed to taking outside influence. This is Baton Rouge's program that grew from the need and then the feedback as well. So talk to us maybe a little bit about that. What was some of the feedback that you got perhaps in year one and year two that you've since then implemented into the program moving forward? Yeah. Definitely. So I think, you know, one area or challenge that we saw, need to address was even, you know, as simple as understanding what all of these different fields within the industry are. So us inside the industry, you know, you and I, we understand what marketing in the industry looks like or, you know, someone might understand what mind making looks like. But if you're trying to break into the industry and you, you say, oh, okay. I wanna be a winemaker. Oh, I wanna work in PR. That that doesn't always it's not always clear what that means. Okay. Even if marketing PR is something that exists in other companies, obviously across across fields, what it looks like within the wine industry is quite unique. And then if you haven't done a harvest before, you won't understand necessarily what wine making looks like just from a day to day standpoint. Like, is this desk work, is this waiver work, and and so I think really as we have started with our mentorship program, really starting to distill down what those differences are, what that means, and allowing mentee's access to people from across fields. And so not limiting to, you know, at this point, you should know what you're doing, but also, but really giving people the opportunity to touch with several people across fields, to get to a night understanding of what that means to work within these different fields in the industry. And that's been something that I think is, you know, just a unique response to hearing from people understanding, you know, they want to break into the industry, but they're like, what does this mean? Does that mean to be in sales distribution? Yeah. And then also too, like, breaking away from, you know, these are the different fields, not breaking away, but adding to that as we need to. So for example, wine business is one that we added an industry area focus that we added that kinda captures a little bit of sales, a little bit of marketing, a little bit of different things, but, you know, really trying to, like, get people to an industry area focus that was fitting for them. It was glaring glaringly obvious that there was another area that needed to kind of capture that bucket of talent or interest. And so adding that, is something that, came as a direct result of, of feedback and communication as well. And then having the level three, for example, which is real, real life experience and having these opportunities to do internships in companies and get an idea of the different facets. That too is kind of that full circle support, that we're able to provide. So just, just some of those examples, but then too, you know, also obviously we're quite virtual today, in this world, but even getting feedback that people wanna connect and per and those are, you know, those, that's, those are things that we hear. And so really supporting that community by offering community events or, you know, interactions that we can meet in person and have these conversations collectively and reinforces our need to have the forum that we have in person as well. And making sure those sorts of connections stay alive and vibrant as well. Right. Amazing. Yeah. It's exciting to be back in person for sure. We all, I think, have been craving that. Italian wine podcast, part of the mama jumbo shrimp family. Okay. So definitely, you know, as you're saying, one of the key things that this mentorship program with Vatinage is doing is just teaching people what job opportunities are out there, but also what those jobs look like. And that's that's so important. Right? Cause we know the wine industry is incredibly unique and how, and how it's run. So amazing. So, you know, we we Michelle you spoke about diversity inclusion and that was a big need is a big need today in the wine industry, and I know that is a big focus area for Batonage. But how are you as executive director, the founding team looking at Batonanage as a part of the overall wine industry in the US? Like, in terms of where in the system does Batonage fit in terms of the overarching wine industry from more of a business perspective since after all, we're we're here talking more about business as well on this on my show in particular. So talk to us a little bit about that, like, how do you see Batonage fitting in to the larger industry. Yeah. I think from a business perspective, Sogouin, obviously, we can talk and we and why we all care about what we do is is talking about this underrepresented community, whether it's in our world for Batonanage, women and whatever that might be for the different organizations that exist. But I think what's so important from a business standpoint as a wine industry, I think, traditionally, we are slightly behind, in a lot of other industries. And we are, you know, we we are industry that is a goods that we're talking about, and we it's incredibly important as a wine industry to stay relevant. And to stay relevant means we need to incredibly diverse and supportive of that diversity within the industry. And so the more that's resisted or the more that doesn't happen, or there's not, you know, these change makers like the organization in Baton Nash among others sort of shaking it up and pushing us forward, you know, it's we're gonna be further stuck behind. And, you know, it's it's a matter of time that these things are going to happen and take place. But to do them in a really forward thinking thoughtful and sustainable way, is really essential, I think, for the street to even continue to exist as an industry and to stay relevant. Because, you know, our consumers today are incredibly diverse, and that's the beauty of it. And that's the it's a wonderful time to be in, but, the wine industry just is so can be can be like, we could be generous and say two steps behind other industries and maybe it's more than that. But kind of bringing it up to speed and say, like, let's move forward and kinda get up to speed with with what is happening in this world to stay relevant. So from a wine industry standpoint, I think it's incredibly important from a business standpoint, etcetera, you know, for companies to support this diversity is what's gonna keep them, you know, moving forward and alive and viable for the next, you know, decades or whatever that might be. And so think from a business standpoint, it's incredibly important just as it is on the flip side of supporting these, you know, underrepresented communities as well. Yeah. Absolutely. And we've talked on the show in previous episodes about the opportunity and a largely untapped opportunity there is out there in the market with new audiences that many wine companies aren't equipped to tap into because they don't have diverse teams. Right? So, that that makes a lot of sense. Everything you're saying, Michelle, that program like that to knowledge about bringing in new voices, new people into the wine industry to be wine industry professionals that can be a part of this evolution in the wine world. Yeah. That that makes total sense. And and I think is so incredibly in and I think too getting getting this diverse and then also just from my experiences as a mentor. I mean, I we and I know this has happened to you. I'm sure as well. Having mentees that have decades of experience in another field, but they're really passionate about the line industry. And that there's such a barrier to entry if you're coming in as a mid level or high level senior level, professional breaking into the industry is, I think, all the more harder, and I think even harder if you are a woman. And so getting that talent pool to not say, you know, I'm gonna give up on the wine industry because I couldn't get in and I'm going to go work for ex other company in some other field, that's a huge loss as well for the wine industry to not be able to absorb that talent and bring them in. And so I feel that Tanaaj plays a key role in in allowing that access to entry. Yeah. Absolutely. And, you know, in my next question, I wanted to talk a little bit about hiring because, you know, throughout the pandemic. We saw it was really challenging to hire as we started coming out of the pandemic. Maybe it's gotten a little bit easier, but some of the recent stats still show that there's still a gap. There's nine point eight million job openings in the US only five point nine million unemployed workers. So clearly there's still a gap in terms of how many people there are out there to fill the jobs. We know that one area in particular that has been challenging for the wine industry is in the tasting rooms and in hospice entality and getting folks that can work. Talk to us a little bit about how BatonNage might be helping the wine industry solve some of those challenges with hiring. And if there's any success stories or, any stories you can share for about the mentorship program, that would be great well. Yeah. That's a great, really great question and a great example of, one of our industry area focuses hospitality. And so what what I think that's powerful just in a conceptual standpoint is that we're allowing again going to, if you talk about our level one program where We have mentors in hospitality that are able to connect with women who are either trying to break into the industry through hospitality or, changing maybe from a different industry within or a different facet within the wine industry into hospitality. And so getting that access to what is, again, like I spoke to previously, what does it actually look like? What does it mean to work in hospitality? And you get that kind of base layer and then getting feedback on how can I hone in my skills so that I'm could be a successful applicant to that? And then I think too with that sharing of knowledge and networking and support, I would like to think that it would be more of a sustainable process in the sense that there's a little bit more understanding going into a position like tasting room manager, what that whatever that might be after some mentorship. There's a clear understanding of what that is and what it entails and that understanding of this is a good fit for me because I spoke with my mentor who said, you know, I do have these strengths and I can highlight them and this is what I wanna do. And so I think it allows for that exchange to be a bit more meaningful, and then hopefully more sustainable as well. And then one example that we have, there was actually a woman who just reached out and she wanted to break into she wanted to work in hospitality. She was already in the wine industry. And after her mentorship program with us, she was with her IF head mentor. She was able to get she she was part of the opening team for a tasting room in Napa. And really thrilled about that opportunity and felt that, her mentorship, with Liz was what sort of allowed that to happen. So there's, you know, that's a specific in hospitality. Obviously, this can go across different industry areas of focus as well. But I think that's key. I also think, you know, getting access to sharing of information of what jobs are available and which ones are really worth pursuing. I think there is that sort of ambiguity of this is a, you know, I there's so many wineries and so many positions, right, and, like, which one might be a company that is supportive of, diversity or has a team behind it that is connected to Batonage in some way. And so the ability to share information and share jobs within our network as well. I think is, something that's, that's helpful rather than just having the, you know, go online and look at the job postings available, but giving a little bit more life and color and connectivity to the jobs that might be available. I think is part of the community building that we do as well. Which I think is important. So I think, you know, obviously, it's not just tasting rooms, but I think, you know, always going back and talking about, you know, what are those barriers to entry and, you know, women just I think reentering the workforce. I think what people have shared, especially with women who want to have families. And, you know, there's so many different levels of sort of difficulties that, you know, are kind of get stacked up against, many times, and, like, especially talking about winemaking, for example, and how labor intensive and also schedule intensive that is for for someone who might also have obligations Right. To, you know, be at home to raise their kids. You know, those are all things that I think while, we don't always have the solutions for them, I think connecting women with other women who are, have been there, done that, have walked maybe an extra half mile or mile than they have, just allows for that support and confidence when entering the workforce and applying for for these jobs. Yeah. That's amazing. That's yeah. I think that's that's really valuable in terms of the network, like you said, Michelle, just giving that advice and and like you spoke to earlier too, the understanding of the positions, but the also the companies that are out there and and what each company's ethos and culture might be like a little more so that as people are implying for roles, they have an understanding and maybe a clearer picture of where they they might fit in. Yeah. And, I I've seen it also in my experience at the mentorship program. I had a level one mentee who was looking for a part time role in a tasting room, and this was last year, and I introduced her to one of our clients. So I knew it was looking to hire for the tasting room, and she worked there for over a year. And I I actually saw her last month, and she said she had an incredible experience. So, I mean, just to see that come to light, and see the power of of the network, right, really go to use, I think, is incredible to see. So Yeah. Simple as that, just sharing networks and sharing an email address and that, you know, that really can change the trajectory for for someone, and their career. Yeah. Exactly. Absolutely. Well, as we wind down on time, Michelle, we have to save some room for a rapid fire quiz. Every episode, we ask three questions and we'll ask you to do your best to answer in one sentence or two sentences just to really hammer home some of the key takeaways that we spoke about today and we spoke about a lot. So, I will get right to it. Question number one, What do wine mentorship programs like Batonanage accomplish? So I would say mentorship programs like Batonanage, we support and empower these upper, underrepresented communities, and that by providing guidance, career insight, leadership skills, among many others. But by creating the support, we can really move the wine industry forward to be more equitable and inclusive. And as we mentioned before, representative of our of, who we're serving as well. Absolutely. Question number two, how do wine mentorship programs like Baton Rouge change the employee pool in the US market for the wine industry specifically? So I think, you know, by breaking some of these barriers, these underrepresented community space. So through access of information, people knowledge, the pool of talent within the industry becomes so much larger and so much deeper. And so that really allows us to be more relevant and impactful as an industry as a whole. Yeah. And that's, super super important. And finally, what are some tips and strategies for those listening, maybe in some other wine regions like Italy who are inspired to perhaps start their own mentorship program? Yeah. I would say do it, start somewhere. I think if the batonage is such a success story of starting with, few people and a lot of passion and growing to where it is today, a few years later, don't shy away from hard conversations. I think that's something that's really important, because they exist and talking about them is what brings solutions to light. And then I think just the it's basic, but stay in touch, with your, community that you're serving, having those open honest stations hearing feedback from them and making sure you are staying impactful and supporting the community that you, you know, set out to support. Amazing. I love that advice. Just do it. Just get started. So I think that's That's really important. Well, Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today on the Italian wine podcast. It's so great to have you here. How can our listeners connect with you? Thank you, Juliana. This is, it's been so much fun. And, you can find me, on LinkedIn, Michelle Shram, last name, s c h r o m m, and then on Instagram, of course, as we all are on. It's l a m e e c h, La Mitch, which is my Argentine nickname, and I haven't changed it since I love what you're doing. I love that. It's a great nickname. Thanks again, Michelle. It's great to have you here today. Thank you so much, Juliana. Thank you for joining me today. Stay tuned each week for new episodes of Masterclass US wine market with me, Juliana Colangelo. I remember if you enjoyed today's show, hit the like and follow buttons wherever you get your podcasts.