Combining her experience as a sommelier at renowned Michelin-starred restaurants with her passion for sustainability, Kristin created Nomadica: an eco-friendly line of canned wines. Nomadica partners with low-intervention winemakers to craft five-star wines that boast the same level of quality you’d find in a traditional bottle. In addition to using organically farmed grapes, these perfectly portioned cans are also 100% sugar-free and low-calorie.
Recently, we caught up with Kristin to learn more about her journey and hear her advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
1. Why did you start Nomadica?
The story begins in a way familiar to many entrepreneurial journeys—I took the bold step of leaving medical school to follow my true passion for wine and become a sommelier. Over the next decade, I immersed myself in the wine world. I worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, managed celebrated wine programs, and tasted some of the most extraordinary wines globally.
While working alongside Nancy Silverton at Osteria Mozza, an unexpected shift occurred. After Nancy was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table, we saw a wave of young patrons coming to our Michelin-starred restaurant and I noticed a trend—they needed to be more interested in wine. Instead, they leaned toward cocktails, soda, beer, or other drinks. For me, this was a wake-up call. I began to understand that many, especially younger consumers, felt that great wine must be expensive or require some form of expertise to select properly.
This insight inspired me to create Nomadica to reduce the wine industry's environmental impact and make wine more accessible and appealing to a younger audience. It was shocking to learn that most of the carbon footprint in a bottle of wine is due to the actual glass bottle. I'm a big believer that great wine is made by great farmers (as our wines are), but by serving high-quality, sustainably-farmed, and zero-sugar wines in aluminum cans and 3L boxes, we're reducing the carbon footprint between 70% to 84%! Another bonus is that Nomadica allows consumers to enjoy the perfect pour whenever they want a glass of wine without having to open up an entire bottle.
2. What obstacles did you face along the way?
We were the first people to put fine wine into a can. It's incredible that now, in 2024, you see canned wine everywhere! When we launched, most of the category was value-driven. We had the uphill battle of convincing wine drinkers that despite being in a can, Nomadica has the same quality that one can expect from high-quality wine in a bottle.
3. What lessons do you have for other entrepreneurs?
If you're going to start a business, you have to have a durable and actually competitive advantage. It's never been easier to start a brand or more challenging to grow one. It has to be a margin—a point of real differentiation and a manufacturing advantage.
4. What's on the horizon for Nomadica?
Since day one, we've been on a mission to be the best wine available in sustainable packaging and will keep on our mission. I have such an incredible team of wine industry legends. We're laser-focused on ensuring that Nomadica is widely available across the US so that wine drinkers have better lifestyle options. I'm excited about the live music, sports, and entertainment spaces, so expect to see more Nomadica out in the wild!
5. How do you keep a work/life balance? What drives/inspires you?
I think I still need to figure that one out. Cooking is my favorite way to reset. I schedule very little on weekends when I'm not traveling. We live in Malibu, so I'll pick up produce at the Santa Monica Farmers Market and grocery shop at Bristol Farms on Saturday morning. I make a big, elaborate dinner at least one weekend night and spend a few hours preparing a soup or meal for the week. My husband and I will cook together and listen to one of our hundreds of vinyls (he is obsessed). It's an excellent time to be away from our phones while getting to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
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