Insider Ep. 80: Why These Two Things ‘Matter The Most’ When Building A Disruptive Brand

In this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Salcito, founder of Ramona, a fast-growing brand of canned wine and wine spritzes. Following high-profile roles as the sommelier at acclaimed restaurant Eleven Madison Park and as the wine director at David Chang’s Momofuku, Salcito launched Ramona in September 2016.

Lauded by critics and consumers for its striking package design and commitment to high quality organic ingredients and sustainable production methods, Ramona is distributed nationwide at Whole Foods along with independent retail chains and restaurants across the U.S. 

As part of our interview, Salcito spoke about the origins of her passion for wine and the inspiration for Ramona, why she identified cans as the ideal package type, why she’s not prescriptive about how and when people should drink the products and how cultivating industry relationships prior to the brand’s launch was critical to its fast start.

Show notes: 

0:33: Cupcakes, Meal Kits & What To Ask Consumers Post-Sale -- The show opened with Ray discussing a sweeter than usual start to his mornings, and Mike and Melissa praising two better-for-you snack brands. The episode’s hosts also responded to three questions posed by listeners this week, including ones about crafting consumer surveys for post-DTC sales and how brands can align with corporate gift programs and meal kit companies.

12:27: Jordan Salcito, Founder/CEO, Ramona -- Taste Radio editor/producer Ray Latif spoke with Salcito about why she named the brand Ramona, how she fell in love with fine dining and parlayed her experience into a career in wine and how restaurateur David Chang played a pivotal role in the decision to launch her own brand. She also discussed why “the vision for Ramona was never the can” even though that’s how the brand is visually defined, understanding the reasons that consumers buy the products, communicating values on packaging and what’s next for the company.

Brands in this episode: Ramona, Belgian Boys, Pillsbury, Project 7, Quinn’s Snacks, Al Chapino, Blue Apron, Purple Carrot, Sunday Provisions, ButcherBox, Starbucks