Today we are celebrating the 7th anniversary of Crush2Press! This is my first time acknowledging a milestone, and I can’t pinpoint why except for our low key approach as an organization. I am proud of the company, its mission (to capture the craft and personality of the winemaker onto the label), and the philanthropic aspect. I thought it would be cool to tell you how we got started, and why we believe it does well. We’ll do a few shout outs to those who have inspired us and those who help us continue our good work.
Our beginning:
Can you believe that it started as simple as attending wine tastings in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago with my cousin, Jeff Chang? We started to get to know the people pouring us wine, and eventually became friends with Greg Gauthier. His passion was to have his own label, and it came into fruition a couple years later. During one of his Chicago visits, he asked my opinion on label designs, and I felt that the first couple vintages were not conveying his personality or craftsmanship. I asked if I could have a shot at developing a concept for branding Gauthier vineyards, and we hit a home run (thanks Stephen Slater!). Immediately after that success, we formed Crush2Press, Inc.
Dr. Scott Pouyat came up with the name Crush2Press which is a great play on words. It’s the perfect name for our company because “crush season” is such an exciting time for the winemakers, and seeing their wine label on the bottles is such a gratifying feeling. It also incorporates the marketing aspect of our business: from nailing the client’s vision to actual printed materials. Dr. Pouyat also is the top supporter of Crush2Press lending his expertise to the administrative side of the business.
Our success:
In essence, C2P is a small business consortium with a corporate sophistication. From the boutique winemakers, to our talented designers & suppliers, and to our clients; it’s a community of like minded folks wanting to contribute their creativity to the process.
It works so synergistically that we’ve been able to add a philanthropic component and give most of our profits to causes we strongly believe in. And we are convinced that this is why we are all successful.
Infinite Thank Yous & Shout Outs:
Jeff Chang for being a compadre in our wine drinking education
Greg Gauthier for giving us the opportunity as our first client, but first as a friend
Jorge Ojeda for being so creative yet so accurate in your work
Dr. Scott Pouyat for being a wonderful husband, supporter, and creator of the Crush2Press name.
Our clients & suppliers- let’s keep doing this better and better.
I say it’s time to celebrate!