Discover Wine rolled out their carpet in November of 2004. The store’s concept began in July 2003 when an architect (Kevin Cahill), a banker (Ken Rommel) and an anesthesiologist (Mark Pillon) met at several functions for their children. At each gathering they would take turns supplying various selections of wine and soon they became well known for picking fine wines in the $15 price range. What began as a social interaction became the foundation of their business plan. “See what kids can do?” asked Cahill.

When drafting their business plan they identified the need to get assistance with marketing. Cahill and Rommel met with SBDC counselor Vicki Lynn Morgan to map out their marketing strategy. “Vicki stressed the importance of customer service to better the competition. She convinced us that price alone will not build loyalty,” stated Rommel. They also met with SBDC at RVCC Regional Director Sue Johnson to go over the planning stages. According to Cahill, “We are amazed that we haven’t made any BIG mistakes. We made the mistakes on paper and then fixed them with the help of Morgan and Johnson and Nat Bender, who provided us with helpful guidance on putting our requirements together for our website.” In further appreciation for the help SBDC provided, Rommel adds, “Because of this our business is doing great. Gross sales increased 20% from our third quarter figures in 2005 compared to the same period in 2006 and we have been able to add four employees and are gearing up for what is anticipated as a big holiday season.”

Discover Wine’s motto is “Great value means more than a great price.” They make it easy to choose a delicious wine because the wines are arranged by how they taste—not by where they come from or with which grapes they’re made. It’s easy to get great value when you buy their wines because they are hand-selected and pre-tasted from the most exciting, new and undiscovered vineyards around the world. New selections are offered to the public at wine tasting sessions every Saturday from 1 to 4pm. Approximately 50 to 60 people attend these sumptuous and enlightening tastings. In addition to the Saturday events, Discover Wine provides team-building opportunities for major corporations and is partnering with RVCC’s Corporate and Continuing Education Department providing wine tasting classes to the community.