Meet Sarah Mack, the Co-Founder at Vinat, the sister-created wine brand that’s redefining the wine experience with a thoughtfully-crafted European selection.
The idea for Vinat took root on a rainy day outside of Barcelona after Sarah and her sister Emily visited one of their favorite vineyards. The sisters, originally from a small town in Wisconsin, were inspired by their shared love of wine and the vibrant wine culture they had encountered in Europe. Recognizing a gap in the market for high-quality, accessible wines that didn’t require sommelier-level knowledge, they decided to combine their skills and passions to create a brand that would resonate with modern wine enthusiasts. Vinat’s name, a blend of the Catalan word “viatge,” meaning journey, and the Spanish word “vino,” reflects their commitment to bringing customers on a delightful wine journey.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah and Emily, where they shared insights into their entrepreneurial journey, the unique challenges of breaking into the traditionally male-dominated wine industry, and their vision for Vinat’s future.
Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on Vinat?
I started Vinat with my sister Emily. Our love of wine drew us to the industry, but Vinat was ultimately born from a need that wasn’t being met. As with many women our age, the majority of our purchases from skincare to fashion and even groceries occur online. However, while we’ve tried out countless online wine retailers, we found ourselves wanting something different.
Following an extensive amount of user and market research, we discovered we weren’t the only ones feeling this way. The most shocking of our learnings? Nearly every person we told we were starting a wine business apologized for not having enough knowledge of wine. Wine is fun and exciting. It shouldn’t be intimidating. We created Vinat to make wine more approachable and fun—as it should be.
What makes Vinat different from other companies in the industry?
There are a lot of options when it comes to wine. Vinat is different in a few ways. Our product is research-driven and our business model is differentiated.
From the moment we knew we wanted to start a business in the wine industry, we began conducting research with potential customers. We honed in on our target market and have designed our products and sales channels to match their preferences. From blind wine taste testing focus groups to usability testing with our website, our customers are at the center of everything we do.
The wine industry is largely governed by Prohibition-era laws. In recent years, there have been state law changes and new businesses that have popped up. We've leveraged these developments to create an asset-lite business model that allows us to offer a high-quality product at a fair price while maintaining healthy margins.
We created Vinat to make wine more approachable and fun—as it should be. Wine is exciting and shouldn’t be intimidating, and we wanted to address that need with a research-driven, customer-centered approach.
In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?
As sisters, we know how to disagree well. Emily is quick to provide feedback if she disagrees with something, which is great because we can quickly talk through a problem, make a decision, and execute. We also have complementary skills. I have an MBA and worked in finance at Fortune 500s previously. Both my MBA and corporate career taught me how to effectively network, deliver on tight deadlines, delegate when needed, and manage my time efficiently. These skills have been really helpful in building Vinat since we have limited time and resources.
What’s been the hardest and most rewarding part of your entrepreneurial journey?
The most challenging and rewarding part of this journey has been breaking into the wine industry. The wine industry is predominantly male, and many people spend their whole lives working their way up. Breaking into it as two young women has been difficult. During my MBA, I used my free time to visit vineyards, attend wine fairs, and study for wine certifications. Many winemakers I met spoke limited English, so I've leveraged my high school French and Spanish to build relationships. I'm so excited about what we are accomplishing. Wine is challenging, but we've managed relationships across multiple cultures and have had to speak about wine in multiple languages.
What have you learned about building a team and a support network around yourself?
From previous startups, I learned that one of the most important things is to find partners who are experts where you aren't. Finding the right partners has enabled us to build out a business that is scalable even though we have a team of two. We've also been fortunate to leverage MBA interns to help us. A big learning for me has been how to lead and attract talent with minimal budget. We've incentivized our interns by gifting merchandise, booking them wine experiences, offering flexible schedules, and opening up our networks to them so we can get the most out of working together.
What’s next for you and Vinat?
We launched our wines the last week of February and already have customers who have placed multiple orders. It's been amazing to see these early signals of brand loyalty. We’re listening to our customers and plan to add new wines to our collection. We’re also expanding our partnerships with brands that attract a similar audience to us. Recently, we announced partnerships with multiple female-owned bachelorette brands across the United States.
