Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Joldersma.
Hi Brandon, can you introduce yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small city called Holland along the western shores of Lake Michigan. As the name (and my last name) suggests, much of the population is a few generations removed from Dutch immigrants. In my teens, I started working in hospitality for gas money—slicing bagels and pouring cups of coffee at a café, then waiting tables for brunch shifts at an alpine chalet-themed restaurant. While in college nearby, the school stopped offering a Behavioral Science major—the major I intended to declare—so I dropped out, telling myself it was temporary. I was offered a job managing a restaurant and its wine program, which I had no business doing but wanted the responsibility. (Later, I realized that the owner was looking for someone responsible who was silly enough to agree to do the work for $9/hr.) I never went back to college.
This kickstarted a winding career in food and beverage. I worked as a sommelier and restaurant general manager for a few years at various places and got a job in hard cider working in sales. That cidery was bought by Anheuser Busch, which moved me to Chicago. Then, a family office (whose restaurant I had run in my early 20s) reached out because they had bought a couple of craft distilleries and needed help running them, which moved me back to Michigan. At this job, I was lucky to flex many new muscles—brand building, team building, and strategic realignment. Then, an industry friend connected me with a distillery in Austin, TX, that was looking for someone to take over running week-to-week operations. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so my wife and I moved to Austin, TX. Four years (and two beautiful kids later), this distillery had grown from 16 to 75 employees and helped establish Texas nationally as a meaningful geographic area for whiskey. I left there last year and took some time to reflect on what I wanted to do next. I was lucky to be connected with the founders of Surely, a non-alcoholic wine brand founded here in Austin, and joined as their CEO in February.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My career has been a windy road. Usually, I tell people that I’ve “stumbled upwards.” I’ve never had much of a plan but have left myself open to opportunities. I’ve generally followed whatever is interesting. There have been plenty of struggles and setbacks—opportunities that don’t turn out to be what they seemed, difficult employees, difficult owners, and plenty of mistakes. But everything has been an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve.
We’ve been impressed with Surely Wines, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
There’s been a movement over the last half-decade with consumer’s attitudes towards alcohol. They’re becoming increasingly conscious of what they’re drinking and how often. They’re drinking more mindfully. Consumers have traded up for higher quality and higher priced products. Younger generations are especially conscious. Non-alcohol/low-alcohol products have experienced massive growth in both sales and awareness over the last few years, mainly driven by people who still drink; they want to be more mindful of their drinking. It launched a few years ago and is a leading brand in non-alcoholic wine. Now, we are working on launching a line of lower-alcohol wines. You’ll be able to have a glass that tastes just like the wine you know and love but with nearly half the alcohol, half the calories, and no added sugar.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Stay curious.
Contact Info:
- Website: drinksurely.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinksurely/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/surelywines/
