Today we’d like to introduce you to Sammy Lam.
Hi Sammy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Howdy, y’all! My name is Sammy Lam, also known as The Wine Cowboy, and I am the owner of Wanderlust Wine Co., The World’s Largest Wine on Tap Winery.
I recently turned 30, and for almost a decade now, I have been involved in the Wine industry, from production and packaging to sales and sommelier services. In 2019, I began the journey of starting Wanderlust Wine Co. to make wine more fun, easy, and accessible to consumers using cutting-edge technology and with tasting rooms that are fun, welcoming, and inclusive for all wine drinkers. The dream began by signing a lease on an old historic building in downtown Austin in an area that needed to be revitalized. Right before we had the chance to launch, the pandemic hit, amongst many other challenges and issues, that continuously made us live on the edge of our seats. Nonetheless, we persevered and went on to secure a second location in East Austin, and we are on track for many more great locations, wine projects, and wine-related experiences!
The journey behind the brand came from combining my two passions, travel and wine, into a business concept that would allow patrons to Travel the World Through Wine. With over 56+ wines on tap at either location, patrons can try wines from around the world and at their own pace and budget. We are pushing the wine category to new limits, creating new traditions, and all through a sustainable and eco-friendly concept. We only use kegs for wines, reducing the carbon footprint of wine, providing a fresher product for the customers, and reducing waste in landfills.
I am happy to be making a positive change in the world through something that I love doing (and drinking). To that, I raise a glass to celebrate! Cheers!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Wanderlust Wine Co. started amidst the pandemic and the journey has been quite a bumpy one since the beginning due to the uncertainties and challenges that COVID-19 brought. To list a few challenges we faced, in 2020 we endured and overcame 1) the financing of our project with no large funds to support this project nor opportunity to receive government resources such as PPP or EIDL, 2) experiencing COVID-19 restrictions and development delays in our build-outs but strategically planned the completion of construction projects, 3) the inability to sell on-premise and adapting to online services as well as modifying our concept to allow for any type of on-premise sales, 4) lack of A/C repairs due to COVID-19 delays and shortages during a record-breaking summer with high temperatures, 5) unrest and disturbances during the social justice protests given our location in the city next to the Austin Police Department, 6) coping with the homeless population that increased in our area due to local government regulations/programs and the effects of COVID-19, all which consequently brought health and safety concerns to businesses and consumers in the area, and 7) Supply Chain issues that impacted the price and delivery of the supplies we needed to stay in business. This was just in year 1 of operations, with many additional challenges in 2021, and even now in 2022, including but not limited to, staffing shortages/challenges, inflation, COVID variants, growth struggles, having 2-3 years of unattractive financials due to COVID-19 for additional funding and/or Loans, and social and political divides and debates that would, directly and indirectly, affect our business. Nonetheless, given all that we’ve gone through, we are very positive about the future with lots of passion for what we do and will continue to do!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Wanderlust Wine Co. is known to be The World’s Largest Wine on Tap Winery and is based in Austin, Texas with 2 current locations. Each location boasts a large selection of great wines from around the world on tap, meaning they are fresher and served just as the winemaker intended the wine to be enjoyed. This Tank or Barrel to Glass approach offers customers and guaranteed quality-driven way of enjoying wine, and one that is helping the environment by reducing the carbon footprint wine has when compared to the traditional use of glass bottles. We are also starting to produce a long line of wines and wine cocktails including wines that are made with Organic Grapes, Vegan, Sustainable, Contain Low Sulfites, Low Intervention, and/or Natural. With our wine offering and concept, we have received great nominations and accolades, such as the 2021 Keggy Award by Free Flow Wines in the People’s Choice Category, as well as Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin – Winery for 2022. We continue to look for ways to scale and offer our wines to different retail accounts across the state to continue to grow our mission of growing the keg wine category in hopes of helping change the world through our passion for wine. We currently have 9 products in the market, including a White and Red Sangria, White and Rose Pet Nat, White Sparkling Wine, Dry Rose, and 3 Wine-Based Margaritas (Classic Lime, Strawberry, and Watermelon). Our list will continue to expand in the coming years to be able to continuously provide wines from around the world in the keg format. We work closely with our local community as well as we like to collaborate with other like-minded individuals doing great things in our community as well as preserving the unique and fun culture of Austin and small businesses! We raise a glass to everyone following their passion and making a change through their craft! Cheers!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We are thankful for everyone’s continuous love and support, and we look forward to expanding this concept in the next few years! We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for patrons and local support, so thank you everyone, for supporting local and small businesses. We will keep innovating and finding better ways of serving our customers and changing the world through our passion, wine! We invite y’all to come and visit our locations and experience some great wines, fresh and delicious wines, as well as enjoy some Live Music, Drag Brunch, and/or one of the many great events we host daily at Wanderlust Wine Co.! Happy Sippin’ Y’all!
Pricing:
- $9 Glass / $1.80 Ounce
- $11 Glass / $2.20 Ounce
- $13 Glass / $2.60 Ounce
- $15 Glass / $3.00 Ounce
- $17.50 Glass / $3.50 Ounce
Contact Info:
- Website: WanderlustWine.Com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderlustwineco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustwineco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wineswanderlust
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtLGNsGF7l3Io8hfHilNMmg
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wanderlust-wine-co-austin-2
- Other: https://poplme.co/o8i6u5LP/share
Image Credits
David Douglass | Douglass Media
