It’s my favorite time of year here in Napa with the beautiful weather, vibrant colors from the changing leaves, and magical light that illuminates wine country. There is a lot of hustle and bustle on the production end of the wine industry because of crush season, which is why I am so thrilled to feature Elan Fayard of Azur Wines and Elan Fayard Consulting on my Mompreneur Mindset blog series this week.
Elan and her husband, Julien are responsible for various wine labels since the start of their enterprise in 2007. They came to Napa in search of work in the wine industry because Julien is a wine maker and Elan served the industry through sales, marketing and hospitality. Never with the expectation of opening their own winery in Napa, their business was conceived from the desire to create something they loved.
Julien is originally from Côtes de Provence, France, and comes from a family of winemakers. Elan met her husband while studying abroad and the rest is history. Their business partnership was an organic collaboration of their expertise, and although they are both fully involved with all aspects of their business, Julien focuses on production while Elan oversees the administrative end.
The inspiration for their business started with the desire to provide the rare high quality rosé from Julien’s hometown in Côtes de Provence, known as rosé cru classé. There was nothing like it in Napa and Julien felt a calling to be the one to create something so close to his heart and hometown. So together they created a unique and innovative product, Azur rosé.
In addition to Azur rosé, they also created Empriente which is a high end label for fine wine lovers. Covert Estate was recently launched in April with the opening of the tasting room in Coombsville, Napa. Rested on the top of a hill, it’s a perfectly picturesque view.
Elan’s biggest joy from the business is that she and her husband followed their passion to create an amazing product. They also really enjoy the process of creating wine and feel that they are more connected to nature to a certain degree and following the rhythms of the earth. She chuckles when saying that although they are not saving the world by any means, she hopes that what they do bring people joy. I assured her that it certainly makes me happier!
In addition to managing her own winery, Elan also consults whether you’re in need of branding or re-branding, marketing collateral design, tasting experience development, tasting room design, wine club building and retention programs, sales training and secret shopping, and direct-to-consumer winery consulting. Her clientele includes Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Mumm Napa, Ehler’s Estate, Durant & Booth, Amici Cellars, Flora Springs, Long Meadow Ranch, Archery Summit in Oregon, and Chamisal Vineyards in San Luis Obisbo.
The success of the business is love, labor and the strong support from the community. With limited social media presence, they have focused on developing strong personal relationships with their clients. Most of their clients are local community members and direct-to-consumer customers because they find that it’s important to taste the wine before you decide whether you like it or not.
Besides having a strong following of supporters, being highly organized has been a key to their success. Elan’s schedule is very systematic in order for things to run smoothly. She is so grateful for how technology has served her business in terms of the efficiency of communication through e-mails and syncing calendars with her spouse for planning purposes. Although they don’t have a lot of date nights planned, it’s been advantageous for them being in the wine industry that they get to attend plenty of business social events together.
When Elan is not enjoying a glass of wine at work, she would be enjoying a glass of wine at home while supervising her three beautiful children. With a 5-year-old son, and 3- and 1-year-old daughters, Elan stays very busy. There is not a whole lot of work life balance, but as she states, more of a constant juggle. Every day is a busy day and no two days are ever the same, but she does try to find time for self-care when possible. Elan tries to go to the gym twice a week, because who doesn’t love a place that offers childcare so you can decompress with TV time while working out.
However, her favorite activity with her children is one with the least amount of structure. Being outside and roaming around while catching bugs and going down to the creek are the memories Elan hopes her children will remember and cherish.
I asked Elan for her words of wisdom as a mompreneur, and she encourages you to follow your dreams and don’t be afraid to fail. Take risks and embrace the hard work. If you need to, put it in a picture frame to inspire yourself. Whether it’s your child or a vision of your goal, let that be your motivation. Elan believes there is room for everybody, and whoever works the hardest will persevere. It may not be easy with children, but they might be the motivator.
Elan and Julien’s shared dream has evolved into something much more than they could have imagined. They are also featured in the documentary film, “Decanted,” during the Napa Film Festival on Friday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. in the Uptown Theatre, so grab your tickets on the link below. If you love wine and film, you don’t want to miss this amazing event. Stop by visit their tasting room to enjoy their delicious wine!
http://www.elanfayard.com/
http://www.covertestate.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Azur-Wines-264472593727/
https://www.instagram.com/azurwines/
http://www.cellarpass.com/napa-valley-film-festival-special-events-tickets-1661?w=1