WINDY HILLS WINERY MAINTAINS GROWTH

WINDY HILLS WINERY MAINTAINS GROWTH AS A FAMILY BUSINESS

Windy Hills Winery, located in the fastgrowing city of Ridgefield, will celebrate its fifth year of business operations in May of this year. The winery, owned and operated by Dave and Karen Kelly, is located on property that their family has owned for six decades. For 16 of those years, it was a Christmas tree farm. When Dave retired, he had the idea to turn the property into a vineyard and open a winery. Today, they grow and produce wine on site, in addition to having a winery with a tasting room and an event center. Windy Hills Winery regularly hosts weddings, company events, fundraisers, anniversaries, and other special events.

Dave and Karen are often found behind the counter or on the floor chatting with customers, and their daughter Ashley oversees event planning and other operations. The Kelly’s also have another daughter working at the winery. Currently, there are 10 employees – both full and part-time – and most of them are other family members or great friends.

• OFFICE SUPPLIES AND ACCESSORIES • OFFICE FURNITURE • PROCUREMENT CONSULTATION • ERGONOMIC TRAINING & EVALUATIONS • COMMERCIAL OFFICE MOVING • OFFICE AUTOMATION (COPIERS/PRINTERS)

In their first year of operations, revenue topped $100K, and this past year, they brought in well north of $500K – even after being closed and seeing record event cancellations. Dave shares that even though the pandemic had a very negative impact on the business, causing them to lose more than 300K in revenue, the winery maintained its commitment to customer service and doing the right thing. When events were cancelled, deposits were fully refunded. They changed their seating arrangements for social distancing, installed sanitation stations, and modified the way they did tastings.

“Since we were able to re-open, we have been able to get some momentum back and look for a strong 2022,” Dave shared.

As spring inches closer, there are many long days of tending the rows of grapes that have been planted on the property, so they can start working on creating new wines. Looking ahead, the team at Windy Hills Winery will also be adding new events including hosting live music regularly, free of charge. Once the weather is warmer, they will offer outside concerts featuring local bands.

Dave believes that while the wine they produce is top-notch, it’s really the people and the atmosphere that makes Windy Hills Winery a win.

“The biggest reason for our success is that we are part of the local community and not an outside chain doing business here. Our guests either know us personally or will get to know us personally. I also think folks are looking for a place where they can relax and talk to each other and enjoy good wine and fine music. Our facility is in a very beautiful part of Ridgefield – it’s close but seems like you’re far away when you get here. There is nothing like enjoying a fine sunset with a great glass of wine with your friends and loved ones.” VB

“The biggest reason for our success is that we are part of the local community and not an outside chain doing business here. Our guests either know us personally or will get to know us personally. I also think folks are looking for a place where they can relax and talk to each other and enjoy good wine and fine music. There is nothing like enjoying a fine sunset with a great glass of wine with your friends and loved ones.”

– DAVE KELLY

Leading the fight against food insecurity and social isolation experienced by homebound older adults in Clark County.