Spanish Vines drinks to business success

Josh Hackler has the kind of job security that many soon-to-be grads hope for with a company he started and will soon be president of, Spanish Vines.

"I got the idea for Spanish Vines when I was studying abroad in Spain," said the fourth-year international business student.

Spanish Vines is the brainchild of Hackler and restaurateur Francisco Alvarez, who oversees contact and supplies for Spanish Vines.

"Spanish Vines is not just about wine, it is about bringing Spanish culture over to America," Hackler said. "It is about the experience."

Hackler said part of that culture is how the wine is served.

"We will be setting up displays to get the product out there," Hackler said. "But instead of serving wine from a bottle, we will be serving it from a cask."

Spanish Vines already has contracts with Greens, Publix and Harris Teeter and is working on securing contracts with Earth Fare and restaurants around Columbia.

Spanish Vines has two types of wine, a red Tempranillo and a white Macabeo. These wines come from a vineyard in Spain that Spanish Vines has an exclusive contract with. These wines are bottled exclusively for Spanish Vines and are available nowhere else.

Hackler said Spanish Vines is not just about wine. The company also will be selling Serrano Jamon (ham), Manchego cheese and extra virgin olive oil.

So far, Spanish Vines is only a little company with a big idea. Besides Hackler, Spanish Vines only has one other employee, third-year business student Joshua Rohrer.

The first shipment of wines, cheeses, olive oil and ham has yet to arrive in the U.S., but is to come in before the end of the year. And that, according to Hackler, is when the real work will begin.

"A main focus of Spanish Vines is building brand recognition through interacting with the customer," Hackler said. "We will be having wine tasting events throughout South Carolina and North Carolina to showcase Spanish Vines' products."

"That's really cool what Josh did," said Michael Richter, a second-year business student. "That's what college is all about, finding something you like and making a life out of it."

Hackler's dream of Spanish Vines was made possible by the Student Business Incubator. The incubator is a program USC has set up that provides USC student entrepreneurs with a fully equipped office and up to $1000 to help their business get off the ground.

"The business incubator is an awesome thing," Richter said. "I would love to use it someday to start my own business, a music recording company or something like that."

When asked to give advice to other students who want to start their own business, Hackler said to use every USC resource, especially the professors.

"Many students do not think about it, but they have years of experience and knowledge that can really help you make something out of an idea."