Meet an Ally: Jonathan Oliver, Co-Founder of EThree Wines
August is National Black Business Month, a time to acknowledge and appreciate black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Washington State’s Wine Industry AND an ally of Women in Washington Wine! Suman recently sat down with Jonathan Oliver, Co-Founder of EThree Wines, to discuss the work Ethree is doing, with the help of fellow wineries such as Delille Cellars and Sagemoor, to support social justice in our community and the opportunities their donations are creating for women in the industry.
1. You are one of the founders of EThree Wines. Can you share what inspired you to create EThree Wines and what you hope you will achieve with it?
My name is Jonathan Oliver and I am one of the co-founders of EThree Wines! A winery that was created two years ago by four people who have a shared passion for supporting social justice causes and a shared love for the art of wine. We’re based out of King County, but have aspirations to reach and impact people we’ll beyond the Pacific Northwest. With the creation of our wine and our business model we aim to change the landscape of the wine experience for minority groups who haven’t had the chance to become familiar yet.
High priced wine and the exclusive environment that comes with it has historically been one of the biggest barriers to entry within the wine community. With our wine we specifically direct our attention to embracing, serving, and appealing to those people who are curious about wine, but have been blocked by that barrier of exclusivity. We do this by donating our profits directly to non-profit organizations or by putting the money we earn from sales right back into the communities of minority groups who can use the resources the most.
1) Each release of our wine features a label that showcases the art of someone from the community that we focus on supporting. This is our way of uplifting communities from beginning to end. Our first 2 wines, a 2020 and 2021 Riesling both featured the art of a highly talented black woman who currently creates her art in the Seattle area. Also, our 2021 Rosé label was created by a man who identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
2) We also donate to:
a. The creation of college scholarship funds for active students pursuing degrees in wine-related programs, and hospitality programs
b. Behavioral health resources for members in the LGBTQIA+ community
c. The development and longevity of a minority + woman owned cultural and business hub, based in the Central District of Seattle
2. How is the team at EThree working to elevate women who work in the WA wine industry?
We aim to elevate and advance the careers of women in two specific ways. First, after meeting with and discussing the EThree Wines mission with Ikimi Dubose-Woodson, CEO & Co-Founder of The Roots Fund, we decided to earmark a sizable amount of our proceeds to be donated to her organization. The Roots Fund is a non-profit that focuses on empowering underrepresented minorities in the wine industry by providing resources and financial support through educational scholarships in wine education, mentorship and job placement. Many of those who benefit from these funds are indeed women in the industry, some of which are local to Washington.
In addition to women in the wine industry, we've also intentionally created partnerships with women within the Washington arts community to design a majority of our wine labels. The goal driving this decision is to leverage our platform to elevate their careers and to feature their creative gifts.
3. Before the age of the internet, access to wine and wine knowledge for the average American was limited. It was even more limited for BIPOC, who were generally not prioritized and often overlooked. How do you make wine education and access to wine a value in your business?
In terms of accessibility, the pricing of wine is a huge factor. At EThree Wines we are very fortunate to have a few vineyards, who believe in our cause, donate literal tons of grapes to us so we can make our wine. The same goes for a local winery who has donated part of their facility for us to use as production space, and so on and so forth. All these sponsors are the reason why we can cut overhead costs and sell our wine for a price point that makes high quality wine attainable for the average person.
Through our donations to The Roots Fund, we are able to advance the education of wine within communities of color. I mentioned earlier that we are working to change the landscape of the wine community… this is how we do it! We start with education!
4. What do you hope to accomplish when you have a patron interact with your business? A feeling, A sense of place, belonging?
When we interact with our customers our goal is to inspire. As owners of EThree Wines, we really are just average people, with day jobs, who have a passion to positively impact the communities around us. If average people like us can turn a far-fetched idea like - making wine and donating our profits - into a reality, then hopefully others feel encouraged to live out their biggest aspirations too…big or small.
EThree Wines’ name stands for “Educate, Elevate, and Evolve”. We want to educate the world about the critical need for social justice, elevate the members of the minority groups who we support and amplify their voices, and as a result evolve our communities and leave the world better than when we found it.
5. What led you to wine, and is there a particular experience, wine, or event which piqued your interest?
I gravitated to wine over the past 10 years, because the more I learned about the process, the more I understood that it’s truly an immersive art experience. It starts with years of old vines and a wine maker’s vision + creative process. Then not only can we look and smell it once it’s bottled, but we also taste it – triggering the immersive aspect. It also serves as a binder - bringing people together through creating memories with friends, family, coworkers, or strangers by way of a glass and conversation.
6. There is visible diversity in the field labor and at times in the customer-facing side of the WA wine industry. What are some ways the Washington Wine industry offers or can offer a path for diverse groups to move into the more technically oriented or ownership side of the industry?
As with most things, I would say that emphasizing education and equity would be the driver behind moving this group into the technical and ownership category of the wine industry. At EThree Wines we understand that without field labor there is no wine. As a promise to elevate and serve that community, we are committed to donating profits from our fourth bottle (our first red wine) to members of the Latinx community whose lives are heavily influenced by agricultural work in Washington state.
Be on the lookout for a release date and some more great wine pair with amazing artwork!
