Female Founder Series, Drink Ramona's Jordan Salcito

Jordan Salcito has been curious about wine since learning her grandfather made it in his basement and fell head over heels for it since her first harvest in Burgundy in 2006. She began her career in New York as a hostess at wd~50 before becoming a prep cook at DANIEL, sommelier and manager at Eleven Madison Park, then eventually Wine & Beverage Director for David Chang's Momofuku restaurants.  After investing over a decade working her way through several facets of the wine and restaurant industries, Jordan founded RAMONA, an organic Italian wine spritz.  She continues to work harvests each year at world-renowned wineries across the globe, from Burgundy and Tuscany to Patagonia and California.

Jordan has received widespread recognition for both her wine programs and entrepreneurial pursuits. Her wine program at Momofuku was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist multiple times and, in 2017, was awarded “Most Original Wine List in the World” from World Of Fine Wine. On her first try, Jordan passed her Master Sommelier Blind Tasting exam, was named a Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40” Tastemaker. She was recognized as a 2018 and 2019 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for "Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional," tied to her brand RAMONA. In 2019, RAMONA received two Double Gold Medals and one Gold Medal in the world-renowned San Francisco International Wine Competition. Salcito has appeared everywhere from the TODAY show to WSJ and has also been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Goop, The Cut, Coveteur, and Into the Gloss, among others.

 In the fall of 2020, Salcito debuted a new podcast series, Opening Up with Jordan Salcito. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• Jordan Salcito shares her transition from the culinary industry to the wine industry

• How Jordan’s experience in hospitality translates across the borders into her everyday life

• Jordan talks about the inspiration behind the creation of Momofuku and RAMONA

• Is there a better way to market organic ingredients?

• How Jordan learned to value trust and intuition within the alcohol system

• Jordan’s future plans and strategies for distribution and marketing

• The importance of self-renewal and regeneration for success

In this episode…

Are you looking to fill the void of organic beverages built with high standards and value? How do you craft an experience that can get the attention of consumers?

It starts by crafting a beverage with organic, all-natural ingredients held to the highest agricultural standards. Jordan Salcito is paving the way in the alcohol beverage industry to deliver honest drinks with honest ingredients. Through her marketing technique of connecting the winemaker with the consumer through photographs, she brings to light the invention of canned wine spritz with Italian components.

Listen to this episode of the Alexi Cashen Show to hear from Jordan Salcito, the Founder and CEO of Drink RAMONA. Alexi and Jordan discuss Jordan’s inspiring story and experience in culinary arts and as a sommelier, the organic and value-built vision behind RAMONA, and the importance of building a culture of kindness and remaining authentic in the wine industry. Stay tuned!

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Jordan Salcito on LinkedIn

• Jordan Salcito on Instagram

• RAMONA

• David Chang on LinkedIn

• Sean Grey on LinkedIn

• Su Wong Ruiz on LinkedIn

• Patachou Restaurant

• “A Master Sommelier Reveals 4 Trends Changing the Wine Industry” by Kate Taylor

• Brené Brown

• Brené Brown: The Anatomy of Trust

• Sarah Blakely on A Bit of Optimism

• Wayne Dyer

Sponsor for this episode...

Elenteny Imports is an alcoholic beverage logistics and compliance service that alleviates back-office work so that clients can focus on what they do best: sourcing and sales. Elenteny works with importers of all sizes, distributors, marketing agents/brokers, and wineries, and they guide their partners through a myriad of intricacies of the three-tier system offering logistics, consolidation, importing, customs, freight, drayage, and back-office administration for inventory management, invoicing, collections, and compliance. 

Elenteny is licensed in all 50 states and they import over 1 million cases of wine, beer, and spirits annually. They create competitive advantages for their customers through customized cargo and information flow by employing the use of superior technology to provide transparency and access to information that’s crucial to expanding business and accelerating growth.

To learn more about their services, send them an email at info@elentenyimports.com or visit their website today.