On June 25, the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SFHCC) hosted a business networking event to introduce the San Francisco business community to Latino winemakers from the Napa and Sonoma wine regions. The winemakers that were sharing tastes of their wines at the event were: Alex Sotelo Cellars, Americava Winery, Black Coyote Wines, Ceja Vineyards, Encanto Vineyards, Marita's Vineyard, Robledo Family Vineyad, Reynoso
Vineyards, Valdez Family Winery.Dalia Ceja represented her family’s winery, Ceja Vineyards, at the event. Ceja is one of the many Mexican immigrant success stories in Northern California’s wine region. In 1967, after many years in the brasero work program, Pablo Ceja and his family emigrated from Aguililla, Michoacán to St. Helena in the Napa Valley. After working for other wineries for many years, the Ceja family invested in 15 acres of land and had their first harvest of wine grapes in 1988. Today the family produces award winning wines from 113 acres of vineyards. Dalia is the third generation of Ceja’s, working as the Sales and Marketing Director for the winery.
Yet another inspiring Mexican immigrant success story was represented by Ulises Valdez who was also sharing his wine at the chamber event. In 1985, Valdez arrived in Sonoma empty-handed from Los Cuachalalates, in Michoacan. After working at wineries for many years, Valdez leased 30 acres of land to produce wine grapes. With his first small harvest, which arrived in 2004, Valdez had made a wine whose barrel sample received a rare 98 point rating from Wine Spectator magazine. That same year, Valdez launched his own label, Valdez Family Winery.
The SFHCC is a non-profit organization created to represent the needs of Hispanic businesses and the Hispanic community in San Francisco. The SFHCC serves as a leader and catalyst to promote economic development through the collaboration of professional organizations in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area while leveraging the strength of nation- and state-wide Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.