Ep 10: From a Wine Retail Shop in Chicago, to Co-Founding a Direct to Consumer Wine Club and Marketplace: Martin Cody of Cellar Angels

Martin Cody began his career in healthcare sales, rewarding work which shaped his understanding of the importance of rigorous, thoughtful customer service. Martin and his wife Denise, Chief Operating Angel of Cellar Angels, pivoted their love affair with wine into their first vino-venture in 2007; a retail brick and mortar wine shop in Chicago. The store became a much-loved, well trodden institution in the city. Still, in 2013, Martin and Denise sold it to chase their dream of providing the finest, least known, independent producers in the country a digital marketplace to share their talents and artistry with wine enthusiasts. Having founded three companies prior to founding Cellar Angels, Martin has a visionary entrepreneurial spirit, and built an extensive Rolodex of national wine industry contacts that continue to support Cellar Angels’ growth. His passion for both the craft of winemaking, and his firm belief in the importance of developing and shaping small businesses, have allowed Cellar Angels to thrive and fill a much-needed void in the market.

In this episode, Martin lets us in on how he was able to discover the world of wines at a very young age and how we eventually shifted from being in the medical field into wines. Martin also shares his unique business model and the importance of customer experience and giving back. Let’s dive in! 

[00:00 - 08:13] Opening Segment 

• I introduce our guest for this episode
• Martin shares about his wine story
• • Got introduced to the world of wine at an early age
  • Importance of having great customer experience 
  • From medical field to the wine industry 

[08:14 - 30:13] Experience of Having a Wine Shop/Wine Business 

• Martin’s product management philosophy
• • Every wine tells a story
  • Everything had to be better and be immersed in wine 
  • Experiential marketing model 
  • All about building relationships
• Helping wineries leverage the power of the internet
• • Giving wineries access to the market
  • Wine with a cause through Cellar Angels
• Finding like-minded people and helping people 
• How Martin manages his wine portfolio
• Sharing more wine stories 
• Join my wine club and connect with other wine lovers! 
• • See link below
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[30:14 - 38:12] Closing Segment

• Checkout Cellar Angels
• • See links below
• Wine trends
• • Move away from the corporatization of wine
• Favorite Wine
• Got-to pairing
• Favorite wine resource
• • Napa Valley Wine Project
• Connect with Martin
• • See links below 
• Final words

Tweetable Quotes:

“The amount of effort you put in, it's going to be directly correlated to the rewards and benefits that you reap out of it.” - Martin Cody

Connect with Martin through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn! 

Let’s continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.

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