Welcome to Episode 1624 on Italian Wine Podcast, Masterclass US Wine Market With Juliana Colangelo. Today, she will be interviewing Kevin Sidders More about today’s guests Mr. Sidders founded VinConnect in 2011 as a platform to enable top international wineries to sell direct to their most passionate consumers in the U.S. The company now partners with more than 80 wineries around the world and serves more than 17,000 customers. The radical idea of extending the winery direct-to-consumer sales model to suppliers outside the U.S. was born of Mr. Sidders' mutual interests in business and wine, and his experiences as both a wine collector and through several informal endeavors in different tiers of the industry -- importing, distribution and retail. Prior to his pursuit of the wine business, Mr. Sidders spent ~20 years as an investment banker focused on software companies, last as a Managing Director with Credit Suisse in San Francisco. He received an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Connect: Website vinconnect.com Instagram www.instagram.com/vinconnect/ LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsidders/ Facebook www.facebook.com/VinConnectInc Twitter @VinConnectInc More about Juliana Colangelo: Juliana Colangelo is a Vice President at Colangelo & Partners, the leading wine and spirits communications agency in the U.S. Juliana joined Colangelo & Partners in 2013 with previous experience in events, hospitality, and nonprofit development. During her tenure at C&P, Juliana has led the development of the California office, growing the agency’s domestic presence to a dedicated office of 13 people with representation of leading wine companies such as Jackson Family Wines, Far Niente, Charles Krug Winery, Foley Family Wines and more. Juliana has completed her WSET Level 3 and her eMBA in Wine Business with Sonoma State University, allowing her to bring a strategic and sales-oriented approach to communications strategy for the agency. In 2021, Juliana was named one of PR News’ Top Women in PR in the “Rising Stars” category. In 2022 Juliana became a Vinitaly International Academy Italian Wine Ambassador. Connect: Instagram: www.instagram.com/julezcolang/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/jules.colangelo/ Twitter: twitter.com/JulezColang LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juliana-colan…lo-mba-04345539/ Website: www.colangelopr.com/ _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ Facebook www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast Twitter www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast Tiktok www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin! Tune-in and hit the like! - Business, US Market advice, importing, exporting, business, personal stories and advice, plus she is very fun to listen to!