Hillary Trout joins Broken Earth Winery as COO
-Report from Winebusiness.com-
Winebusiness.com reports that Broken Earth Winery announced the recent appointment of Hillary Trout as chief operating officer of Broken Earth Winery. Trout brings a strong wine business background to this new position and will be focused on positioning the winery for strong growth in the domestic markets.
Trout has been working in the wine industry for much of her professional career, starting out as a CPA specializing in business advisory services for vineyards and wineries and most recently serving as president and COO of San Miguel-based Villa San-Juliette Vineyard & Winery. Trout has a diverse management background that includes general management, financial management, and growing direct-to-consumer and trade business segments.
President/CEO and proprietor, Gerald Forsythe, says of Trout’s appointment, “We are thrilled that Hillary has joined our team. Hillary’s broad business sense and intimate knowledge of the wine industry will be a key ingredient to our future plans as we grow our brands in the marketplace,” Winebusiness.com reports.
Trout remarked, “Broken Earth Winery is a great fit for me. Their strong focus on sustainability and preserving valuable resources coupled with a strong wine portfolio is exactly the kind of organization that I am excited about. It is a joy to be working with the owner and winemaker who are genuinely enthusiastic about their brands, vineyards, and the wine industry. I am honored to join their team and look forward to working with an exceptional team.”
Trout joins Broken Earth’s Executive Vice President and Winemaker, Chris Cameron, in growing their 100 percent estate-grown, five-brand portfolio produced by Broken Earth. Says Cameron, “We have invested considerable resources to focus on the consistent production of outstanding wines and our accolades and awards confirm we have succeeded. It is now time to turn our attention to bringing these wines to the national arena. We are excited to welcome Hillary to the team and her disciplined approach and experience will be invaluable in achieving our goal.”
Broken Earth Winery is located in Paso Robles, California, growing 17 varietals on their 2,500 acre Rancho Tierra Rejada vineyard. Broken Earth Winery produces five brands that include Pull, Quadrant, Diablo, Shimmin Canyon, and SWN Wines. Additionally, the winery offers a custom label program, taking advantage of their 100 percent in-house production capabilities, including label printing.