JORDAN BASS
Founder & CEO HOPWTR
Age : 39 First Industry Job : Leading beverage strategy projects at The Wonderful Company Favorite Drink : HOPWTR Ruby Red Grapefruit
JULIEN HOWSEPIAN
Winemaker Kosta Browne
Age : 39 First Industry Job : A cellar worker in 2005 at Wente Vineyards Favorite Drink : I like to keep it simple with a good draught pale ale
In 2019 , after seven years of rapidly rising through the ranks from harvest intern to production assistant to cellar master to assistant winemaker , Howsepian was named just the third winemaker in the history of Kosta Browne at the age of 34 .
Since then , Howsepian has guided the launch of the winery ’ s Burgundy Series , created its first sparkling wine , taken Kosta Browne to Oregon and elevated the Chardonnay program to world-class levels — all while continuously refining Kosta Browne ’ s style .
Howsepian has also led a transformation in the winery , focused on increasing efficiencies and significantly reducing the long hours that are often required of seasonal workers during harvest . Since taking the helm , he has managed to reduce hours worked by a third during the peak of harvest ,
The rise in interest in better-for-beverages has caused many alcohol alternative brands to sprout up . After spending seven years at The Wonderful Company , where he scaled the businesses as head of e-commerce , Jordan Bass cofounded his own better-for-you beverage brand : HOPWTR .
Bass ’ s more than a decade of experience in technology , management consulting , finance and CPG gave him the strategic insight needed to identify a gap in the market for a functional , healthier beer alternative .
Under Bass ’ s leadership , HOPWTR has grown rapidly , expanding its retail presence to over 8,000 stores nationwide . As a fourth-generation food and beverage entrepreneur , Bass has grown HOPWTR to be a top-10 , alcohol-free beer brand , a top-5 growth driver in all alcohol-free beer and the # 1 hoppy water brand by market share .
“ Building HOPWTR from the ground up into a category leader has been an incredible journey , but the early days were definitely the most challenging ,” notes Bass .
“ Figuring out how to grow quickly while also building a strong team and expanding into new markets wasn ’ t easy . It pushed me to grow as a leader , and I ’ m proud of how we ’ ve created a brand that really resonates with people .”
Bass doesn ’ t take all the credit for building HOPWTR into the brand it is today . He recognizes the amazing team behind the scenes .
“ The most important part of success is having the right people around you . Building HOPWTR has shown me that it ’ s all about the team . When you have the right players in the game , you can do incredible things ,” he says .
Bass is not only committed to HOPWTR , but also to the greater good .
For instance , he cobranded a campaign with Pacifico , the Mexican pilsner-style lager , to create a special merchandise item . Proceeds from the sales were donated to the Hawai ’ i Community Foundation ’ s Maui Strong Fund to support wildfire relief efforts .
which has created a more sustainable and enjoyable work environment for Kosta Browne ’ s valued team .
What does he remember as the biggest hurled in all this ? “ The 2020 vintage was the most challenging vintage of my career ,” Howsepian recalls . “ Fires raged throughout California , sending grape growers and winemakers into a frenzy . No one knew what to do . Many people chose to skip the vintage , but despite the fear and unknown , we decided to produce wine that year . While choosing to pick our grapes and produce wine came with some risk , I ’ m proud that we had the courage to forge ahead . I am so proud of those wines . Despite fighting some justified skepticism from critics and savvy consumers , the proof is in the pudding and the 2020 ’ s are gorgeous !”
As for personal motivation , “ I set myself up for success with thorough planning ,” he says . “ In my world — where agriculture , Mother Nature , craftsmanship , art and business all intersect , and sometimes collide — it can produce unpredictable plans , schedules and results . It ’ s always important to know exactly where the North Star is .”
“ One of my favorite quotes is by Dwight D . Eisenhower , ‘ In preparing for battle , I have always found that plans are useless , but planning is indispensable ’,” he adds .
“ Whether setting personal goals or production schedules , trying my best to map out the steps to achieve the goal , followed by continuous improvement of the plan based on real life conditions , has served me well .”
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