BY KYLE SWARTZ
Why “ guild ”? Seventy-five years ago , why did the founders of the Wine and Spirits Guild of America choose this term for their newly formed industry group ? Rather than , say , “ association ”?
“ When they were first starting out , they thought that calling it a ‘ guild ’ might help it stand out better than any other name they could use , because the thought was you were going back to Medieval times , when there were guilds ,” says Jack Farrell , CEO of Haskell ’ s in Minneapolis , and Guild member since 1970 .
It ’ s reasoning that speaks to the very core of the Wine & Spirits Guild of America : The simple , effective power of strength in numbers .
“ The Guild was originally put together to exchange marketing ideas ,” Farrell says . “ Remember , this was pre-Zoom , pre-all that
electronic stuff . The Guild was and remains a wonderful way to do that : share ideas . The retail business is a tough , tough business . It ’ s tough to figure out any way to have a leg up , to be a little ahead of the game . Being in the Wine and Spirits Guild , that ’ s the best leg up you can have in the wine and spirits industry .”
Reflections like Farrell ' s highlight the rich history and consistent value that the Guild has offered members since the group first started in 1948 . As the Guild celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023 , we reached out to members for their thoughts on the past , present and future of the organization .
SHARING ADVANTAGES “ Jack Holloway , who founded ABC Fine Wine & Spirits [ in Florida in 1936 ] had a saying about attending Guild meetings ,” Farrell
www . beveragedynamics . com January 2023 • Beverage Dynamics 9