Great-tasting wine is not all the founder of Scout and Cellar is concerned about. The ingredients are important, too.
Sarah Shadonix, 38, of Collin County, left her career as a lawyer to enjoy time with her kids and study to be a sommelier. While working in the wine industry, Shadonix began feeling negative effects from certain wines, which led her to research ingredients.
She found that many mass-produced wines included additives like sugar and "mega purple," a color corrector. So she created Scout and Cellar, a clean-crafted wine brand, which carries wines with less than 100ppm of sulfites.
To create these wines, Shadonix scouted vineyards and farmers that did not use synthetic pesticides on their grapes. She and her team source wines from organic producers, like Emiliana in Chile, but they also produce their own labels.
Bringing in independent consultants has been key to Scout and Cellar's success, and Shadonix says it's one of her favorite parts of the business. She now has more than 7,000 consultants who are passionate about clean-crafted wine. A Business Basics Kit is $249 and includes wine tools, marketing materials, four wines, and your own Scout and Cellar website for one year.
Scout and Cellar wines sell for $18-$50 and can be purchased at scoutandcellar.com, or through a consultant. Buyers can also subscribe to receive curated collections and limited editions.
