Stan and Joanne Triplett, Vintner's Circle Dickson City Franchise Owners

(From the Triplett Vineyards wine label:)
The Triplett Vineyards of Easton, PA were established in the spring of 1988 by Stan & Joanne Triplett. The family winemaking tradition has been handed down from generation to generation. The original Concord grapevines were brought to Piscataway, NJ by Joanne’s father, Potito. He had always enjoyed the wine served at his wife’s Uncle Charles’ farm in Newburgh, NY. Potito established his vineyard from a few cuttings from the grapevines in NY. He served his wine at family gatherings where Stan was first introduced to the distinct taste of the homemade wine.
In memory of and as a tribute to Potito, Stan moved the grapevines from NJ to their current location in Pennsylvania and is continuing the winemaking tradition.

Q: Stan and Joanne — How did you become involved with Vintner's Circle?

We moved from New Jersey to the Pennsylvania Poconos in 2003, and did not take any of our family grape vines with us during the move. I was getting “the itch” to make wine again, this time using boxed grape juices. Joanne was hesitant and kept stalling me, because all she could remember about our previous at-home wine making experience was the major mess in our kitchen, the 30-gallon must container in our laundry room, and the fruit flies everywhere.

Then Joanne heard a radio advertisement for the Vintner’s Circle shop in Easton. We visited the shop and learned that we could purchase supplies for winemaking at home or we could make wine at the shop, using the shop's equipment and be guided through every step. This was a no-brainer for Joanne, and she easily convinced me that this would be a great compromise . . . I would get to make wine again, and we could do it without destroying the kitchen at home. What a great concept! Making wine again now would be a fun experience that we both could share. We signed up for the in-shop winemaking session to make the “Argentinian Trio”.

We enjoyed our winemaking at Vintner’s Circle. I started to think about becoming a part of Vintner’s Circle team by becoming a franchise owner. This looked like an opportunity to earn an income and enjoy our “job”.

We met with David Schmeltzle and talked about the possibilities and process. We found David creative, down to earth, and someone that we thought we could easily work with. I liked the idea of a new franchise where I could reach the franchisor without going through a lot of management levels. I feel it is important to get to know and work with the main person behind the concept. We decided to take the step to have our own franchise shop.

While we were making this decision, my mom, Mary Cavallero, was looking for investment opportunities. She also liked wine and after meeting Dave, she thought, “Why not invest in a business, my money is not making anything in the bank”. Our money issue was covered, then, and I was excited about starting a family business. I was also terrified about making such a costly adventure. I knew that this was a major hurdle for me that I would have to overcome. I consulted an old friend of mine, who had bought two franchise businesses in his lifetime. Speaking with him helped me overcome my fears of the unknown.

Our build-out process took longer than we expected. There was not one major problem, but each step of the way, we would lose a couple days here, and then a week or two there. Fortunately, my landlord was also a developer and they performed the build-out for me. Using him actually saved us a lot of time. We had originally planned to be open mid-September 2009 and we opened up for business on December 18, 2009.

My mom was looking forward to visiting with the customers and people in our shopping center. We were planning on making a special place for her in our shop to make her comfortable. Unfortunately, she unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack in early November. We understand that each Vintner’s Circle shop has a similar look to reflect the characteristics of the franchise. However, to personalize our shop, Joanne and I placed a picture of her dad on one work station and a picture of my mom on another work station.

When customers ask, “How did you get started in wine making and the business”?, Joanne and I point to the picture of Potito, and tell the stories of him making wine and introducing us to the process. Then we tell them how we decided to get into the business with my mom, and point out her picture. We refer to Joanne’s dad’s picture as “Inspiration”, because that is what he gave us. We refer to my mom’s picture as “Support”, because she gave us support through the whole decision making process.

The Vintner’s Circle Franchise is a dream come true for Joanne and me. We have worked together in the past, and we welcomed the opportunity to do so again. We understand that many married couples cannot work with each other. However, after 32 years of marriage, we are beginning to learn how to put up with each other.

We see David and the Vintner’s Circle team as our extended family. We are a young Vintner’s Circle Family, but Joanne and I are excited that we are here at this time, and to see our shop and our family grow.

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