Building a good solid family wine business: Casella Wines

Purpose – From humble beginnings, Casella Wines has become Australia's greatest wine producer. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the company has become so successful. Design/methodology/approach – The paper comprises many quotes from John Castella, Managing Director of Casella Wines, among others, and covers various areas of the business, for example, foundation building, core enhancement strategy, product/market strategy, hiring policy, and brand building. Findings – For Casella, real success is measured in terms of how proud the family is to make a contribution to wine making and to Australia, as the country of adoption for its postwar Italian immigrant founders more than five decades ago. Above all, the winery is much today as it was then – all about sustaining family relationships, sharing good wines with good friends, and passing on wine making skills to the next generation so they can, in due time, carry on the family tradition. Originality/value – This paper would make a useful, researchinformed teaching case, highlighting the phenomenal growth of the yellowtail brand and the family business that developed it.