From Homemade to High Demand: The Rise of Nicole Kearney’s Sip & Share Vegan Wines

Sip & Share Wines, owned and operated by Nicole Kearney, is a boutique winery producing a diversity of handcrafted vegan wines. Nicole grew up in a family passionate about crafting their own wines, which sparked her lifelong love of wine. As an adult, she deepened this passion by traveling and exploring wine tastings across the country. With encouragement from friends, Nicole took a bold step into entrepreneurship, obtaining her license for Sip & Share Wines. By 2019, she proudly launched the brand’s first collection, featuring seven distinctive bottles.

Nicole connected with a small business coach at the Business Ownership Initiative (BOI), who helped her get a handle on cash management and forecasting. Through BOI, she was also introduced to the services provided by the Central Indiana Women’s Business Center (CIWBC). Her coaches at BOI and CIWBC helped her with market research, developing a business plan, and crafting her first pitch.

In 2020, Nicole released her second collection of vegan wines. Her business really began to grow and one of her wines was featured in Forbes Magazine as one of the ten recommended drinks for the summer. That same year, Nicole won the Jacqueline Troy Inspired Fund (JTIF) award – given out annually by CIWBC to a local, women entrepreneur. Nicole says that even more impactful than the monetary award were the connections. “The connections were invaluable,” she says, “They helped me expand and grow my business.”

Nicole remains passionate about creating community with wine, especially for wine lovers often overlooked and underrepresented by the wine industry, and today, Sip & Share Wines is thriving. They moved into a 2,500 sq ft production space and are currently available in seven states. She credits her coaches at BOI & CIWBC with helping her grow a more stable business. “My coaches helped make sure my business was on the right path and grew my confidence as an entrepreneur.”

To learn more about Sip & Share wines, visit: https://sipandsharewines.com/