Women, Winning.
We are a 501c non-profit group dedicated to creating an inclusive, education-based environment where women in the Colorado wine, food and hospitality industries can thrive, grow and connect. It is time to gather and galvanize to not only celebrate the successful foundation built for us in Colorado, but also to brainstorm ways to better serve ourselves and our female community going forward.
Our cultural narrative tells us that women experience little issue in the workforce. It tells us that women's organizations and events are unnecessary and patronizing. It tells us that when we ask for more money, more respect, or more time to thrive, we are wasting our breath. It tells us that when we gather it is because we are weak and in need of a boundary from men in order to pat ourselves on the back. It tells us that women who came before us already fought the important battles and that true equality will find us in time...and all of that drives us to compete with one another instead of lifting each other up.
But that narrative can be rewritten. In our historically male-dominant industry, it is imperative that we come together to create communities of support and assistance, not competition. In the guild, we have agreed to mentor one another and lift each other up; to give attention and advice instead of gossip; and to move forward with more transparency, more collaboration, and a higher degree of respect for what women in the Colorado food, wine and hospitality industries go through on a daily basis.
If we haven't said it enough to our members, THANK YOU. More than ever, we are convinced that something great can come out of our combined efforts. Here is a quick snapshot of our current goals:
1. We are working on building a website specifically designed to keep members of The Guild up to date on educational, social and guild-related material. Multiple partnerships are in the works to be able to offer an exclusive membership package with access to cutting-edge educational and networking tools.
2. We aim to offer a meet-up event every few months to keep local members in contact and facilitate the exchange of information among women in the industry.
3. We have a monthly newsletter in the works to dissemminate important industry information, job boards, ideas exchange, upcoming events and whatever else is relevant in our industry at the time.
4. We continue to add to our ever-growing database of women in the wine industry, Colorado and elsewhere. Send us lists from your favorite distributors of winemakers, sommeliers and owners/operators we should include.
5. We want to highlight inspirational women in our industry. If a powerful/inspiring/badass woman in wine is coming to town, we want to meet them! Please pass along information regarding visits from female winemakers, writers, chefs, restauranteurs, sommeliers, etc. We would be happy to host events to highlight their successes.
6. We want to support female Wine Lists, Dinners, Events, etc. If you or your restaurant are doing something in Colorado to feature a badass woman in wine, please tell us! We'll post about it on social media to make sure it gets the attention it deserves!
If there is someone that you feel would thrive by joining our community, please invite them to like this page or pass along their name and email so we can add them to our mailing list. We do not want to exclude anyone with a deep interest and desire to connect.
