Help Kat Direksyon Wines Launch Worldwide!
Donation protected
I'm Marcus Hammonds and I make strawberry wines.
Growing up, I witnessed my grandmother, Sophie, do the same.
In 2016, I made a batch which I eventually would give the name Prentan and hosted a small wine tasting with my wife at our home.
After that, I tasked myself with discovering whether the wine could be successful as a business. I spoke with industry compliance experts, read an assortment of books, got advice from distillers and other wine makers, attended classes about business and exposed my wine to thousands of people at events like the River North Wine Fest and the Junior League's Perfect Pairings event.
I found a location that I believe is perfect in a community filled with college educated art, jazz and food loving people.
But then covid-19 caused the world to take a long pause...
And now I'm here on the cusp of greatness and in need of your help.
Three months ago, I applied for a $10,000 grant through the NAACP and Bacardi called Raising the Bar. Needless to say, I haven't heard anything from them. I went ahead and applied for a business license anyway. Once the application is approved I will need $7,000 for city liquor licenses and another $1000 for wine manufacturing and wine shipping licenses through the state. Once those have been paid, I'll be one major step forward to realizing the goal.
I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but I was selected by the Boosting Black Business group to run a fundraising campaign with their assistance starting March 20th, 2021.
It just happens that that date is the start of a new season and hopefully a new season for my business as well.
For more information about the wines, visit www.katdireksyon.com or @katdireksyonwinery on Instagram.
Thank you for your donation!
Growing up, I witnessed my grandmother, Sophie, do the same.
In 2016, I made a batch which I eventually would give the name Prentan and hosted a small wine tasting with my wife at our home.
After that, I tasked myself with discovering whether the wine could be successful as a business. I spoke with industry compliance experts, read an assortment of books, got advice from distillers and other wine makers, attended classes about business and exposed my wine to thousands of people at events like the River North Wine Fest and the Junior League's Perfect Pairings event.
I found a location that I believe is perfect in a community filled with college educated art, jazz and food loving people.
But then covid-19 caused the world to take a long pause...
And now I'm here on the cusp of greatness and in need of your help.
Three months ago, I applied for a $10,000 grant through the NAACP and Bacardi called Raising the Bar. Needless to say, I haven't heard anything from them. I went ahead and applied for a business license anyway. Once the application is approved I will need $7,000 for city liquor licenses and another $1000 for wine manufacturing and wine shipping licenses through the state. Once those have been paid, I'll be one major step forward to realizing the goal.
I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but I was selected by the Boosting Black Business group to run a fundraising campaign with their assistance starting March 20th, 2021.
It just happens that that date is the start of a new season and hopefully a new season for my business as well.
For more information about the wines, visit www.katdireksyon.com or @katdireksyonwinery on Instagram.
Thank you for your donation!
#SmallBusinessRelief
Organizer
Marcus Hammonds
Organizer
Chicago, IL
