News & Events
New Owner Scott Schoenen Acquires Fresh Northwest Design
Booming Washington Wine Industry Means Business for the Custom Wine Bottle Design and Etching Company
GIG HARBOR, Wash.—(September 22, 2006)—Fresh Northwest Design, a local boutique company providing custom design and etching of wine bottles for organizations such as wineries, corporate clients, universities and charitable events, announces new ownership. Founded in 1989, the company is known for beautiful hand-etched and painted wine bottles, considered to be pieces of art. At this year’s Sun Valley Wine Auction, seven of the company’s bottles were included in a lot that sold for $72,000.
Native New Yorker Scott Schoenen has over ten years of business and technology experience at companies such as Lucent Technologies and Merrill Lynch. Schoenen acquired the 18-year old company in July, setting aggressive goals for growth in the coming year.
“I wanted to move from New York to Washington and buy a small business to improve my quality of life,” Schoenen explains. “I looked at about five businesses in this area and chose Fresh Northwest Design because it is a niche industry with a good client base and a lot of room for growth.”
The explosion of the Washington wine industry, rising from 19 wineries in 1981 to more than 400 today, has created a need for a variety of wine-related businesses, from wine clubs to enological testing companies and everything in between. According to the Washington Wine Commission, Washington now has over 14,000 wine-related jobs, and the total economic impact on the state is $3 billion.
Ninety percent of Fresh Northwest Design’s business is currently based in Washington. The company’s primary customer base is wineries, including Chateau Ste. Michelle and Hogue Cellars. Microsoft, Hutch Holiday Gala Auction and University of Washington are a few notable non-winery clients. In total, the company’s ten artisans etch approximately 10,000 bottles every year.
“With the continued growth of the wine industry in Washington, as well as neighboring regions such as Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, we see a tremendous opportunity for expansion,” says Schoenen. “By developing our corporate and nonprofit client bases, we intend to double the size of the company and reach sales of $1.5 million this year.”
Fresh Northwest Design custom designs, etches and hand-paints wine bottles for wineries, corporations, schools, charitable events and other organizations. From their studio in Gig Harbor, Wash., highly skilled artisans use specialized techniques to produce high quality glass artistry for businesses throughout North America. www.freshnwdesign.com
- Media Contact: Stephanie Lin
- Randall PR
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