Cody Ashurst

Cody Ashurst is a former grape grower born and raised in Hopland, California. He grew up in the vineyards and helped his father from a young age. After graduating from Arizona State University with a Degree in Global Agricultural Business, he returned to his family's 4th generation farm to help his father manage their vineyards and pear orchard. After his father sold their ranch in 2021, he joined Phytech, a global AgTech SaaS company specializing in plant, soil moisture, irrigation, and climate monitoring along with automation. Cody joined Phytech to bring the technology to grape growers throughout California out of a passion for helping farmers. He now works at Phytech as the Vineyard Success Manager, helping wine and table grape growers throughout California, Washington, Oregon, South America, and Israel better understand their vine's water needs and irrigation strategies through Phytech’s data. Through the Phytech platform, he helps growers with irrigation strategies throughout the season for water stress, brix accumulation, dehydration mitigation, soil moisture holding, and other tools within the platform.

Roger Beery

Roger Beery is the Proprietor and Winemaker’s Dad at J. Cage Cellars, a boutique Sonoma producer of award-winning Pinot Noirs and other wines. As a “one man show,” Roger has learned to leverage multiple avenues to reach his clientele and has had particular success with text marketing.

Michael Bourne

As VP of Engineering at 5forests, Michael brings a wealth of expertise in web development, digital strategy, and data analytics to our clients. Overseeing all technological initiatives, Michael ensures our products excel in performance, security, and accessibility.

Highly regarded for his deep understanding of the Commerce7 ecommerce platform, Michael has become a go-to technical expert for wineries around the world. His dedication to excellence drives the ongoing improvement of 5forests’ digital products, like our custom WordPress themes and Enhanced integrations. He also works closely with technology partners to roll out new accessibility features and refine platform functionality.

Michael is an open-source contributor and the creator of the pioneering “Commerce7 for WordPress.” plugin, which has simplified Commerce7 integration for over 600 wineries globally. He actively participates in the WordPress community by organizing local meetups, contributing to WordPress development, and speaking at WordCamp events on topics like SEO, website speed optimization, and web accessibility.

Cassie Braswell

Cassie Braswell is a dedicated professional with years of experience in the wine industry, business strategy, and water conservation. Born and raised in Visalia, California, she moved to Sonoma County in 2006 after falling in love with the region. There, she studied at Sonoma State University, earning her BA and later completing her MBA with honors.

With over 17 years in the wine industry, Cassie has covered DTC operations, sales, and marketing. The last seven years of her career have solidified her passion for resource conservation. While working for a wholesale irrigation supplier during the drought years, she guided clients in finding grant funding and offered creative ways to improve water and energy efficiency.

Now, she works to empower 21st-century farms with agricultural technology solutions from HotSpot AG. Through trust and collaboration, she supports vineyard managers and viticulturists, using tools such as groundwater, reservoir, flow/pressure, weather, and soil monitoring paired with on/off control of pumps, valves, and engines to help growers enhance irrigation while reducing operational costs.

In her personal time, Cassie finds tranquility in growing fruits and vegetables in her garden and enjoys exploring parks across the state with her husband and five rescue dogs.

Dave Carter

Bio coming soon.

Federico Casassa

Professor of Oenology and Wine Sensory Analysis at Cal Poly University (California). He has researched for years the phenolic extraction and retention of red wines, the chemistry of wine aroma and the sensory consequences of these phenomena.

Tony Chapman

Tony Chapman grew up in the small town of Fairfax just south of The Donum Estate in Marin County. Always fascinated with vineyards and the wine at his family dinners, he went on to study Wine and Viticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. During his studies, he worked at Tablas Creek Vineyards where he was introduced to regenerative, organic, and biodynamic farming. Soon after graduating, he traveled to New Zealand, where he worked at Bell Hill Vineyards in North Canterbury. After his stint in New Zealand, he accepted a full-time position at Mac Forbes in the Yarra Valley of Australia. During that time, he traveled to Austria to work a vintage at Moric in Burgenland. After relocating back to California and working for several producers, he joined the Donum team in 2019. Tony’s approach is to use regenerative farming practices to grow resilient vines that create vibrant, site-expressive wines.

Dr. Jessica Chiartas

Dr. Jessica Chiartas received her PhD in Soils & Biogeochemistry from the University of California, Davis. After her PhD, she served as a fellow with the Innovation Institute for Food and Health and is currently a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Plant Sciences. Her research focuses on the long-term impacts of agricultural management on soil carbon (to a depth of 1+ meters), soil health and the provision of ecosystem services across a diversity of soils, climates, and production systems. Through participatory research and multi-stakeholder engagement, she seeks to develop communities of practice and marketplace infrastructure to support, incentivize and scale adoption of soil health/regenerative management.

Over the last five years, Jessica has supported businesses, brands, non-profits, and NGOs in developing bespoke monitoring programs to track the environmental, agronomic, and economic impacts of regenerative management; including Ben & Jerry’s, Simple Mills, Daily Harvest, Citizens of Humanity, Community Alliance with Family Farms, Fibershed, and Moonshot Snacks. She is President and Lead Scientist at RegenScore, an evidence-backed, place-based, scoring framework for assessing regenerative agriculture. Jessica is an advisor for the North Coast Soil Health Hub, LandCore USA, PlanetFwd, Crop/Range-C (and formerly Regenerative Organic Certification); serves on the ASA-CSA-SSSA Science Policy Committee; and represents UC Davis in the California Farm Demonstration Network. She is also founder/creator of Soil Life, a website and series of short videos and educational resources that inspire, empower, and engage young people in the many solutions to global challenges that lie right beneath their feet.

Marc Cuneo

Marc Cuneo joined Turrentine Brokerage as a Bulk wine Broker in 2010, bringing industry experience ranging from grower relations to wine marketing. Marc entered the wine business as a sales representative for Southern Wines and Spirits in San Francisco after receiving a Business Administration degree at the University of the Pacific. He then moved on to work at his family’s winery, Sebastiani Vineyards. During his decade at Sebastiani Vineyards, he began as a cellar worker and steadily advanced within the company, serving as the Vice President of Grower Relations and as a member of the executive team. Marc has also received his executive MBA from Sonoma State University.

In his spare time, Marc can be seen riding horses with his wife and four kids in Sonoma and is also an avid traveler and hunter.

Michael De Loach

For over 30 years, Michael De Loach has been a wine industry leader in planning, management, sales and marketing.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Sonoma County, Michael De Loach grew up in the wine business: he started working in the vineyard at age 11 and in the cellar at 15. After college De Loach worked as Vice President, Sales and Marketing at fledgling De Loach Vineyards, and completed courses of study in winemaking at the Napa Valley School of Cellaring as well as the University of California at Davis Agricultural Extension.

De Loach learned the world of design, advertising, marketing and media during the 12 years he spent in that industry. During his three years at consumer goods design firm Glenn Martinez and Associates, he worked on branding, packaging, and advertising for top wine industry clients including Rodney Strong Vineyards, De Loach Vineyards, Parducci Winery, Glen Ellen, and Far Niente. Other clients included Crystal Geyser, Clorox and Anheuser-Busch.

De Loach was a partner and creative director for leading regional advertising agencies Omnicom/Zimmerman and BG Solutions, where he personally won over 100 American Advertising Awards (The ADDY Awards) for his work. Clients during his career included Comcast, Mitsubishi Motors, and Bethesda Healthcare Systems.

After his advertising days, De Loach served as president of De Loach Vineyards from 2001 to 2005, then for the next ten years as president of Hook & Ladder Winery until 2016. He is the owner of Michael De Loach Brands, a national wine sales management company. He has served on numerous industry boards and advisory committees, and provides financial support to many community organizations.

De Loach has appeared throughout the country on radio, television and speaking engagements, and has been written about in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Denver Business Journal, The Austin Chronicle, Philadelphia Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Wines and Spirits, Wines and Vines, and The Wine Enthusiast. He lives with his wife Lori in Healdsburg, California.

Christian Deakin

Christian grew up on a vineyard in western New York and has been enamored with the wine industry ever since. He graduated from Cornell University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a minor in Enology. He then moved to California where he spent the next eight years working for E&J Gallo Winery; the first four as a research enologist and the next four as a production microbiologist. Christian joined the BevZero team in late 2023 as the Product Development Manager.

Perry DeLuca

Perry is Managing Director and Head of Wine, Beverage and Agriculture Middle Market M&A at BMO Capital Markets. Prior to joining BMO in 2023, Perry was Managing Director and Senior Banker, Wine & Beverage at Bank of the West, serving as lead sell-side banker on numerous current mandates (including 5 deals in exclusivity currently), and other successful sell-side deals including Spring Mountain Winery and A to Z Wine Works. He also originated several full banking relationships, for companies ranging from $5MM-$100MM EBITDA. Prior to 2016, Perry also worked at Wells Fargo Bank and Key Banc Capital Markets.

Perry holds an MBA from the University of California, an MA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Georgetown University. Perry is also a Board Member at Trentadue Winery.

Meghan Delzell

Meghan Delzell brings a wealth of passion, expertise, and genuine hospitality to Sangiacomo Family Wines. Originally from New Hampshire, Meghan's journey into the wine industry began on the East Coast while studying Biochemistry at the University of New Hampshire. After a stint as a research scientist in Boston, she found her true calling in California’s wine and hospitality industry, making her home in Northern California since 2003.

Over the past twenty years, Meghan has held various roles, including restaurant and hotel manager, wine buyer, DTC sales manager, client services, and winery hospitality manager, gaining extensive experience with esteemed establishments like Cain Vineyard and Winery, Lynmar Estate, Ledson Hotel, Wine Spectrum and eCellar. At Sangiacomo Family Wines, Meghan spearheaded the national brand launch in 2018 and oversees marketing, e-commerce, business development, and direct sales. Her strategic approach and commitment to authentic storytelling and personalized outreach have significantly expanded the market, ensuring the Sangiacomo story resonates with consumers nationwide. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring California, hiking, backpacking, cooking, and promoting Sonoma as a premier destination.

Charlie Dubbe

Charlie brings over 10 years of on the ground experience in regenerative and organic agriculture. He has been the COO at a variety of farms on the central coast of CA, managing commercial blueberry production, diversified veggie operations, and hemp seed production. He is the co-founder of ReCommon, a climate impact startup that creates public goods infrastructure to support community-held lands across the globe, such as the Regenerative Community Land Trust (RCLT) model.

At Agrology, Charlie leads regenerative partnerships and business development. With real-time, continuous soil respiration and carbon flux monitoring, Agrology allows the soil to speak, facilitating a more robust dialogue between farmers and their soil microbiomes. This empowers farmers to tie their practices to real-world soil health outcomes, and optimize their regenerative programs within their unique context. When not thinking about plants or soil life, you are likely to find Charlie surfing, kayaking, or hiking in the mountains around his home in Santa Cruz, CA.

Cheryl Durzy

Cheryl Murphy Durzy is the CEO and founder of LibDib, a technology enabled wholesaler and services provider. Prior to starting the company in 2016, Cheryl managed wholesale sales for her family’s 80,000 case winery. She has a full understanding of the industry and issues regarding alcohol distribution in the United States. She is passionate about the beverage alcohol industry and works to evolve all three tiers, utilizing innovative technology and advanced AI. Cheryl is truly entrenched in the industry, having sat on several boards, including the Wine Institute's California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, where she served as President for two years. In addition to a BA from the University of San Diego, she has taken courses and received certificates from the OIV Wine Marketing Program and the Court of Master Sommeliers. In December 2008, Cheryl took and passed with merit the Advanced Certificate level of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

Anne Flesch

Anne has a master’s of science and engineering degree in agricultural sciences from Montpellier, France. She previously worked as a researcher in France in the biofuels field and as an Oenologist in France and Washington State. From the Wine industry she joined the Fermentis team in 2017 to bring technical support to the Western part of the USA and Canada for all fermented beverages

Anne joined Fermentis in 2017 as Regional Sales Manager for Western North America. In her position she provides support to all beverage fermentations. Anne has a Master of Science in Green Chemistry and Sciences of Fermentation along with an Agriculture and Biosystem Engineering degree from Montpellier Supagro, France. She previously worked in France, India and Australia as a researcher for the production of biofuels and then as an Enologist in Wineries in Sancerre, France and WA, USA.

Mark Garaventa

Mark Garaventa’s professional success, which spans more than three decades, began in his family business, before he moved on to manage national sales for a large corporation. He then transitioned into the wine business in 2007, joining Rack & Riddle when the company was still in its infancy.

An integral part of the executive team, Mark rose from the role of Vice President of Sales to General Manager, a role he embraces, meeting and learning about every employee. As a lifelong baseball player who still competes in Northern California leagues today, Mark is a natural team player, and like most committed athletes he recognizes the importance of every team member, as well as the collective power of the win.

A native of the North Bay Area, Mark earned his degree from St. Mary’s College in 1988. Initiatives in which Mark has been involved include the original move of Rack & Riddle to their main Healdsburg location in 2014; company acquisitions including production facilities in Alexander Valley, Geyserville, and Lodi; the development of multiple custom wine brands; and the vast evolution of producing primarily Méthode Champenoise, to adding state-of-the-art technologies, as well as multiple sparkling beverage production capabilities including Charmat and premium canning.

While Mark has been a member of the Rack & Riddle team, the company has experienced unprecedented growth. Through careful guidance and focused innovation, Rack & Riddle is now the #1 custom sparkling wine producer in the United States. A hallmark is the level of quality and care for their customers, employees and wines that remains consistent with the day the company began.

Jennie Gilbert

As a Founder of RedChirp, Jennie is obsessed with helping businesses meet consumers’ newly expanded expectations for virtual interactions. Calling and emailing may have been enough before, but now 89% of consumers want to text with businesses. RedChirp makes business texting easy: compliance, web chat, payments, marketing campaigns, club communications, automation, and wine industry-specific integrations to tie it all together. A true nerd at heart, Jennie loves spreadsheets and a good data set to dig into, is a frequent speaker at business conferences, and is the co-author of two books. When not in the office, Jennie spends time cooking with her husband and chasing her preschool-aged son. Her most prized possession is their well-worn – and heavily stained – wine-tasting notebook.

Greg Gonzalez

Greg Gonzalez grew up in Oregon, splitting time between Eugene and Junction City where he worked on his family’s 10-acre Filbert farm (hazelnuts). From an early age, he excelled at soccer and eventually earned dual scholarships (academic and sports) to Southwestern Oregon Community College where he earned his associate in athletic training and later was recruited to California State University Monterey Bay to complete his collegiate soccer career. In 2009, he earned his BA in Social and Behavioral Sciences, with emphasis on Geographic Information Systems, Minor – Earth Systems, Sciences, Technology, and Policy.

Greg continued to pursue is passion for soccer playing in the National Premier Soccer League for 2 seasons with the Salinas Valley Samba. During this time Greg joined Scheid Vineyards located in Monterey County in 2009 as a harvest intern where he started implementing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping vineyard properties. Eight months later, he was promoted to Ranch Supervisor while also handling Geographic Information Sciences & Technologies implementing precision farming systems aimed at increase quality and efficiency. During his time with Scheid he helped transition the organization from a leading grape growing company to a full grape to glass organization working closely with the wine making team to develop branded good at all wine tiers including the development of low alcohol wines.

Greg has grown over 38 varieties of grapes and 21 clones of PN with many of the wines produced under his care scoring as high as 99 points (2021 Metz Rd CH). After spending 12 years with Scheid building streamlined agricultural technologies, advanced precision viticultural, mechanization, and program based viticultural programs, Greg finished his tenure with Scheid as the Director of Vineyard Operations managing over 4200 acres of wine grapes spanning all 5 growing regions of Monterey County. In March of 2021 Greg accepted an opportunity to lead the farming operations in Santa Barbara County for Foley Family Farms, a subsidiary company to Foley Family Wines. After two seasons with Foley, Coastal Vineyard Care Associated convinced him to make the move to the fast growing company to help transition and scale parts of their organization.

Aside from farming winegrapes, Greg holds various board positions with California Association of Winegrape Growers, The Vineyard Team, Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, and the Foundation Board of California State University Monterey Bay. Greg also holds various certifications, Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP), Certified Agricultural Irrigation Specialist (CAIS), and Lean Six Sigma Black-Belt.

Greg’s industry involvement and expertise has also led to frequent invitations to speak and present his experiences at leading vineyard and winery events. Most notably the industries largest wine and grape event the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium. Greg is one of the leading experts in integrating agricultural technologies to achieve both higher operational efficiencies and increased grape quality. His perspective on the future of agriculture is highly valued and has built core industry relations between Agtech and the grower as well as Sacramento’s government officials.

Greg’s hobbies include playing and coaching soccer, carpentry, fantasy football, exercising, barbecuing, convertible wine tours in his 1965 GTO and spending time with his wife and his two young sons.

Juan Gonzalez

Juan holds a degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he discovered his passion for wine.

With over a decade of winemaking experience, from laboratory analysis, bottling quality control and winery supervision, Juan brings a level of first-hand production knowledge to Agrovin's sales department.

Lora Goulevant

Born and raised in the Bordeaux area, Lora has a deep-rooted passion for wine that has shaped her career. She pursued her studies in winemaking, viticulture, and wine business in the Loire Valley and abroad (South Africa, Portugal, Spain, and more), blending academic excellence with a love for travel and exploration. With nearly a decade of experience in the wine industry, Lora has worked with several renowned wineries, gaining valuable insights and expertise. She pursued her journey at Lamothe Abiet as a Product Manager, where she developed her skills in research, field trials and winemaking solutions. Currently, Lora serves as a Technical Advisor and Sales Manager at Bucher Vaslin North America, specializing in winery equipment and winemaking products. Based in Napa and Sonoma, she provides technical support and innovative solutions to winemakers in these regions. Aside from her professional life, Lora enjoys making wine, surfing, and hiking in her free time.

Sonyia Grabski

Throughout her career, Sonyia has played a significant role in the wine industry, leading sales and marketing efforts for a variety of esteemed organizations. Her extensive experience includes driving initiatives for Constellation Wines, Terlato Wine Group, and Visit Napa Valley. Beyond her roles in these companies, Sonyia has also operated her own consulting business, developing strategies for clients such as Iron Horse, Bonny Doon, Highway 12, VinoPro, and many others.

Sonyia joined the team at Trinitas Cellars as the General Manager in June of 2019, bringing with her over two decades of experience in wine sale. Sonyia is known as a prime thought leader and amplifier in identifying market trends, innovative approaches in the wine industry which include wine sales programs and consumer targeting, acquisition and retention. Her programs are supported by effective and thorough marketing tactics to support long-term growth and profitability for the company and brand’s essential messaging.

Polly Hammond

Polly Hammond is a well known figure in the world of wine marketing. Speaker, podcaster, advisor, and founder of the award-winning digital marketing agency 5forests, she splits her time between Barcelona, Auckland, and Napa, where she works with some of the world's largest (and smallest!) wine producers.

She’s hosted over 100 podcasts on the subject of wine business, including the 2024 YouTube series Headtraining, the 2022 series Uncorked for the Italian Wine Podcast, and the 2020 series The Real Business of Wine with Robert Joseph. She's a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned degrees in International Relations and French. Those studies led to a deep and abiding love affair with Behavioural Economics, and her work is based on insights into all the crazy and irrational reasons consumers engage with brands.

(Oh, and beware, she’s mad about pop culture and good stories, so any presentation is sure to have at least one Star Wars reference thrown in!)

Jessica Hart

Jessica Hart, MBA is a seasoned HR leader with extensive experience in the beverage industry, including prominent roles with Target, The Lagunitas Brewing Company, and Heineken, prior to her entrepreneurial adventure as the founder of Hart Consulting. With a talent for simplifying complex HR issues, she has successfully navigated employee relations across nearly all 50 states. Jessica specializes in supporting wineries and breweries across the country, where employees wear multiple hats and work across multiple locations and/or cost centers. Recognized for her practical approach to risk mitigation and expertise in HR trends, Jessica is a sought-after resource in the beverage industry. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys football in the fall, traveling with her family, and watching Paw Patrol with her toddler on weekends.