Santa Maria, CA – Miller Family Wine Company, the newest division of the industry-leading Thornhill Companies, is pleased to welcome Michelle Garoufalis to the team as Director of Off-Premise National Accounts.
Skilled at managing multiple off and on-premise accounts while identifying opportunities and trends, Garoufalis joins Miller Family Wine Company after most recently working for Crimson Wine Group. First starting in the role of Midwest Key Account Manager for Crimson, Garoufalis’ solid performance managing and growing key accounts within 12 Midwest States led to her promotion to National Account Manager within two years. As National Account Manager, Garoufalis managed top accounts such as Costco, Whole Foods, Amazon, Albertsons, P.F. Chang’s, Fogo de Chao and Topgolf, among others, during which time she excelled at developing new regional chain accounts, led the pursuit of unpenetrated chains such as Mariano’s and went on to double Mariano’s business within a year.
Garoufalis holds her Level One Certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers and her WSET Level 2 Certification, of which she passed with distinction. She graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Management and B.A. in German from Bucknell University and received her Master of Business Administration with Honors from DePaul University. Garoufalis currently lives in Chicago.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michelle to our team, who brings valuable experience and initiative to this role,” says Justin Taliaferro, National Sales Manager. “With her success managing both off and on-premise accounts, Michelle has proven to be a strong leader with a track record of establishing new chain accounts, growing existing accounts and maintaining those relationships for the long haul. We trust she will be a great asset to our company.”
Miller Family Wine Company
Miller Family Wine Company is a division of the Thornhill Companies – the industry-leading umbrella brand of one of California’s premier winegrowing families, the Miller Family, who have been farming California’s Central Coast for five generations. Miller Family Wine Company manages acclaimed national branded wine labels, including Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills Estates, J. Wilkes, Ballard Lane, Smashberry and Barrel Burner wines, control label brands for prominent retailers across the U.S. and French Camp vineyard in Paso Robles.
For more information on Miller Family Wine Company, please visit www.
