Promotions and New Roles to Assist with Company Growth
LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 19, 2023– Riboli Family Wines has expanded its national sales and strategic planning teams to continue supporting the increased growth of Stella Rosa®, the #1 selling imported wine brand, the Riboli Estates Group (domestic luxury wines from sustainably farmed vineyards), the San Antonio portfolio and the Avanti portfolio (international luxury brands from sustainably farmed vineyards).
“Our company is dedicated to the growth of our brands, wineries, vineyards, and our team members,” says Senior Vice President of Sales, Paul Roberts. “At Riboli Family Wines we are excited to promote our people’s hard work by creating exciting new roles and expanding our sales division. We look forward to increasing our national and international footprint.”
Greg Baldino promoted to Vice President, National Sales. Baldino will be leading all national division teams (Southeast, Northeast, Central, Midwest, and West) outside of California. He joined Riboli Family Wines as a regional manager in 2015, was promoted to Division VP of the Southeast region, and then Vice President of Strategic Planning. “I am thrilled to represent Riboli Family Wines across the country, and I look forward to our continued expansion,” says Baldino. Baldino has over 35 years’ experience with national brands including Gallo, Diageo, Palm Bay International and Banfi Wines.
Penny Kosut named VP of National Sales Planning. Kosut will be responsible for all brand planning and overseeing pricing strategy. Kosut most recently led the sales team for Riboli Estate Group’s California estate-based portfolio: San Simeon, Maddalena, Highlands 41, Opaque, and Windstream where she was instrumental in developing new activities to showcase the portfolio nationally. ”I am excited to continue to share our premium wines with customers nationwide,” says Kosut. Kosut has over 25 years of experience in sales with national brands including Fetzer Vineyards, Unilever, and Diageo.
Rebecca Powelson promoted to Vice President – Fine Wine & International Sales. Powelson is tasked with increasing Riboli Family Wine’s international presence starting with Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. “It has been an exciting year growing Riboli Family Wines international portfolio,” says Powelson. “I look forward to increasing our customer base across the world.” Powelson will continue to lead the Avanti portfolio, which includes luxury wines in the US (price range: $15-$100), including Grower Champagne Nominé-Renard, the organic and biodynamic estate of Urlar from New Zealand, as well as Santo, from Piedmont, Italy.
Additionally, she will support the corporate team on fine wine strategy and education.
Paul Rinaldi has been promoted to Vice President of Retail National Accounts, East Division. Rinaldi has driven significant growth across key customers. He brings a wealth of experience at the regional and national level with his background in national chains. “Our company continues to increase opportunities with retail customers, and I am honored to help drive that growth,” says Rinaldi.
Jenna Steele started at the company in March 2022 as Director of E-Commerce where she was instrumental in Stella Rosa’s online success. Steele has over 16 years of experience working across on-premise and ecommerce channels at Republic National Distributing Company and Brown-Forman. The company has promoted Steele to Vice President of E-Commerce Sales as it understands the importance of new and growing sales channels and the rapid revolution of ecommerce. Steele will be working across all sales divisions across the Riboli Family Wine organization. “Wine drinkers are increasingly going online to make their purchases and I’m delighted to help our company reach customers where they are, “says Steele.
ABOUT RIBOLI FAMILY WINES
Riboli Family Wines, family-owned since 1917, celebrates over a century crafting award-winning wines. Winner of Wine Enthusiasts’ 2018 “American Winery of the Year”, Riboli Family Wines includes Riboli Estates Group – a portfolio of estate-based brands sourced from the family’s 1,800 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey, and Napa Valley – as well as Stella Rosa®, the #1 Import Brand. With an affinity for business and innovation, the 3rd and 4th generations of the Riboli Family continue to lead the industry and push the boundaries of winemaking and the wine drinking experience. For more information, please visit www.riboliwines.com.
