Craft Winery Franchise Ranks 3,776 on List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – (August 19, 2024) – Waters Edge Wineries®, an innovative urban winery franchise system bringing the cultural experience of wine to communities across the country, today announced it has once again made the prestigious Inc. 5000, Inc. magazine’s annual ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Coming in at number 3,776, Waters Edge Wineries has achieved the accolade four years running, being recognized for their consistent revenue growth for the past several years.
“Making the Inc. 5000 list for the fourth consecutive year is an honor, and I am deeply proud of our team for this achievement,” said Waters Edge Wineries Founder and President Ken Lineberger. “We are passionate about continuing to bring our unique model to communities across the United States and excited to continue pushing the boundaries in the wine industry as we expand into new territories.”
The Waters Edge Winery & Bistro business model is ideal for entrepreneurs passionate about wine who seek a way to share their love and knowledge without being in the agriculture business. Each location combines the traditional winery experience with the popular wine bar concept offering bistro-style artisanal selections including appetizers, flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and desserts, custom bottle labeling as personalized gifts, private tasting areas for groups, a wine club and more. Franchise owners receive comprehensive training on the micro-winery tank system and are provided with pre-opening training courses, both hands-on and classroom-based, to help prepare for the launch of their winery.
Over the last year, Waters Edge Wineries has expanded its locations with a successful grand opening in Doylestown, PA, and has signed several new franchise agreements for locations slated to open in late 2024 and 2025. In addition, the franchise brand has expanded its offerings by introducing several new international wine partnerships from Italy, Spain, and Armenia. These partnerships reflect the company’s dedication to growth and innovation while providing exceptional experiences for its guests and finding new ways to drive revenue.
The Inc. 5000 class of 2024 represents companies that have driven rapid revenue growth while navigating inflationary pressure, the rising costs of capital, and seemingly intractable hiring challenges. Among this year’s top 500 companies, the average median three-year revenue growth rate is 1,637 percent. In all, this year’s Inc. 5000 companies have added 874,458 jobs to the economy over the past three years.
“One of the greatest joys of my job is going through the Inc. 5000 list,” said Mike Hofman, who recently joined Inc. as editor-in-chief. “Congratulations to this year’s honorees, as well, for growing their businesses fast despite the economic disruption we all faced over the past three years, from supply chain woes to inflation to changes in the workforce.”
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
For more information on Waters Edge Wineries or for franchising information, contact 909-GOT-WINE, visit WatersEdgeWineries.com or email Sales@WatersEdgeWineries.com.
About Waters Edge Wineries®
California-based Waters Edge Wineries is an innovative micro-winery system bringing the cultural experience of wine to communities across the country. Each Waters Edge Winery & Bistro location combines the very best of a winery and wine bar in one versatile model that can be located anywhere, regardless of topography or agricultural factors. Founded in 2004 by husband-and-wife team Ken and Angela Lineberger, Waters Edge Wineries currently operates 13 Waters Edge Winery & Bistro locations in California, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The company caters to entrepreneurs who are seeking a fun, exciting career where they can share their passion for wine while creating memorable guest experiences.
Methodology
Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.
About Inc.
Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award-winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
