Brett Vankoski, Vice President and Co-Founder, Latitude Beverage Company and 90+ Cellars (Massachusetts, USA)

Years in the Industry
I began working in the wine business in 2007.  This was the year my first son was born.  At the time, my wife was just starting her career as a pediatric emergency physician, and I was working for a large financial services company.  Feeling uninspired by my work, and quite excited about a new baby, I left my job to focus on taking care of my son and to support my wife who was working long hours in the ER.  I had also just completed Boston University’s Wine Studies program.  Wanting to to put my newly acquired knowledge to use, I worked a few days a week at a local wine shop. Over the span of two months, I went from a six figure salary to $15 an hour stocking shelves.  It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. 
 
After a year and a half working in retail, I met Kevin Mehra who started Latitude Beverage Company.  He explained to me his idea to purchase wine from wineries that had a track record of high ratings but were having some difficulty selling wine because of the recession.  He wanted to create a wine label featuring high quality wines from all over the world that were priced for everyday drinking. He named the label "90+ Cellars".  I told him I wanted to help.  In the summer of 2009, the two of us travelled door-to-door peddling our new wine label.  Twelve years later, our sales now amount to more than 500,000 cases annually.  
 
It’s been an incredible journey, and a lot of hard work, late nights, weekends and travel.  For many of us in the wine business, the energy and effort we put into our work goes well beyond the limits of rationality, but there is nothing else we’d rather do.  Taking care of your body and mind is important if you want to last.  
 
My Top 3 Challenges to Wellness:

1. Sleep, or rather the lack of it. Prioritizing enough sleep each week is important for your body and mind to function properly. The act of getting enough sleep may be different for everyone. Winston Churchill was known to take daily naps. He was also known for his love of champagne.

2. Finding time for yourself. Commitment to work and family can consume you entirely if you let it. For me, reserving a small moment each day to read a book unrelated to wine or kids helps a lot.

3. Being present. Learning how to simply “be” in the moment instead of always trying to “shape” the moment alleviates stress.

How I keep it together to stay well: 
Regular Exercise. Without this I’m worthless.  Somedays a half hour of yoga does the trick. Other days it might be a long run along the Charles River.   I try to exercise outside as much as possible, often working out with my friends at the November Project. 
 
Good Relationships.  The therapist, Esther Perel, says, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”  When I was younger, I used to put greater emphasis on developing my skills believing that it would bring about success and happiness.  Later on, I learned that nurturing relationships in your personal and professional life is even more important, especially if you really want to be happy. 
 
Laughter and Play.  It’s perfectly okay for adults to behave like children sometimes. 
 
What inspires Me:

• Art, Poetry & Music. How could you not be inspired by Amanda Gorman’s recital of “The Hill We Climb”? The world desperately needs creativity, and creative people for inspiration.

• Nature. Standing in the terraced vineyards of Switzerland’s Valais region looking out upon the snowcapped alps is awe-inspiring.

• My Parents. As a father of two young-sh boys, I’m regularly inspired by the efforts of my parents to raise my bother and me. They made it look so easy. It was not easy.

• My Wife. She is a wonderful doctor, loving mother, caring daughter, loyal sister, and most-importantly, forgiving wife.

 
My favorite quote. 
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”  - George Bernard Shaw
 
You can connect with Brett on Instagram at @goodtimesgreatwine and @90pluscellars