Students, alumni, and community members will gather at St. Julian Winery tonight to celebrate the Bronconess partnership. During the event, St. Julian will present a $12,350 check to support student scholarships. These funds come from royalties earned throughout 2022. The celebration will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
In addition to the check presentation, Bronconess wine will debut a new sparkling wine called Raspberry Bubbly. Notably, Bronconess is a purpose-driven brand led by students in the Leadership and Business Strategy Program at Western Michigan University.
Meanwhile, Raspberry Bubbly joins the Bronconess wine portfolio alongside Peach Bubbly. St. Julian Winery produces both wines. Together, the portfolio launched in 100 stores across Michigan, with 100 percent of profits supporting student scholarships.
Since its launch in 2018, Bronconess has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships. Along the way, the brand has supported students who demonstrate courage and resilience when facing adversity. At its core, Bronconess empowers aspiring business leaders. Specifically, the program provides hands-on experience marketing and selling wine alongside industry professionals.
At the same time, St. Julian Winery, Michigan’s largest and most-awarded winery, plays a key role in the partnership. The winery gives Leadership and Business Strategy students access to senior leadership and production facilities. Through this experience, students learn the full process of winemaking, production, and marketing.
“Ownership of a brand is a powerful experience,” says Alyssa Sonnevil, Director of Marketing at St. Julian Winery. “In this collaboration, students gain meaningful, real-world experience. It has been exciting to support the program and watch the portfolio grow.”
At the end of the Fall 2022 semester, senior Finance and Leadership and Business Strategy student Kamola Makhmudova received one of the $5,000 scholarships. She describes the award as “a celebration of people’s strength and perseverance.” Because of its impact, Kamola joined the Bronconess team to give back to her community.
Now, Kamola serves on the Spring 2023 Bronconess team alongside Isaac Glass, Nikki Miller, Megan Rooney, and Lauren Dehaan. Together, Nolan Lohroff and Jordan Hines lead the team.
Finally, following the “learning by doing” philosophy of professors Dr. Derrick McIver and Dr. Douglas Lepisto, students lead all internal operations. As part of this work, the team manages daily business functions. These responsibilities include sales calls, social media marketing, event planning, budgeting, and analytics.
