Mission

Our mission is to service the retail and restaurant market, by providing a selection of unique products of outstanding quality and value. Through an experienced sales team, we will offer our customers a superior level of customer service, and the tools and knowledge to maximize their sales & profits in the wine & spirits industry.

Our Vision

Our vision is to offer an innovative way to deliver wine and spirits to a retailer and restaurant customer base throughout the United States. We will create a world-wide network of talented winemakers and master-distillers in order to answer to the consumer demand for wider variety and higher-end products. With a network of small distributors in many of the greatest wine markets across the United States, we will facilitate wineries of all sizes to reach the end consumer.

Our Philosophy

At our core is our commitment to provide unwavering customer service for our retailers and restaurateurs. We understand all aspects of the business and strive to make our customers’ lives easier. This includes not only a unique, high quality selection of wine and spirits, but in-house education, training, menu design and marketing tools.

We are dedicated to superior products. We carefully hand select each addition to our portfolio with an experienced tasting board of wine and spirit connoisseurs. We view winemakers and distillers as artists and realize that there is a lot of art not getting shared. We’re here to share their work with the world. We bring in products from all major growing regions of the world, at all price ranges, at all production levels and cater to all markets.

History

Universal Wines & Spirits started in 2003 as an importer of Spanish wine & food. The company had a portfolio of 22 Spanish wines and represented a large portion of Spanish Wine Sales in the Miami Market. In 2006, part-owner Jesse Kessler took full ownership and decided to focus solely on wine. He hired a team of experienced wine buyers, managers, and sales consultants. The wine portfolio quickly grew to encompass every major growing region of the world in addition to a growing spirits portfolio. The Miami office grew to a team of 12 sales consultants, covering most major cities in the state of Florida. In March, 2007 the company acquired another distributorship in Portland, Oregon. Soleil du Vin, now Universal Wines of Oregon quickly grew to a team of 10 sales consultants, covering the majority of the state of Oregon. Universal Wines & Spirits is now in the process of opening operations in Washington, DC and Maryland, expecting to begin by fall 2007. In 2008, Universal Wines & Spirits will consider fuller expansion around the DC Metro Market as well as possible expansion into the New York tri-state market.

Locations

Currently we service most of the major cities in the state of Florida and Oregon. We will also be expanding into the Mid-Atlantic. With a primary warehouse located in Washington, DC, we will be able to deliver to DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Deleware. The Mid-Atlantic will be followed by expansion into the Tri-State market of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

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Opportunities

Universal Wines & Spirits offers a friendly, rewarding and respectful environment for all of its employees. We are currently looking for experienced fine wine sales consultants to share our passion of wine and knowledge of the industry. If you are located in Florida, Oregon, or the DC Metro area, please submit a resume to sales@universalwines.net.

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