Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Murray.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My parents instilled a love of travel and community in me at an early age. I attended the University of North Florida and studied Public Relations with the long term goal of obtaining a job that really incorporated both these passions.
Shortly after I left for college, my family bought a 20-acre farm & took up a new hobby, winemaking. Their teacher was a close family friend who happened to be a very talented vinter (now our on staff wine master). I obtained my PR Degree and shortly after started traveling and moving to different states to advance my career with Hyatt Hotels. My six years working in the hospitality industry helped me learn and grow especially when it came to food, wine, & event planning.
My parents flew out to visit me in Southern California. We visited many different wineries in Temecula. We joked about opening one on our farm (joke was on us). Shortly after their visit, my parents told me about a new agritourism statue that was going to be passed in Florida to help small farms become tourist destinations. and that sealed our fate. We decided that we would take advantage of the farm they purchased and develop it into a really cool place. Over the next two years, we wrote a business plans, drew up plans for a luxury pole barn and I moved back to Florida to make our vision a reality. We worked hard to put personalized touches on every part of the business from the wine labels to the antiques we chose for the storefront. We opened our doors on November 9, 2019. The farm is 32 acres and has 4.5 acres of muscadine vines planted to start producing from the land in about 2-3 years. We currently offer six different flavors of wine with different sweetness levels.
We named it Secret Gardens because of my mother and I’s shared love of the book. We drew inspiration for our plans and in the next phase of plans, we intend to build a secret garden on the property.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was an uphill battle for sure. We ran into some obstacles with licensing due to the government shutdown back in January 2019. We also had some delays in building due to hurricanes, but ultimately we are beyond excited with the outcome. Just like fine wine, some things just need time.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Secret Gardens Winery & Farm story. Tell us more about the business.
Secret Gardens Winery & Farm is a destination winery. We pride ourselves in really creating a relaxing space for people to come enjoy views of the Central Florida countryside. We produce all our wines on property and use as much Florida fruit as possible. Muscadine wines are commonly perceived as overly sweet and our vinter and my family have worked hard to perfect a semi-sweet recipe. We currently have three muscadine wines and four fruit wines and getting ready to add a muscadine/fruit blend called “Florida Sunrise” which is a Raspberry Rosé and one of our sweeter wines. Our most popular wine is our blueberry and we are really proud of it. We were able to secure fresh blueberries from a local farmer and his daughter, a graphic design artist, was able to create a stunning label for us. Even though we have only been open for five months, we have many people who return to enjoy their favorite glass of wine or a freshly made sangria.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The wine and farm industry has been evolving and will continue to evolve. We can only hope that the fruit stays plentiful and the wine keeps flowing for our business.
Hopes for the future
Our barn doubles as event space. It has temperature-controlled indoor banquet space in modern farmhouse style and a large covered patio that is perfect for hosting events. We hope in the future to host many events and be able to provide the wine for these events.
We also enjoy planning fun events for the community. We have hosted family-friendly sip n shops with local craft and food vendors. We have had live music and drink specials. We also like to host Wine Down Wednesdays with a local food truck, music, and games.
Another thing we are working towards e-commerce & shipping and maybe even mobile wine bars. I think the mobile wine trucks are going to become a thing and a trend I hope to participate in.
Pricing:
- Hammock Time White Muscadine Wine-$13.99
- Bee Mine Red Muscadine Wine-$13.99
- Bee Mine Red Dry Muscadine-$14.99
- Blush It off Semi Sweet Blush Wine-$14.99
- Strawberry Kiss Strawberry Wine-$15.99
- On Cloud Nine Elderberry Wine-$17.99
- Feeling Fine Blackberry Wine-$17.99
- Something Blue Blueberry Wine-$17.99
- 10% of 12 bottles (A case)
Contact Info:
- Address: 8222 West Josephine Rd
Sebring, FL 33875 - Website: www.secretgardenswinery.com
- Phone: 863.835.0011
- Email: amurray@secretgardenswinery.com
- Instagram: @SecretGardensSebring
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/secretgardenssebring
Image Credit:
Taylor Bittner
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