Meet Penny – Vino Penny – a wholesale supplier of wine to restaurants and fine wine retailers across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven & Southern Highlands.

Penny Claiborne – Vinopenny 

Community and Background

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to the Coledale community? How did you end up here and what attracted you to this community?

I have known Kate through attending several events she has hosted both in Berry & Coledale. We have crossed paths many times over the years and I have always appreciated & admired her values. Joining Worklife in Coledale was just a natural progression which made sense when I realised I needed a different environment to work from rather than my home office.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Tell us about your work. How and when did you decide to start it, and what motivated you to take the plunge into entrepreneurship or remote work?

I worked in the wine industry as an employee for many years in the USA, Melbourne & The Maldives. After a move to the NSW South Coast (due to family being based here), I was able to establish business relationships with many small hospitality businesses across the region.

Over time it made sense for me to have more autonomy in my work, both for flexibility as a single parent, but also as a wine supplier. I wanted to be more customer focused rather than being restricted by my employers objectives. I am very much a relationship driven person so being able to meet my customers needs over the long term, rather than just sell wine, was super important to me.

At the time (2012 ), there was a real gap in more restaurant focused & knowledgeable wine reps coming to the region. Many hospitality businesses are time poor and needed a wine consultant not just a sales rep. I took the plunge and have slowly added more distributors to my tool kit, this added more relevance to my customer base, and allowed me to be a one stop shop.

Now over 14 years in, I have managed to build fabulous relationships with my customers as well as the many boutique wine producers I represent from around the world. 

What does work-life balance look like for you? How do you manage the demands of work while ensuring time for family and personal life?

Being in the wine industry there is a lot of cross over in your personal & professional life. I want to support my customers so going to their restaurants when I can, promoting them, through recommendation, socials, is very important to me. 

This can mean it’s hard to switch off and although my working hours are Mon-Fri, my customers are not operating those hours, which means I could easily work 24/7. 

I’ve realised to have time off I need to literally leave home.. camping is a big favourite, as being in nature is extremely healing & relaxing for me and if there’s no reception even better! I now also try to take a week off once a year and actually have someone cover my leave. 

In the past I haven’t done that so ended up still working on my holidays.

In your industry, what recent disruptions or transitions have had the most significant impact on your business?

Cost of living, fuel crisis, interest rate rises all have a direct impact on both my venues/customers, my suppliers and my producers. Restaurants feel it though rising costs to do business & less customers. Producers feel it through the increase to produce their wines and my distributors through increases in fuel with logistics and freight and slow payment from our customers. There are multiple impacts. What has helped through the years in the close relationships I have & the local community I have built. I feel very grateful for that.

Personal Life

Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not focused on business or family? 

I am a committed gardener… very addicted to buying plants! My partner & I bought our house in Towradgi 5 years ago and I have become obsessed with making our patch better for all, ( veges for us & a native garden for all our critters). This has meant I’m now part of a community of gardeners through the “Illawarra Edible Garden Trail” , as well as regularly attending the Bulli Crop Swap.

I love camping and so am often heading down the Coast to all the fabulous spots we have! 

I am very much a community minded person so love volunteering for landcare groups or land restoration projects… just finding the time!

How do you maintain boundaries between work and personal life? Any top tips?

I try to block time out in my calendar, so that I don’t overbook myself. 

Organise regular camping trips and book them early to make sure I do it. 

I’m very protective of my weekends so don’t offer to do events or “tastings” even on Fridays.  When I take holidays I try to go outside of my area so that I’m not popping in to see customers as I’m in the area!

Are there any books or podcasts you’ve found particularly inspiring or informative recently? Any recommendations for the WorkLife community?

I listen to podcasts all the time: Conversations on ABC, We can do hard things, Brene Brown, Ladies we need to Talk, On Being with Krita Tippett, Esther Perrel, Beautiful Misfits with Mary Portas, We used to be Journos… plus many more

Currently reading Hannah Maloney’s Why we garden – all about the reasons we garden.. a great read!

Home and Lifestyle

What is your taste like? Do you have a favourite item of furniture or object in your home? Anything that has special significance or tells a story about you?

I love the outdoors and so our house is very much geared to spending time in the outdoor covered space we have created, which looks out over the garden. 

I recently found a small family business that makes beautiful outdoor furniture. They made us  a large round table from recycled spotted gum, it’s such a wonderful solid piece of furniture to gather with friends & family…. I just love it.

I’m a fan of natural looking furnishings and interesting pieces that tell a story of a place or time… so lots of our things come from vintage shopping or treasured pieces from family that have passed. 

Most of the art/paintings  we have are from artists friends or artists from places that meant something to us. 

What do you like/appreciate about the design at WorkLife? Any favourite touches or things that make you feel at home when you are at work?

It has a very welcoming feel, both in furnishings and design. I appreciate that it doesnt have a corporate feel at all… much more relaxed. I like that it fosters collaboration & relationship building, while still allowing spaces for people to get their work done.

If you were to showcase the best of the local lifestyle to visiting friends, where would you take them and why?

I often host winemakers from other States so love to take them to Bald Hill and drive them down the Coast road ( LH Drive), to give them context for the IIllawarra. The beaches of course are amazing we have the Towradgi ocean pool down the road, or the East Corrimal beach we freqent as I have two active dogs. I love the bush walks too, Mt Keira summit, Wodi wodi track, or up to Otford. Then I love to host delicious dinners at home so I will go see Grant & his team at Harley & John seafood in Fairy Meadow ,and Miller’s Local bakehouse for the amazing bread and world famous almond croissants! It very much depends on the person I’m hosting, but we have so many amazing things happening in our region! 

Of course there are the Botanic gardens too… perfect for gentle strolls or picnics.

Productivity and Time Management

What’s your go-to productivity hack? How do you stay organised and efficient, especially with multiple responsibilities?

My google calendar… I live & die by… if it’s not in there, I don’t remember. 

I have multiple reminders and alarms to keep me on track.

Being neuro divergent, my way of functioning is all about having systems set up so I don’t have to remember things over & over. 

Visual cues are key for me, I use a blackboard wall at home, I have a white board in my bedroom to remind me of what is coming up in the week.

Having places for things also helps me keep track, so I don’t spend hours trying to find things!

Benefits of WorkLife Membership

Lastly, what’s been the most valuable aspect of being a member at WorkLife for you and your work?

I love having a space that offers collaboration, social engagement, but also respects your need to focus on work and get stuff done. Such a refreshing change from all the distractions of a home office.

 

Penny Claiborne – @vinopenny  www.vinopenny.com.au penny@vinopen.com.au