HEALDSBURG, Calif., August 27, 2014—Rack & Riddle Custom Wine Services, Northern California’s premier custom crush still and sparkling winemaking facility, announced today the North Bay Business Journal (NBBJ) has named Rack & Riddle a recipient of the 2014 North Bay Business Journal’s Best Places to Work Award.
The prestigious award is a competition recognizing top companies in the North Bay that are committed to retaining top talent, furthering employees’ careers and fostering innovation.
“This acknowledgement is truly an honor,” said Rebecca Faust, Rack & Riddle’s co-owner. “Our employees have vaulted Rack & Riddle to its status as the leading custom crush company in Northern California in just seven short years.”
Of the 88 companies honored, Rack & Riddle scored 4.66 out of 5 available points, ranking 22nd overall in the category of companies with 15 to 50 employees. Rack & Riddle stood out because not only does the company promote from within, but also more than 70 percent of its upper management are women or other minorities.
A tight-knit group of 50-plus employees have helped Rack & Riddle achieve unprecedented growth since its founding in 2007—throughout a transition in the past year to two new facilities in Sonoma County, the company has grown more than 40 percent.
“We are building a group of employees whose work ethic, loyalty and positive outlooks have directly resulted in our success,” said co-owner Bruce Lundquist. “Our employees are the fuel that powers the R&R engine—we are very lucky to have them.”
Rack & Riddle places an emphasis on cultivating teamwork and open communication across its business units, supporting work-life balance with flexible schedules, and rewarding employees with merit-based promotions, yearly bonuses, and quarterly employee gatherings and birthday celebrations.
From Rack & Riddle’s start—as blueprints were drafted and ground broke for its first facility in Hopland in 2007—it was of utmost importance that Rack & Riddle was built with its client winemakers in mind. True to Rack & Riddle’s way of operating and treating each other as family, the initial team members were an integral part in the founding and design of Rack & Riddle’s winemaking facility. That tradition of teamwork, and placing value on each team member’s opinion, stands true today.
In just nine months’ time over the past year, Rack & Riddle expanded its footprint to 120,000 square feet via its new locations in Alexander Valley and Healdsburg. Truly a combined effort, the successful transition and expansion involved the input and teamwork of employees at all levels.
Rack & Riddle anticipates significant growth through its expansion and increased production capabilities. As a result of the Alexander Valley expansion, 15 new jobs were created at Rack & Riddle and additional new jobs are currently being created.
Demand for Rack & Riddle’s services continues to grow. Production in 2011 increased from 700,000 cases a year to 850,000 cases the following year. In 2013, the company produced more than 1 million cases of wine on behalf of its winemaking clients. Rack & Riddle was founded in 2007 with just eight employees and today has over 50 employees.
“Our successful transition was made possible by a team who truly enjoys and takes pride in their work,” said Faust. “We are excited to call Sonoma County our new headquarters, and we look forward to building a positive presence that gives back to the community.”
ABOUT RACK & RIDDLE CUSTOM WINE SERVICES:
With a recent expansion to two new locations in Sonoma County, Rack & Riddle is proudly committed to providing pristine facilities where winemakers craft both still and sparkling wines. Rack & Riddle offers complete grape-to-bottle, base-to-bottle, and shiner programs for private labels, and houses nearly 2 million gallons of stainless steel storage and fermentation vessels. An exceptional winemaking team produces over 1 million cases of wine annually. For more information, please visit www.rackandriddle.com.
