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“I grew up watching my mother and my grandmother make wine. I always carried that with me.”-Sonya Trent-Pellom, owner, Exquisite Wines and Cigars
Sonya Trent-Pellom’s grandfather taught her how to work. Though he ran his own sort of business—he was a bootlegger during Prohibition—it was his deep work ethic as a homebuilder and mill worker that stands out. “Your work is an extension of who you are,” he’d tell her.
Today, the 51-year-old Ohio University graduate is the owner of Exquisite Wine & Cigars, an online wine, cigar, coffee and tea retailer and event consulting company. She points to her grandfather for piquing her interest in entrepreneurship.
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Her love for the finer things? That came from her grandmother and mother. Trent-Pellom’s grandmother taught her the importance of appearance at an early age. Even though she spent her younger years in the rural town of Bloomingburg, Ohio—”My high school was literally in the middle of a corn field,” she says, being a tomboy was unacceptable.
“She always told us, ‘You never know who you’re going to meet,’ ” Trent-Pellom says. Wine came culturally, too. “I grew up watching my mother and my grandmother make wine,” she says.
A business takes shape
Trent-Pellom started Exquisite Wines & Cigars in 2013 as a distribution business. “I loved meeting new people and going to different places, to different wineries,” she says.
And then she hit a niche: private parties. From law firms to homebuilders, the clients kept calling. When companies needed gifts for executives or planned luxury home tours, Exquisite stepped in and created custom, high-end experiences.
With hand-selected wines at the bar, Macanudo handmades at a cigar table, someone to cut cigars for guests, and menu pairings, Exquisite events started gaining traction.
“Some of your clients are your clients because they love you and what you provide,” she says. “You provide a good vibe, and people will be attracted to that.”
Phyllis Jensen met Trent-Pellom at a networking event about six years ago. They hit it off and, since then, Jensen, who works as a new home consultant for M/I Homes, has hired Exquisite Wines for multiple events and specialty gifts. “Sonya has been a pleasure to work with,” says Jensen.
Not only did her clients love the wine Trent-Pellom provided, Jensen says, “She would give them information on how to choose a wine, and offer some of her knowledge of what goes well with what, if you’re new to wine.”
She loved sharing that knowledge, and Trent-Pellom, who’s now training to become a sommelier, also felt a deeper mission: to share her understanding of wine and the finer points of culture with the Black community.
“Wine has never been a part of the urban setting and culture,” she says. “Everybody drank moscato, of course, and acceptable wines that didn’t require a great palate.” What about malbecs and merlots?
Also, of the country’s racial injustice, Trent-Pellom adds, “With all of the things being uncovered, we have gotten away from seeing the beauty. We have some of the best wineries in Africa, South Africa specifically, and it was important for me to share that part of our culture.”
Entering new territory
Trent-Pellom starts each day at 4:30 a.m. “I’m a Virgo, so I’m high-energy,” she says. “I’ve always been an early riser.” Still, coffee was never a part of her routine until recently.
“During the pandemic, [private events] snuffed out,” she says. “Everyone is very regulated and guarded.” With that element of the business having evaporated, Exquisite needed a new focus.
In March, a friend from Georgia called. Her partner had just backed out of an investment in a coffee and tea company, and would Trent-Pellom be interested. She took a risk.
Exquisite now offers 21 gourmet coffee flavors and 13 types of loose-leaf tea. They also retail for Zalto—luxury, handmade German stemware and wine glasses—and Monin syrups.
Future plans include a brick-and-mortar store. Her dream is the space would also offer free art classes for children led by local artists.
Trent-Pellom still hears her grandmother in herself today. “I tell people, Don’t wear raggedy leggings in my house,” she says, “Wear something nice.” That interest in fashion, she thinks, will be the next focus, especially on attire for women over 40.
But looking back on seven years, what Trent-Pellom says she’s most proud of is building something solid. “When I’m gone, my daughter can run it with no problem.”
Virginia Brown is a freelance writer.
December 02, 2020 at 12:12PM
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Exquisite Wine and Cigars finds niche offering indulgences - Columbus CEO
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