Why Oro Cru exists
Washington is one of the best wine regions in the country, but many of the people making and drinking great wine here never see themselves in the brands on the shelf. I started Kukula Wines LLC, doing business as Oro Cru, in 2023 to change that. I began by learning the business from the inside, as a licensed wholesale distributor.
What I learned
I poured with buyers and learned what moves by the glass and what sits on the shelf. I also learned how compliance works at every level of the three-tier system. That experience showed me where the real value is: owning the brand, not just moving someone else’s.
Where we’re going
Oro Cru is moving from distributor to producer. I’m in the final stages of federal licensing to produce our own wines through an alternating proprietorship, which means producing under our own permit inside an established winery. That lets us start without the cost of building a winery. Our first release is planned for spring/summer 2027: about 100 cases of two Washington red wines.
The vision
Over the next three years I plan to grow to 250–300 cases a year and build a small family of Oro Cru wines. I also want to host community events that bring together local wine, food and entertainment. The model is lean on purpose: no debt, low overhead and growth tied to real demand.
Why invest now
Your investment helps fund our first production run, packaging, and licensing. You’d be getting in on the first vintage of a Washington wine brand built from the ground up.
