The winemaker as entrepreneurial marketer: an exploratory study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine, through the lens of entrepreneurial marketing theory, everyday business practices of small-scale winemakers in a challenging small wine region in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews and participant observations were utilized to elicit rich descriptions of entrepreneurial marketing efforts of six New Mexico winemakers. Findings – This article describes winemakers’ entrepreneurial marketing efforts. We find that survival drives all other entrepreneurial marketing dimensions where accounting for risk is pervasive rather than a stand-alone dimension. Knowledge gained from intense customer focus is used for new product and service innovations. The leveraging of individual and shared resources is another dimension of entrepreneurial marketing that is demonstrated in our analysis. Originality/value – As entrepreneurs stake their claim in developing small wine regions, understanding entrepreneurial marketing concepts will enable academics and practitioners to understand challenges of a business that is not only dependent on the economics but also on mother nature’s whims.