Josh Hackler, '08
Josh Hackler, '08, had an interest in wine and Spanish culture at an early age. Now at the ripe old age of 24, Josh knows more about wine than many people twice his age, and he is the president and founder of his own company, Spanish Vines.
Josh started the company to introduce the United States to the most affordable and quality-driven Spanish wines strongly influenced by the culture of Spain. What makes Josh and his business unique is that he sought out the University because of the reputation of the Moore School of Business, and it was a program within the school that helped him start his company while he was still a student.
Getting Down to Business
Born in Myrtle Beach, Josh came from a family of entrepreneurs and individuals determined to make their own success story. His grandparents on his mother’s side were Albanian immigrants who came to Ellis Island in New York in their teens. His grandfather was a general in the Air Force and that side of the family was involved with golf courses and hospitality in Myrtle Beach. His father had started his own restaurant, which he ran for more than 25 years.
“I grew up working in a restaurant,” Josh says. “I had the opportunity to learn about Spanish culture at an early age. My first introduction was when I was 14. I went to France with my family, and we drove to Spain. I thought it was incredible! I always said I would come back there one day to study, so I did.”
Josh started his collegiate career at Rollins College in Florida, but after two years he decided he wanted to carve his own way in the business world and wanted to attend a school with a more renowned business school.
“The University of South Carolina was known for its business school and the international business program, so I studied in Spain for about six months and then transferred to South Carolina,” Josh explains. “I wanted to go to a really great business school and try to map out my business plan.”
Josh’s time on the Carolina campus wasn’t like that of your typical student. Driven to make his business plan succeed, his best memories of Carolina revolve around his professors, guest speakers and the great diversity of international students.
“I went there to really get focused on my business career,” Josh says. “I started Spanish Vines my junior year. So I was very involved in getting my business started when I was a student. I really enjoyed a lot of the different high-profile speakers coming into the business school. I also enjoyed getting to know my professors and the diversity of the international students. I made a lot of friends on campus that I still have today.”
Josh was thankful for great support from several professors and instructors in developing his plans.
“I developed a phenomenal relationship with Dr. Greg Niehaus, Dean Kress and Dr. Bill Sandberg,” Josh recalls. “This is where I started Spanish Vines. I spent time with Mr. Kress and Dr. Sandberg week after week to map out the business plan.”
The Moore School’s Student Incubator Program was instrumental in putting this business plan into motion.
“I developed a phenomenal relationship with Joel Stephenson at the USC Columbia Technology Incubator,” Josh says. “This is a great program for students to take a business idea. The best time to start a company is as a student because of all the resources that are available. The Incubator allows you to do the research and testing with the ability to use any and all resources of the University, while also giving you the opportunity to get investors.”
From Student to Boss
Josh completed his degree in international business, global supply chain operations management, and risk management and insurance along with a minor in Spanish in 2008. Currently residing in New York City, being the president and founder of his own company keeps him on the road quite a bit with everything from trade shows, wine expos, business reviews, working with sales representatives and going on sales calls to make retail deals happen.
“I will travel about 2,000 miles this week,” Josh said in a recent interview. “I’ve had my car for 15 months and put 70,000 miles on it. There are lots of dinners, tastings and events, sales calls. I enjoy it. Northern Virginia is a really cool area, and I love New York too. I also love going to Charleston. It’s always great to get back there.”
During a short conversation with Josh, he will always come back to his appreciation of the University and the professors and instructors at the Moore School who helped him reach his goal. At a time when jobs can be hard to find, he says your college days can a great time to try to start a business.
“It depends on how you can leverage your environment or your University,” Josh says. “Ultimately it has to do with the concept and your work ethic, and that will drive your success and whether the company will grow. If you’re a student you can come up with a concept, and try to start a business. It allows you to develop skills. If you fail, you’re still young, and you can still take that experience to a future employer based on what you learned. I tell people to start a business in college because you have nothing to lose.”
Josh also encourages young people to go abroad and experience new cultures and new ways of thinking in order to “push your brain into new directions.”
“When I was living in Spain, I had an interest in learning more about Spanish wines and pushing the limits on learning another culture,” Josh says. “I realized there was so much growth potential in that country. Diversity and value are the two words I always return to when it came to Spanish wine. There’s going to be so much growth over there, so I developed the idea of sharing its flavors and culture with the U.S. We find wines from both well-known and esoteric regions throughout Spain and share them. From that brand, we are trying to push a lot of great things about Spain to the public.”
Josh writes a blog about Spanish wines, cuisine and culture every week. One of his goals is to capitalize on a broad distribution market and price points. Currently, wines in his portfolio can be found across 9 states (TN, GA, SC, NC, SC, VA, NV, NY, NJ) in retailers such as Harris Teeter, Kroger, Whole Foods, World Market, The Fresh Market, Lowes Foods, Greens, and many specialty wine shops and restaurants. Their priority is to secure Florida and Texas distribution this year and also to break into the Publix chain.
“Cinco Joses and Spanish Vines are two of the top-selling Spanish table wine brands in the southeast, and we need to be in Publix,” Josh says with conviction.
While you don’t typically see someone so young in his position in this industry, Josh says earning respect is a challenge for anyone in any business. The respect has certainly been earned as he has received acclaim for his efforts and was a finalist for Business Week’s Best U.S. Entrepreneurs, 25 and under, in 2008. He was also featured in this past October’s issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.
While the recognition is good for business and establishing credibility, Josh says the best part about his job is choosing a wine and having consumer demand.
“When I can take a wine and taste it for first time in Spain and then have someone else love it, that brings a lot of satisfaction,” Josh says.
Back to Carolina
Josh gets back to campus often, for business and pleasure. In fact, he does all of his marketing and media efforts through the Columbia-based Mad Monkey Inc., which also has founders who are Carolina graduates.
As the weather turns warm again this spring, Josh will be back on campus participating in the Carolina Alumni Association’s May Carolina Alumni weekend, where he will talk about and show a few of the wines. A full schedule of May Carolina Alumni Weekend events will be posted soon at www.MyCarolina.org/MayCarolina.