Meet Betty Lunde | Wine Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Betty Lunde and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Betty, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I have worked in the hospitality industry in Temecula Wine Country for nearly 16 years. That’s when I rejoined the work force after taking a break to successfully raising my two children. Throughout these 16 years I have worked in almost every department, from being part of the opening crew for a now very successful winery, to server, tasting room, tours, events, wine club and being the general manager for one of them. I felt in love learning everything possible about wine, so I would tag along with the winemakers and of course bombard them with all the questions I could think of related to wine. I have to tell you, the knowledge I got was priceless, probably couldn’t get it if you took a class, it was fascinating and that’s when I began to dig deeper in the wine business, both the viticulture as well as the viniculture aspect.
Back in 2019, I had an emergency surgery that unfortunately didn’t go so well, my body went Sepsis. It was a very long and difficult time to say the least. Five days later I had an invasive surgery to attempt to combat this. They said we had to call my family to come see me. My sister from Florida and my mother from Colombia flew out, of course my spouse and my children by my side. Long story short, I was in the hospital for 25 days, I was fighting to live against all odds. I left the hospital unrecognizable with a long road ahead. But, HERE I AM! After my disability, I wasn’t able to physically go back to the job I enjoyed. I thought to myself, I need to do something because I’m not done, if I was given a second chance it’s to make the best out of me. My wheels started spinning. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

We all remember 2020, the global pandemic. At this time, I was working as the Wine Club Manager for one of the Wineries in Temecula. I was the only employee retained to work along with the 2 owners, to try and hold the fort. My job was to keep us relevant and try to retain our “bread and butter”, our members. I began thinking outside the box and be very creative. I developed weekly campaigns with our members, and I am very proud to say that I successfully retained 95% of our memberships. I guess we all found out that during the pandemic most of us became greater wine lovers, it was a time where most of us cherished and needed our vino more than ever.

During this same year is when I made the decision to start my own business doing something in the wine industry. I decided that with all the valuable experience I acquired the last 16 years, I could start a wine pairing business once we got out of the pandemic. Since there was nowhere to go during my free time, I began taking my Level I Court of Masters Sommelier course offered online. I passed that level, then I started planning out the business side for Beyond the Sip, with positive energy. I got the business license November 2020, but then they shut us down (Covid) in December.

I felt it wasn’t the right time to buy or lease anything, therefore I wouldn’t have a brick and mortar to start. One might ask, what is our model? I reached out to several wineries to see if they were interested in having Beyond the Sip bring customers to them and do my pairings there. I also reached out to Airbnb’s to see if they wanted to promote my business with their guest as this would add value to the Airbnb. This was February 2021 when the world opened again, everybody was done with COVID and the hospitality industry burst out with crowds of people flocking to the wineries, restaurants and so on. If you recall, there was a huge shortage of staffing that lasted almost a year. My idea of using my own staff was music to their ears.

Although several wineries offer wine pairings themselves, I had to be creative, I asked myself, “how am I supposed to set my business apart from them?”

Well, all our groups are exclusive and private, we don’t mix groups.
The tables are always nicely and elegantly decorated according to the occasion (birthday, team bride etc.) or to the season. Their table is my guests first impression, and we ensure that no detail is overlooked. We cater to their specific needs to personalize their experience.

Our wine staff is either a sommelier or has taken courses relevant to wine and customer service. Our wine educators will guide our guests through the pairings, they are knowledgeable about all things wine offering fascinating facts and insights.

Doing something where I could have fun and use my 5-star customer service experience as well as my extensive wine knowledge and calling it a job was a no-brainer and my motivation.

Challenges are part of life. It is how we see it that matters. My father was a very successful businessman, he taught me I should always have Plan A, B, and C. He had his own special ways of teaching me. He said I had his blood and his tenacity in me. He would tell me, “I’ll be fine if they tell me Betty drowned in the Ocean, but I can’t accept you drown in a puddle”. We have had our challenges at Beyond the Sip but nothing we couldn’t overcome and learn from.

I’m very proud of how the business is doing, but of course we always want to be busier. We are still growing Most of our groups are from 2-10 guests, but this last year we have had several corporate groups up to 40 people. Our pairings are a fantastic way of celebrating from birthdays to engagement, to retirement parties, to team building and much more.

Although we basically offer private pairings, we also have another side which is our ticketed events offered to the public, such as Blind Tastings, Guided Beer pairings and we are planning a Tequila pairing in 2024. All these events are educational and of course blended with lots of fun. Our team is made up of Wine Educators, Beer Sommelier, and a Tequila Sommelier. These events are collaborations with wineries, breweries, and restaurants.

Beyond the Sip enjoys a 5-star rating on all social media platforms, Yelp, and Google. The feedback from our guests is that when they see all 5-stars they immediately know this is who they want to book with. We had several repeat customers who bring new guests with them, that is always heartwarming.

Our long-term goal is to buy a property in wine country and have a gorgeous landscape venue for our pairings. This feels like a dream.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Of course I would show them Temecula Wine Country with under 60 wineries to choose from. And a stroll down Old Town, the historical hub of Temecula Valley with lots of fine restaurants, live music, and quaint shops.

Our itinerary would look something like this:
Day one:
Start with a wine pairing experience with Beyond the Sip at Chapin Winery, with excellent wines and a nice veranda with great vineyard views,

Wine tasting at Akash winery gorgeous, open-air patio, where you’ll find far more than beautiful views and amazing wine. It’s also the only winery with a seasonal rotation of draft beer from Akash Brewing.
End up at Bolero Winery for late lunch early dinner at their fabulous restaurant, Chef Hani is amazing.

Day two:
Start with an early 5AM hot air balloon ride over wine country.
Spend the day in old town. This charming, walkable district includes popular restaurants, charming shops, beer, and wine tasting rooms, museums, speakeasies, outdoor art, a performance theater, and a vibrant nightlife.
Breakfast at the Old Swing Cafe. Visit the shops. Beer stop at 1909 end with late lunch at Goat and Vine.

There are so many things to choose from include wine tasting, winery tour with Grapeline Tours, dining, equestrian, bicycling with Temecula e-bikes, hiking, exotic animals at Sugar Plum Zoo, spa treatments, live music, special events, visit a distillery and much more.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

A huge shoutout to all those winemakers and wine educators I had the pleasure to work with, who were so gracious and patient in teaching me, Steve, Kristine, and others. I would likewise acknowledge my husband who supported me when I decided to focus only on my business and not work for other wineries, he still believes in me and shares my vision of where I’m heading.

Website: https://beyondthesip.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthesip

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beyond-the-sip-temecula-2

Other: 48 hours advance reservations required at 951-675-3745 or info@beyondthesip.com

Image Credits
sterling media lanavmedia