Meet Eileen and Phil Gregory | Co-Proprietors Grupo La Villa del Valle

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eileen and Phil Gregory and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eileen and Phil, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I would say that the single most important factor behind our success is our unswerving dedication to providing the best service or produce we possibly can. Quality, integrity and social responsibility are the key attributes to everything we do. We are not very interested in expanding, Instead, offering a unique, personal, bespoke product we can be proud of is what motivates us.. We are very hands on with everything our group does which breeds consistency and clarity of vision. One of our goals is to continually experiment with what we offer which whilst not always financially successful, focuses the group and the perception of our company as innovative and interesting. We are forever pushing the envelope and looking for ways to be better and authentic to our core. I suppose we are unusual in that we are not motivated by seeking ever increasing financial success. Rather we are happy to be proud of what we do and passionate about using our position to help better our community. We see the group as our legacy and want to be remembered as having strived to create a better world in our own small way

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Grupo La Villa del Valle is a small, family run business located in the beautiful Guadalupe Valley in Mexico and comprised of La Villa del Valle, a boutique hotel, Vena Cava winery, Troika gastro food truck and Baja Botanica organic bath and skin care products. We opened in 2005 when the valley was largely unknown, sparsely inhabited and rarely visited. To give some context, in 2002 when we first arrived, there were 18 wineries only 5 of which did tastings and then only on weekends, one other boutique hotel and one restaurant. Today there are over 200 wineries most open daily for tastings, well over 1000 hotel rooms and approaching 200 restaurant. We were definitely among the earliest pioneers being the second bed and breakfast, the 19th winery and the second restaurant. Our goal from the outset has been to help grow a region and community dedicated to sustainable practices, excellence and innovation in all aspects of life and a fostering a love of place and the active embracing of the responsibilities all that entails. Neither my husband nor I had any experience in any of the businesses we created, he coming from the music business and me from film and television. Although we didn’t know how hotels operated ¨back of house” we were very aware of what front of house should be having traveled extensively both in our professional and personal lives. Whilst I would definitely not say any of this was easy, it always seems as though once you have an idea you are passionate about, the universe conspires to help you achieve it. Whilst so many want their home to be like a hotel, we strive for our hotel to feel like a home. Being small, we are able to offer a very personal and bespoke service. Nothing makes us happier than to help visitors make the most of their time in the Valley. Phil and I live on the property and take a very hands on approach. We dedicate much of our efforts to sustainable practices. Everything we grow is organic, our wines are natural, we have substantial vegetable gardens, have bee hives, hundreds of olive trees, lavender fields, chickens, sheep and 3 donkeys.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Restaurants in the Guadalupe Valley: Fauna, Animalon, Finca Altozano, Deckman´s, KousKous, Troika of course (our gastro food truck), Bruma Wine Garden, Lunario Restaurants in Ensenada: Muelle Tres, Manzanillo, Da Toni, Boules
Wineries: Vena Cava, Bruma, Lechuza, Finca La Carodilla, La Lomita, Cruz and Plata, Mogor Badan, Monte Xanic, Casa de Piedra, Montefiori – to name but a few
Craft Beer: Wendtland, Agua Mala
Activities: Sunset at Bar Bura in Cuatro Cuatros, zip lining also in Cuatro Cuatros, visit the Kumiai village in Nequa, whale watching, hiking, hot air balloon, sportsfishing, golf at Bajamar, shopping in Ensenada

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our success is largely due to the help, guidance and generosity of the members of the extraordinary community of the Guadalupe Valley. Without the support of people like Hugo d’Acosta, perhaps the most famous winemaker in Mexico who shared his knowledge, contacts and winery with us, Don and Tru Miller of Adobe Guadalupe who shared all their experiences and advised us on who to work with, where to source things, how to navigate living in what was then to us a foreign country, Lorena Legaspy, our hardworking, trustworthy and reliable accountant, Jose Luis Perez Rocha, our lawyer who has guided and educated us through many situations, the renowned architect Alejandro d’Acosta who designed and built our unique winery without charge for his services, Having lived and worked in several different countries I can honestly say that we have never found a place with such a deep sense of community. Never before have so many people gone out of their way to help whenever and wherever help was needed. The old saw “it takes a village” couldn’t be more true

Website: lavilladelvalle.com

Instagram: @groupolavilladelvalle, @troikavalle, @venacavavinos, @bajabotanica, @hotel_lavilladelvalle