Retirement is not an option for Donald Triggs, a key player in the blossoming of Canada’s modern wine industry and co-owner of soon-to-be launched Culmina Family Estate Winery.
A native of rural Manitoba, representing the sixth generation on the family farm, Don left the nest to complete a degree in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and an MBA at Western. He started his career in Ontario doing sales and marketing with Colgate Palmolive. In 1972 he moved to John Labatt’s wine division where his experience ranged from fixing troubled sectors of winery operations to running large wine producers in Canada and abroad.
In the hope of staying in Canada with his family, Don joined Fisions PLC based in Vancouver, taking their troubled North American horticultural division from money loser to industry leader. With the 1989 North American Free Trade Agreement around the corner, Don risked everything. He joined forces with Alan Jackson and former Labatt colleagues who pooled their life savings to buy the brewer’s wine division.
Renamed Vincor International with Don as CEO, it grew to become the biggest wine enterprise in Canada and seventh largest in the world. When Constellation Brands US acquired Vincor in 2006, Don resigned and set out to build Culmina with wife Elaine as partner and daughter Sara as sales and marketing manager.
Don has lured Bordeaux-trained Pascal Madevon (formerly winemaker at Osoyoos Larose) to the promising scenario at Culmina.
Read more of the original stories celebrated in our 30th-anniversary issue.
Spaces still available for winter art classes
Registration for the Kelowna Art Gallery’s winter art class offerings for adults is now underway. Don’t miss your chance to take part in these high-quality, intimate classes that run from January through March. Those registering before January 9, 2015 will receive a...
Kelowna Rockets join Team Canada roster
Team Canada’s defense at this year's World Junior Hockey Championships has a definite Kelowna Rockets flavour with Rockets captain Madison Bowey and newly acquired D-man Josh Morrissey named to Team Canada’s entry at the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championships....
Home Free country quintet to perform in Kelowna
Minneapolis’ Home Free, last years winner of the hot NBC Sing-Off show will appear at the Kelowna Community Theatre on March 20. The country vocal quintet won the $100,000 grand prize in an a cappella vocal competition in December of 2013 and earned a recording...
Sheldon Kennedy appointed to Order of Canada
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, announced today that Sheldon Kennedy has been named a Member of the Order of Canada for “his courageous leadership in raising awareness of childhood sexual abuse and his continued efforts...
Local skiers love affair
The love affair between Silver Star and local skiers and boarders continued for the third year in a row, as it was recently announced that Silver Star Mountain Resort had won the Best of the Okanagan Readers’ Choice Award from Okanagan Life Magazine for Best Ski...
Business student looking for recipe for success
Third-year Okanagan College Business Administration student Matthew Knegt and his wife Nicole are in the throes of a real-life adventure in business development that is focused – at least for now – on the online activities of one of the world’s best-known chefs,...
