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.
UBC researchers create new method to classify dangerous sex offenders
UBC Ph.D. student Kimberly Kaseweter and Prof. Michael Woodworth share their sex offender classification report with Kelowna RCMP’s Greg Willcocks. UBC researchers have developed a new classification system that could help police solve sex crimes. Using classified...
Santa arrives to Penticton’s annual parade
Come welcome Santa to Penticton’s annual parade.
Okanagan Regional Library opens branch at UBC
Left to right: Don Nettleton, Monica Gaucher, Deborah Buszard and UBC Okanagan Chief Librarian Heather Berringer. Unique partnership brings OLR services to campus For anyone studying or working at UBC’s Okanagan campus, it just got easier to take out their favourite...
Ballet Kelowna launches new season with Autumn
Fresh from the Company’s successful Toronto and Beijing debuts, Ballet Kelowna launches its 16th season of captivating and innovative dance with Autumn, a dynamic mixed program presented at the Kelowna Community Theatre on November 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. A...
Celebrating 30 Years
The great part about anniversaries is taking time to reflect. Delving into our magazine archives, we once again came face to face with the passionate people who strengthen our communities and the creative artists who fill the Valley with art, song and laughter.
Okanagan residents win prizes for water conservation
The Okanagan WaterWise program has wrapped up its valley-wide outdoor residential water conservation campaign Make Water Work for another year with the awarding of prizes. There were three winners this year, one each in the North, Central and South Okanagan.
