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.
Spokes and Wheels of Progress
I was late for school. My new 10-speed— salvation! Throwing my math book into a plastic shopping bag, I fled breakfast to negotiate the cars, fences and cats through the alley to arrive at the 20th street stop sign; purring through it without a care. Thirteen year...
Canadian Culinary Championships 2012
“Are you looking for a fishmonger?” calls out Jon Crofts, co-owner of Kelowna’s Codfather’s fish and seafood market.
It’s the eve of the Canadian Culinary Championships and Jon has been hoping all night that the mystery wine, the feature element of the first leg of the competition, will be white—and he’s in luck. While the competitors won’t know it until 24 hours later, the bottle is an Old Vines Riesling from Chateau des Charmes in Niagara (although many mistake it for the Okanagan’s own Tantalus Riesling).
Duette Shades
Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades are the company’s most energy-efficient product and the fastest-growing innovation in the extremely popular cellular category. Uncovered windows can literally be energy holes, depleting a home of up to half of its heating and cooling energy dollars…
When Disaster Strikes
Stutters Disaster Kleenup is a case study in effective business management and corporate citizenship. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Kelowna-based company employs more than 115 people and operates from five locations …
Joining Forces
As one of the most highly respected insurance and investment planning firms in BC, the Peacock Sheridan Group (PSG) is very excited to have Rusty Bracken and his clients join the team. Rusty’s primary goal when looking to become part of an advisory firm was to find a team that would …
Western Financial Group: Knowledgeable Staff
Western Financial Group is a leader in providing insurance, financial and banking services in over 85 communities, to more than 550,000 individuals and businesses in Western Canada through its Network retail locations, its affiliated insurance brokers, Western Life Assurance Company and Bank West.
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