Healdsburg, Calif. (November 12, 2020) — For the fifth consecutive year, North Bay Business Journal (NBBJ) honored 13 of the region’s most influential Latino Leaders in Business on October 30, 2020. Rack & Riddle is proud to announce that its Director of Operations, Agustin Ponce, is one of this year’s well-deserved honorees

Ponce has worked for Rack & Riddle for a decade, leading production operations since 2016, managing a crew of 24 cellar and production employees. A longtime fixture in the wine industry, Ponce worked his way up through the ranks of several large-scale winery cellars prior to working for Rack & Riddle. Over the last decade, he has been a steward of our custom crush winery’s significant expansion of operations — from its beginnings in Hopland, Calif. — to its most recent expansion as the region’s largest fully automated custom crush winery and bottling facility based out of Healdsburg and Alexander Valley.

A man of faith, Agustin brings devout ethics and morals into every aspect of his role at the winery. He is an honest, reliable and giving leader, always helping others to grow and learn — both on the job, and off.

Asked by NBBJ what he’s most proud of achieving in the Latino community, or what he sees as the biggest challenge, Ponce says, “The biggest challenge is being able to open doors for opportunities. We need to prove ourselves more than others, and work harder. But, once given the chance, it amazes me how far and how much we can accomplish.”

When asked where he will be in the next five years, Ponce says, “Rack and Riddle is my home, I do not see myself anywhere else but growing and adapting with the company.”

To watch a video of the NBBJ Latino Leadership Awards ceremony on YouTube, go to: https://youtu.be/mgbTOcs02W0.

Diversity in Leadership

Diversity in leadership and workforce has been the cornerstone of Rack & Riddle since its inception. The company believes in hiring a multi-dimensional workforce, and is also one of the rare wineries with a strong showing of women in key leadership roles. In praise of Ponce, Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rebecca Faust, says, “Agustin’s unique blend of business acumen and exceptional leadership ability have greatly contributed to our success at Rack & Riddle.”

Managing Partner Bruce Lundquist, added, “Agustin has been an indispensable member of the Senior Team at Rack & Riddle. His strong leadership contribution and steady guidance has allowed us to grow and stride toward the future.”

About Rack & Riddle

With three locations in Sonoma County, California, Rack & Riddle is an innovative leader in the custom crush, custom wine services marketplace. Committed to providing pristine facilities where both Rack & Riddle and client winemakers are able to craft award-winning still and sparkling wines, the facilities are bustling year-round.

Rack & Riddle offers complete grape-to-bottle and base-to-bottle production for still and sparkling wines, and private-label sparkling wine services. The installation of state-of-the-art, high-capacity still and sparkling wine production and bottling lines provides the ability to service client demands. The facilities house nearly two million gallons of stainless-steel storage and fermentation vessels, where an exceptional winemaking team produces 1.7 million cases of wine annually.