LaBelle Winery Named Woman-Owned Business of the Year...TWICE!

Press release from Labelle Winery:

We are thrilled to announce that LaBelle Winery has been named Woman Owned Business of the Year in New Hampshire & in the New England Region by the U.S. Small Business Administration! Each year, Small Business Administration (SBA) of New Hampshire receives nominations for this award, which are scrutinized by a panel of judges from across the state. The winning business goes on to compete at the regional level, against other New England woman owned businesses. Nominated by the Center for Women’s Business Advancement at Southern New Hampshire University, LaBelle Winery – owned by Amy LaBelle – won both the state and regional awards for 2013.

In considering LaBelle Winery for this prestigious award, the SBA weighed many factors, including the Winery’s recent significant growth in opening its new facility (which resulted in a sixfold increase in staff), the innovation of its products, and its generous contributions to community-oriented causes & organizations. “We had good, strong contenders this year,” said SBA of New Hampshire Lead Economic Development Specialist Marilyn Bogue. “It was closer than I thought it was going to be.”

But there was no more convincing factor than the passion & commitment of the Winery’s founder and winemaker, Amy LaBelle. Overcoming obstacles both practical (where and how to increase production to meet ever-growing demand) and personal (being the only female winemaker in the state at the Winery’s inception, while raising a family and holding a job at Fidelity), Amy has successfully steered LaBelle Winery into becoming a major player in the winemaking community in the Northeastern United States as well as internationally.

“It’s very gratifying to receive this affirmation of our many years of effort, both from professional associations like the SBA and from our fiercely loyal customers,” said LaBelle. “There are so many smart, successful businesses in New Hampshire and the region that are determined to give back to their community. We count ourselves lucky to be among them.”

Past winners of the New Hampshire Woman-Owned Business of the Year award include Millennium Integrated Marketing (Linda Fanaras), Café Indigo (Patricia Dann) and Chrisrial & Co. Fine Jewelry (Christine Jackson and Airial Sillantaa). The 2013 honorees will be recognized at a reception & awards presentation ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire on Wednesday, May 22nd.