Check Out Kristi Nichols-Shopbell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi Nichols-Shopbell.

Hi Kristi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
3 North Vines was founded by my husband Nate and me in 2006 and opened its doors to the public in 2014. Nate is in the automotive industry and continues to be our weekend warrior. I was in the Life Science industry for 12 years making antibodies and protein, and I moved to working for 3 North Vines full time in 2012.

We were wine-making hobbyists with technical backgrounds and the energy to work for our dreams. In 2007 after lots of research, we purchased a property in Croswell and began to convert the soybean fields into a vineyard. At the same time, my husband and I also began renovations of the abandoned farmhouse that was on the vineyard site and started a family.

Nate and I wanted to make unique wines so we planted Niche grape varieties like a South African red grape called Pinotage, and a Spanish white grape named Albariño. Although Pinotage made amazing wines the unprecedented weather patterns in the last 10 years have made it almost impossible to keep the commercial production up. Since that time we have replated and we now grow Marquette, Traminette, Arandell, Aromella, and Pinot Noir.

After 7 years we had saved enough to expand. We purchased a building in downtown Lexington and started making beer. Our new location now offers our unique wines, beers, and a menu of original sandwiches, appetizers, and locally grown salads. As the quality of our wines is important to us so are the beers. The brewery is in Lexington where we get our water from, the grains are grown in Croswell, and the hops are from Carsonville. We are truly a family-run small business that loves the community we live and work in.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with most small businesses you have ups and downs, thankfully we have had a lot of ups. Some of our first challenges were the weather, the last 10 years’ weather patterns were much different than the previous 100 years of data we used to select our vines. Since we had to replant, we have chosen hardy vines that require less of a spry program to keep them healthy. It takes 3 to 5 years to grow a vine to produce grapes. We will have our first harvest from these vines next fall 2025.

Like many others in the service industry, we continue to struggle to find people who want to do this kind of work. The team we have now is amazing and I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with each of them. And each year we get to add a few of these amazing people to our team. Hopefully, we will continue to find people who need that summer job or want a part-time job year-round so we can continue to serve the community we love.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an entrepreneur who loves biology that is useful (like wine and beer), I am the partner of a wonderful husband, and together we bring our dreams to life. Our biggest dream was to have a family and we now have two middle school-aged boys who enjoy vineyard life.

One of the things that set me apart from others is I find my motivation in the joy of working with others. I truly enjoy working with our customers and our team, and I am proud to say that our first employee is still with us today and I hope to keep many more. I love getting a chance to work serving the products I make I love to hear the feedback it helps me make a better product the next time.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I like the Clam app to help me focus for the day, I use a paper planner because I remember things better when I write them down. I have just started using a remarkable tablet and app to replace all my paper lists that get left around.

My husband Nate turned me on to the Office Ladies podcast, and since we both love the Office I tried the podcast, and love the behind-the-scenes look at the show from 2 moms who found a way to do what they love. But I am most motivated by my kids, my husband, family, and friends (including our team and customers). The connections keep me going.

Contact Info:

• Website: 3northvines.com
• Instagram: @3northlex
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3NorthVines
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-nichols-shopbell-6b76541