Teaching Notes: Wachira Wines: crushing grapes and barriers

This case profiles the Wachira Group, founded by the case protagonist Dr Chris Wachira, a Kenyan who immigrated to the USA and turned a winemaking hobby into a self-supporting business. The case opens with a brief biography of Dr Wachira, and a summary of wine supply chains and the US wine market. This case then presents three challenges that Wachira faced and their solutions: scaling a commercial winemaking operation without extensive capital investment, securing distribution and establishing a retail outlet. The case concludes with the challenges that the Wachira Group now faces.

Depending on the questions emphasized, this case can...