Josie Boyle: A Winner in Wine
It was a balmy day in September 2019 and Josie Boyle was attending to her vineyard. She was well on her way to business-ownership, the dream of opening her own winery becoming more real each day. The grapes needed to be harvested so she could begin to explore and craft what would become her signature sparkling wine. As she plucked each fruit from the vine, she noticed small jabs of pain, but kept working. At the end of the harvesting, her partner in business and life asked what the next steps were. “Going to the hospital,” Josie calmly explained. “I’m in labor.” She was 9 months pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
Josie’s commitment to her craft is evident as she tells this story. It shows not only through her dedication to harvesting grapes during labor., but also how she speaks with such zest and excitement: Josie oozes passion for wine with every breath.
Josie, founder of Mousse Sparkling Wine Co. in Jordan, Minnesota, has been in the wine game for about 12 years. She found a winery program through the Des Moines Community college and fell in love with the trade. After graduating and working for six years in other wineries throughout Minnesota, she was ready to branch out into entrepreneurship. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she laughs. “I remember two years ago google-searching ‘how to write a business plan’ and that’s how I found WomenVenture!” Josie signed up for Small Business Essentials where she did, in fact, write that business plan, formulating her financial analysis, and setting the groundwork for what would become Mousse. “Over the six-month course, I felt supported and confident. I was able to get all of the ideas out of my head and onto paper and share them with the other women who were in the same headspace I was.”
Mousse Sparkling Wine Co. opened to the public on September 11th 2020 – and it has been nothing but bubbles and celebration. Each weekend, the winery is full of people in the tasting room, on the patio, and exploring the vineyard (with appropriate social distancing and COVID protocols, of course). Mousse serves dry and sweet sparkling white wine plus a house white and red, non-alcoholic beverages and a few appetizers. They are hoping to expand the menu as the business continues to grow. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” Josie says. “I just love that I’m working in a business that I’m passionate about, and that I really care about. It’s MY business – an investment in my family and my skills, which will all be worth it in the end.”
