Cheers to Coledale local Andrew Rowe for taking the time to tell us about his new venture, Tuesday Cellar Co.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your business.
I'm the founder of Tuesday Cellar Co., on a mission to transform wine collecting in Australia into an inclusive and communal experience. Driven by my expat years' lessons about the value of community, I have created a space that welcomes both wine experts and novices. Tuesday Cellar Co. represents not just accessibility to fine wines, but also my firm belief in building connections through shared passions.
Tuesday Cellar Co is the first all-inclusive wine subscription and cellaring company that makes wine collecting accessible, simple and enjoyable for everyone.
For an affordable price, our industry experts select a bottle or two of wine each month for our diverse community of wine lovers (or as a gift for someone they love). Then, we put it in our cellar and store it at optimal conditions. Over time, we help them evolve their wine collection in taste and value. They can access, view and manage their cellar entirely virtually, and when they’re ready to enjoy it, have it delivered with a click.
Where did you study?
I studied a Bachelor Commerce (Marketing) at the University of Wollongong and graduated in 2007. During this time, I became Illawarra Young Business Person of the Year for leading a university business team.
What inspired you to start your own business?
Having spent 15 years in business leading teams but never owning the business, I always wanted to take on the full responsibility. I knew that I wanted to work in Sport, Travel or Food and Beverage.
It was my cousin's wedding when I came up with the idea to give him a case of wine he could store in a cellar and relive his wedding time and time again with each bottle of wine, either with his partner… or hopefully with me! I searched but no one had an easy process to give such a gift. This was when the idea first started to be formed. A way for people to buy wine to store and “Cellar a Moment” be it Weddings, Births, Father's/Mother's Day or the purchase of a house!
Best part of your job?
The interaction with the customers. I have worked with new wedding couples who set a tradition of pulling a wine from their cellar each anniversary, fathers who pull a wine each Father's Day with their grown-up kids, and parents who put a wine away on their kid's first day of school to have a something special to celebrate the milestone when they graduate.
Our community has been amazing. It's not just an online wine subscription. We meet in person and make new friends. It's been awesome.
Most challenging?
Bootstrapping (not having any external investment) a startup is brutally hard. It's managing the huge amount of ideas you have to build the business and the features to the customers with a budget you have to gradually grow.
From working with big budgets in a corporate job to scaling down to a start-up, I have had to work extremely differently and get creative on how to build the business and get exposure.
Who has helped you?
The start-up community has been tremendous. I've met some locals in Thirroul that have built start-ups in the past and provided great advice and others who have helped build our community. Parents from Coledale Public School who have been a soundboard and supported every step of the way.
Most of all, friends and family. One particular family in Woonona are the inspiration behind the brand name, Tuesday Cellar Co. Each Tuesday we would meet with them and cook dinner at our house or theirs, enjoy some wine and let the kids run amok. We called it the Tuesday Foodies Night and it was people like us and moments like what we had that we wanted the brand to appeal to, so the name naturally followed.
Highlight so far?
Seeing the first customers coming together for a community meet-up. Covid was an isolating time and some of us need something new to push us out there, meet new people and break up the weekly routine. We met on a Tuesday night and just hung out. It wasn’t about the wine, it wasn’t about how much you knew about wine, it wasn’t about how big your collection was. It was just about having a moment and meeting new people and being welcoming, which was amazing.
And finally: your favourite local way to relax?
Having hot chips from Shellys and sitting on the beach at Austinmer – rain, hail or shine. It's just a great guilty pleasure and comfort that helps unwind and forget all the stresses in life
For more information, visit the website or follow @Tuesdaycellarco Instagram and Facebook
