Vogt family shares love of Saint Mary’s and, of course, making wine
Vicky Vogt B’08 came to Saint Mary’s with a dream of starting a winery and bringing her family closer together. As long-time farmers in Spring Valley, Minn., she and her husband knew more than a little about growing more traditional southeastern Minnesota regional crops, but Vicky Vogt knew they had to expand. Her four daughters could potentially be enticed back home by wine, but soybeans and corn weren’t going to cut it.
As for the business prowess she’d need to start up her new entrepreneurial endeavor, her daughters will tell you their mom already had the necessary determination, brains, and skills. She’d run a number of businesses throughout her life including a successful upholstery business, and she’d advised a youth leadership organization.
What Vicky Vogt wanted was a degree. Her daughter Justine Vogt B’08 explains that her mother had started her bachelor’s degree in education in the 1970s, with the dream of being a band teacher, but marriage and children put that dream — and degree — on hold.
“She always talked about wanting to finish her degree,” Justine Vogt said, adding that, coincidentally, she had nearly completed a degree in interior decorating, and she was determined to finish earning her bachelor’s as well. They found Saint Mary’s, which at the time offered night classes in Rochester, so mother and daughter decided to complete their degrees together.
“We took all of our classes together for about a year and a half, and we both graduated with marketing degrees, and it was the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life, being able to have a study buddy built right into my house,” Justine Vogt said. “There were a lot of nontraditional students. I feel like it was our place, and we fit right in there. We loved the teachers, we loved everything about the whole program. It was set up so we could work during the day and go to classes at night. It was a very cool experience.”
The two were already familiar with Saint Mary’s as Justine’s older sister, Dr. Erin (Vogt) Stromberg B’01, had the traditional undergraduate four-year experience on the Winona Campus from 1997 to 2001. “I loved the campus. It was pretty and it was small, which I liked too coming from a small school,” Dr. Erin (Vogt) Stromberg said. “I was close enough where I could go home if I wanted to. I was in volleyball my first year, and I was a biology major. Dr. (Jeanne) Minnerath helped me with my thesis. And I remember Dr. (Dick) Kowles.”
Following graduation, Stromberg worked at Mayo Clinic for a couple of years in the microbiology department before becoming an optometrist. She now owns her practice in Virginia.
For her capstone project at Saint Mary’s, Vicky Vogt wrote an in-depth business plan (about 40 pages in total) for what would become Four Daughters winery in Spring Valley, Minn. Her daughters say — no surprise to them — she went above and beyond classroom expectations, talking to business entrepreneurship advisors from SCORE in Rochester. Her eldest daughter, Shawn Vogt Sween, said, “Years later, I served on a foundation board with members of that SCORE committee who initially met with her, and they said, ‘Your mother came in and blew us away.’ We said, ‘You’re too far advanced; we can’t help you.’ So they told me they weren’t surprised that her business was successful.”
“I did get an ‘A,’ ” Vicky Vogt said with a laugh. It was that very business plan she used to take to the bank. “It’s fun to look back at the original plan and what we were expecting and what we didn’t expect to happen.”
In five years, the winery went from being just opened (in 2011) to the largest winery in Minnesota. Now fifth largest in the state, their products have graced events such as the Country Music Awards after-parties and the Sundance Film Festival and have been featured in the fridge of the popular TV show, “The Big Bang Theory.”
And Vicky Vogt was indeed successful in getting several daughters to move back to Minnesota and get involved in the family business. Justine Vogt is the event manager; she handles private and ticketed events and weddings. Another daughter, Kristin Osborne, is the marketing director, and Shawn Vogt Sween does the legal work for the winery; Shawn Vogt Sween’s son, Rowan Sween, also helps out with the family business, and is attending Saint Mary’s this fall. Husbands are also deeply involved.
“Growing grapes made sense, and making wine was fun, and I thought that was something people would enjoy and move home for,” Vicky Vogt said.
“We’re still working on Erin,” Shawn Vogt Sween said. “We just travel to Erin to get our eyes checked.”
“I like going to visit and drinking the wine, but not working there. I just want to enjoy it, and not work,” Dr. Erin (Vogt) Stromberg responded with a laugh.
Vicky Vogt couldn’t have guessed in her original business plan, which included a small kitchen and maybe serving some paninis, would grow into a full kitchen and full restaurant, as well as an event center and tasting room. And turns out wine is just the beginning.
“In addition to wine, we have Loon Juice which is a hard cider. I believe our cidery is the largest in the state,” Justine Vogt said. “We also make bourbon. Anyone not familiar with it, it is the holy grail of alcohol in the U.S. It can only be made in the U.S., like champagne can only come from France. It has been very successful. My other sisters can attest that it is delicious. Our business model is, like Disney, we want to be not just a destination, we want to be a full experience, with music, food, wine, and an atmosphere for people to come and relax and get out of their other world.”
The sisters describe an annual lobster boil, and 10-course dinners, yet also a place where kids are always welcome. It’s a place where elegant formalwear can be worn, but farmers can also come in fresh from the field. “Everyone is welcome, no judgement,” Justine Vogt said. “We want to make it a place where people come and stay. Not come and get their check and leave,” Shawn Vogt Sween added. “We encourage lingering.”
Huge Disney World fans, they recall being on a cruise, where all of the staff lined up when they walked in and cheered and gave out high fives and waved at them as they entered the boat. “We did that for an event, and we found that our guests were just delighted. And at first they were a little surprised when the first staff member greeted them, but by the 10th, they were all into it, ready to high five and ready to have a good time. And that’s what we want people to experience when they come to feel like they’re one of us and important,” Justine Vogt said, adding that little things like a personalized place card make all the difference.
When Rowan Sween visited campus and saw his name on one of the parking signs, they noticed. “I visited three of our schools, and I loved the Saint Mary’s campus; it was so pretty,” he said. “I am throwing for track and field, so that was a determining factor. After meeting with the coach and getting a tour, I decided on Saint Mary’s. They also offer all the programs I want to study: business management and communications.”
Rowan Sween is planning to apply to law school after he graduates. If the two generations before him are any indication, Saint Mary’s may help his dreams come true as well.
“We’re excited that he is going to Saint Mary’s,” Vicky Vogt said. “We had a great experience and we thought it would be great for him too.”
