Wildcat Creek Winery

What Wildcat Creek Winery does

Wildcat Creek Winery is a small craft winery and tasting-room operator headquartered at 3233 East 200 North in Lafayette, Indiana, founded in 2008 by Rick and Kathy Black. Operating under the legal entity Nyssa Wines, LLC, the company produces handcrafted wines using locally sourced grapes and time-honored techniques, with a portfolio spanning bold reds, crisp whites, rosés, semi-dry and semi-sweet wines, fruit wines, and seasonal specialties. A single physical tasting room serves as the primary customer touchpoint, offering guided 5-wine tastings for $7, by-the-glass and by-the-bottle consumption, and a slate of recurring events. Leadership transitioned in 2025 when Nyssa Craton, a Purdue Food Science graduate who had served as Assistant Winemaker since 2013, acquired full ownership and was recognized as a Greater Lafayette 10 Under 40 Award winner.

The company operates three revenue streams: direct tasting-room sales, e-commerce shipping to Indiana and 37 other states via the Vinoshipper compliance platform with a 3-bottle minimum, and two wine club subscriptions delivering 6 curated bottles quarterly at $95-120 per shipment with no enrollment fee and cancel-anytime terms. A fourth experiential revenue layer is built on weekly Wednesday Happy Hour ($5/glass), Friday Wine After Work, Saturday Beats Bites & Bottles, $30 paint nights hosted with Painting with a Twist, the Wines & Wheels Car Show benefiting United Way, and private event bookings for groups of 10 or more. Pricing is positioned broadly accessible under the published motto "Wine For Everyone!", and the customer base is segmented across local Lafayette/Tippecanoe community members, regional walk-ins, group/corporate bookings, and wine club members nationwide.

The operational technology stack is vendor-orchestrated rather than proprietary: Commerce7 handles POS, wine club management, and e-commerce; Fullsteam processes payments under PCI-DSS; Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform host services; UPS and FedEx provide adult-signature delivery; and Google Analytics tracks site traffic. Compliance posture covers CCPA, GDPR, and COPPA. The company holds no patents, has no subsidiaries, and reports no external funding, M&A activity, or institutional shareholders. Competitive differentiation rests on Indiana Artisan membership, multiple regional wine awards, Nyssa Craton's winemaking expertise and Purdue networks, and integration into Greater Lafayette's local nonprofit and event ecosystem.

Name

Wildcat Creek Winery

Legal name

Nyssa Wines, LLC

Website

https://wildcatcreekwinery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wildcat Creek Winery is a small craft winery in Lafayette, Indiana, producing handcrafted wines and operating a tasting room, an e-commerce store shipping to 38 states via Vinoshipper, and two quarterly wine club subscriptions serving individual wine enthusiasts and the local community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Winemaking

NAICS

Wineries (312130)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Handcrafted wine production
• Wine tasting room
• Wine club subscription
• Local winery
• Winery event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Sales of handcrafted wines through the tasting room for on-site consumption (by the glass or bottle) and online orders shipped to 38 states. Wineries ship minimum 3 bottles per order.
2. Wine Club Subscriptions: Quarterly wine club shipments featuring 6 curated bottles delivered to members' doors. Club shipments charged 5 days before release date. Members can customize their shipments and swap wines. Cost ranges from $95-120 per shipment before taxes and shipping.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticketed events such as wine glass paint nights ($30 per person), workshops, and private event bookings. Some events feature third-party vendors (food trucks, artisans) generating additional traffic.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wildcat Creek Winery is a craft winery that produces handcrafted wines from locally sourced grapes, including bold reds, crisp whites, rosés, fruit wines, and seasonal specialties. The winery sells its wines through a tasting room in Lafayette, Indiana, an online store shipping to 38 states via Vinoshipper, and two quarterly wine club subscriptions. Recurring events such as Happy Hour, Wine After Work, Beats Bites & Bottles, paint nights, and a charity car show drive on-site traffic and community engagement.

Product overview

Wildcat Creek Winery operates as a small Midwestern winery offering handcrafted wines made from locally sourced grapes. The business is organized around three core offerings: wine production and sales through an online store with shipping to 38 states, on-site tastings and hospitality at their Lafayette, Indiana tasting room, and two wine club subscription memberships with quarterly deliveries. The product portfolio centers on the handcrafted wines themselves (reds, whites, rosés, fruit wines, and seasonal specialties) supplemented by experiential add-ons including weekly events (Happy Hour, Wine After Work, Beats Bites & Bottles), art classes (paint nights), car shows, and private event hosting. The winery operates under parent company Nyssa Wines, LLC and was founded in 2008 by Rick and Kathy Black, with current ownership assumed by Nyssa Craton in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Handcrafted Wines Award-winning wines crafted from locally sourced grapes using time-honored techniques, including bold reds, crisp whites, rosés, fruit wines, dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and seasonal specialty varieties. Sold by the bottle and by the glass to individual consumers.
• Wine Tastings Guided in-person tastings of 5 wines for $7 per person at the tasting bar in the Lafayette, Indiana tasting room. Available during regular business hours with no reservation required for groups under 10.
• Wine Club Memberships Two subscription wine clubs delivering 6 curated bottles quarterly, with no enrollment fee and cancel-anytime flexibility. Members can customize and swap wines. Pricing ranges $95–120 per shipment before taxes and shipping.
• Online Wine Store (Shipping) E-commerce channel selling handcrafted wines shipped to Indiana and 37 other states via Vinoshipper. Minimum 3 bottles per order with temperature restrictions (no shipping above 90°F or below 40°F).
• Private Event Hosting Reserved experiences and private event hosting for groups of 10 or more, including birthday parties, anniversaries, and corporate outings. Reservations required one week in advance.
• Wine Glass Paint Night Ticketed art class event in collaboration with Painting with a Twist where guests create custom painted wine glasses. Tickets priced at $30 per person with all supplies and instruction included; optional wooden coaster painting available for $5 additional.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• VinoshippercoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party shipping platform used to fulfill online wine orders. Ships Wildcat Creek wines to Indiana and 37 other states. Handles compliance with alcohol shipping regulations.
• FullsteamcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor used for handling customer transactions. Adheres to PCI-DSS standards for secure payment handling.
• Commerce7coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud-based commerce platform used for POS, wine club management, and e-commerce functionality.
• Microsoft AzuresupportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider for hosting the winery's service and storing customer data.
• Google Cloud PlatformsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud services provider for hosting and data storage.
• United WayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Wines & Wheels Car Show benefiting United Way. Accepts donations via voting buckets at car show event.
• Indiana ArtisanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketing and recognition program for Indiana's finest artisan food and art producers. Provides brand legitimacy and marketing visibility.
• Travelin' LightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive music performer featured at various Beats Bites & Bottles events. Entertainers drive event attendance and customer engagement.
• Molter Bros.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive music duo performing at Wine After Work events. Helps create atmosphere for weekend events.
• EMT Food TruckminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood truck vendor serving events. Provides food offerings that complement wine sales and enhance event experience.
• Rollin' in the DoughminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood truck vendor featured at various weekend events. Regular partner providing food offerings.
• Black Dog BBQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood truck vendor serving BBQ at weekend events.
• Greater Lafayette Young ProfessionalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization that awarded owner Nyssa Craton the 10 Under 40 Award, providing recognition and community visibility.
• Google AnalyticssupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics service for tracking and monitoring website traffic and customer behavior.
• Fair Oaks DairyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Indiana dairy that provides cheese products sold at the winery for pairing with wines. Supports local business collaboration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chateau Thomas Winery: Indiana winery operating tasting rooms in Indianapolis and Lafayette with DTC and wine club offerings. Direct local competitor serving overlapping Lafayette-area consumer base with comparable handcrafted positioning.
• Traders Point Winery: Indiana estate winery near Indianapolis offering tastings, wine club subscriptions, and event programming. Closely comparable DTC + tasting-room + events model in the same Indiana market.
• St. James Winery: Missouri-based craft winery operating tasting rooms plus a nationally distributed wine club and DTC e-commerce. Closest Midwestern analogue in business model — small-batch craft wines, multiple-club subscription tiers, and broad shipping footprint.
• Brown County Winery: Indiana winery in Nashville, IN operating tasting room, wine club, and live music events with DTC sales. Closely comparable experiential DTC model with strong event programming like Wildcat Creek's.
• Huber's Orchard & Winery: Indiana orchard and winery (Starlight, IN) combining fruit wines, estate vineyard, tasting room, and DTC sales. Multi-generational Indiana craft producer with overlapping wine club and tasting-room experience.
• French Lick Winery: Southern Indiana winery with tasting room, wine club, and event-driven DTC model. Operates in the same Indiana artisan craft segment with comparable shipping and subscription offerings.
• Oliver Winery: Indiana's largest winery based in Bloomington, also operating DTC, tasting room, and wine club models from Indiana. Most directly comparable peer in the same geography with overlapping customer base and similar award-driven positioning.
• Easley Winery: Indianapolis-based Indiana winery with tasting room, wine club, and event programming. Comparable craft winery operating DTC, events, and subscription models in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WCWinery
• Facebookfacebook.com/WildcatCreekWinery
• Instagraminstagram.com/wcwinery
• TikToktiktok.com/@wildcatcreekwinery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildcat-creek-winery

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wildcat Creek Winery