Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery

What Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery does

Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery was a family-owned estate winery located in Madrid, Iowa, founded in 2005 by the Larson family on land originally homesteaded by Swedish immigrants in 1878. The winery produced 14 distinct wines from estate-grown American and French-American hybrid grape varieties (including Edelweiss, Frontenac, Marechal Foch, and Elvira) chosen for their suitability to Iowa's moraine soils and continental climate. Products spanned dry and off-dry whites, rosés, dessert wines, and dry reds, with several wines earning regional recognition (e.g., Spinna — Iowa State Fair Best of Show 2016; Blushing Claire — Dick Peterson Best Iowa Appellation Award 2014; Edelweiss — Iowa's Best Wine, Mid-American Wine Competition 2008).

The business monetized through three primary streams: direct wine sales at the on-site tasting room (Thursday–Sunday), retail distribution to outlets across central Iowa, and event-based revenue from live music weekends, food trucks, Creative Spirits painting classes ($35–$40/person), BOM Fitness wine workouts ($15/person), trivia nights, and Locally Grown Showcase admissions. Distribution was augmented by a HIRTA public transit shuttle partnership providing $10 round-trip service from Ames. Marketing relied on a Facebook page, email newsletter signups, and co-marketing through the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail. Customers were exclusively individual consumers; no enterprise or wholesale anchor accounts were disclosed.

After 16.5 years of family operation, the Larsons and Hudnalls sold the building in February 2023 and ceased Snus Hill-branded operations; the new owners continue wine production at the site under a separate label. No external venture or institutional capital was ever raised, and the company operated as a small family enterprise with no disclosed headcount or revenue figures.

Name

Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery

Legal name

Snus Hill Winery

Website

https://snushillwine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery was a family-owned estate winery in rural Madrid, Iowa, producing award-winning wines from estate-grown French-American hybrid grapes and selling direct-to-consumer via its tasting room and central Iowa retail distribution from 2005 to 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Winery / Wine Production

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Grape Vineyard Operations (Varietal/AVA Practices, Yield & Quality Targets) (AFAGAJAJ), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

Keywords

• Estate-grown wines
• Iowa winery
• Cold-climate viticulture
• Wine tastings
• Hybrid grape varieties

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Tasting Room Sales: Wine sales directly to consumers visiting the winery tasting room. Includes wine by the glass, bottles, and package sales.
2. Retail Wine Sales: Distribution of wines to retail outlets across central Iowa.
3. Event Tickets and Activities: Revenue from event admissions, wine workouts, painting classes, and special event tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery grows grapes on its estate in rural Madrid, Iowa and produces a portfolio of award-winning wines from American and French-American hybrid varieties suited to Iowa's climate and moraine soils. The winery sold its wines directly to consumers through its on-site tasting room and via retail outlets across central Iowa, while hosting live music weekends, food truck events, painting classes, and wine workout events as ancillary experiential offerings.

Product overview

Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery is an award-winning family-owned winery in rural Iowa that produces wines with regional identity reflective of local soils and climate. The winery grows American and French-American grape varieties on their estate and offers a portfolio of 14 distinct wine products spanning white wines (dry and off-dry), rosé wines, specialty dessert wines, and dry red wines. Their product line includes Whisker White and Boule de Poils as premium dry/off-dry whites; Edelweiss, Cat Nip, and Spinna as specialty/ dessert whites; Blushing Claire and Kitten as rosé offerings; Frontenac in both dry red and dessert wine styles; and Marechal Foch, Ditchweed Red, and High Trestle Taille as additional red varieties. The winery operated from 2005 to early 2023 when ownership was transferred to new operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whisker White

Quantifiable outcome

• Spinna won Best of Show at Iowa State Fair 2016 with Double Gold award
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HIRTA Public TransitminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2017HIRTA public transit provides shuttle service from Ames to Snus Hill Winery for Friday night music events June through September. For $10, they pick up anywhere in Ames, drive to Snus Hill, and return. First riders receive a free glass of wine.
• Heart of Iowa Wine TrailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnus Hill is a member of the Heart of Iowa Wine Trail, a collective of regional wineries that co-host events like the Falliday Wine & Food Pairing, promoting regional wine tourism.
• BOM FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly wine workout events combining light fitness activities with wine tasting at the winery. $15 per person includes the workout and wine used.
• Creative SpiritsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly painting events at Snus Hill Winery where participants paint while enjoying wines. $35-$40 per person, artist walks through each step.
• Jimmy OlsenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio personality hosts trivia afternoons at the winery. No fee to enter, teams of eight preferred, prizes awarded.
• Local Food TrucksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRotating local food trucks (Smiles and Gyros, Rico's Tacos, Karam's Grill, Mobile Mallard, Parlo Pizza) appear at live music events during summer months.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jasper Winery: Iowa winery in Newton producing estate wines from cold-hardy grape varieties with tasting room and event-driven programming. Operates in the same central Iowa regional market with comparable scale and DTC orientation.
• Wide River Winery: Small Iowa craft winery with tasting rooms and estate-grown cold-climate varietals. Operates in the same regional category and competes for the same central Iowa consumer.
• Summerset Winery: Iowa-based family winery that originally purchased grapes from Snus Hill's vineyard in 2003-2004. Comparable as a small Iowa estate winery with tasting room, DTC sales, and limited regional distribution.
• Tassel Ridge Winery: Iowa winery located in Leighton producing estate-grown wines from cold-hardy grape varieties with a tasting room and DTC focus. Highly comparable business model and product mix to Snus Hill.
• Covered Bridges Winery: Family-owned Iowa winery with tasting room, event programming, and DTC sales of estate-grown wines. Direct competitor for central Iowa wine tourism traffic and retail shelf space.
• Cedar Ridge Winery: Iowa estate winery and distillery near Swisher producing estate-grown wines from cold-hardy varietals with a tasting room and DTC focus. Comparable as a regionally scaled Iowa winery with similar varietal selection.
• Brick Street Winery: Small Iowa craft winery also based in Madrid, Iowa, with tasting room and DTC sales. Shares the same local market, customer base, and Heart of Iowa Wine Trail affiliation as Snus Hill.

Broad incumbents

• Willamette Valley Vineyards: Larger publicly-traded craft winery that operates estate vineyards, tasting rooms, and DTC distribution at greater scale. Provides benchmark for the broader small premium estate winery business model Snus Hill operated within.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Snus-Hill-Winery/58724798005

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Snus Hill Vineyard & Winery