Maydelle Country Wines

What Maydelle Country Wines does

Maydelle Country Wines is a small family-run Texas winery founded in 2004 by Steven Harper, operating from an 1800s-era train depot building on the edge of Maydelle, Texas (175 County Rd. 2108, Rusk, TX 75785). The winery specializes in non-grape fruit wines — including signature lemon and lime, plus grapefruit, blackberry, strawberry, elderberry, and peach — produced in small batches, typically under 300 gallons, using Texas-grown and locally foraged fruits (including wild elderberry and blackberry harvested from surrounding East Texas forests and farmyards). Production equipment includes hand corkers, a pneumatic corker, a Bertha 20×20 filter, and stainless and food-grade plastic barrels ranging from 25 to 500 gallons, with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 8,000 gallons. Lemon and lime wines function as the trademark products, with the lemon wine recipe dating back roughly 17 years.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer winery, selling through an on-site tasting room, recurring booths at the Dallas and Nacogdoches Farmers Markets, and Texas wine festivals, with peak activity during spring (March–May) and fall (September–November) seasons. Wine is shipped to customers across Texas and more than 30 US states via the VinoShipper platform, with out-of-country shipping available on request, and the winery runs a Wine Club subscription program for recurring home delivery. Seasonal and limited-release SKUs (Fezziwig's, Candied Apple, Winter Peach, Sugar Plum Fairy, Apple Mead, Holiday Dessert Wines, Schrodinger's Elderberry) extend the core lineup. Distribution is supported by Groupon deals and a WordPress blog plus social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress).

Operationally, the company is run by a three-person family team — founder/owner/vintner Steven Harper, second-generation winemaker Torrance Shepherd, and sales/operations lead Cheryl Ivie-Harper — and in 2024 transitioned from a sole proprietorship to a Texas LLC structure (Maydelle Country Wines LLC). The business is entirely family-owned and bootstrapped, with no external funding, parent company, or subsidiaries. In 2025, it entered its first documented external co-production partnership, with O'Farrell Country Vineyards jointly producing Fezziwig's spiced muscadine wine. Maydelle was the third winery established in East Texas, following the 2003 Texas law change that enabled direct wine sales in dry counties.

Name

Maydelle Country Wines

Legal name

Maydelle Country Wines LLC

Website

https://maydellewines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maydelle Country Wines is a family-run Texas winery founded in 2004 that produces small-batch, non-grape fruit wines — including signature lemon and lime — sold direct-to-consumer through an on-site tasting room, farmers markets, wine festivals, and a Wine Club with shipping across 30+ US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Fruit Winery

NAICS

Wineries (31213), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), 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 & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Fruit wine production
• Small batch winery
• Artisan winemaking
• Wine club membership
• Wine tasting room

Headquarters

HQ city

Rusk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales (Tasting Room): On-site winery sales directly to consumers visiting the tasting room at the Maydelle depot location.
2. Shipping Sales: Wine shipped to customers across Texas and many other US states through the VinoShipper platform.
3. Farmers Market & Festival Sales: Wine sold at farmers markets (Dallas Farmers Market, Nacogdoches Farmers Market) and wine festivals across Texas.
4. Wine Club Membership: Subscription/membership program delivering wine selections to members' homes on a recurring basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maydelle Country Wines is a small family-run winery that produces small-batch fruit wines made from Texas-grown and locally foraged fruits, including signature lemon and lime wines along with blackberry, strawberry, elderberry, peach, and grapefruit varieties. The winery sells its products directly to consumers through an on-site tasting room in a historic 1800s train depot in Maydelle, Texas, farmers markets, wine festivals, online shipping via VinoShipper, and a Wine Club subscription program.

Product overview

Maydelle Country Wines is a small family-run winery specializing in fruit wines made from products available from Texas soil. The winery operates in small batches, most under 300 gallons, allowing the fruit flavor to shine through. Their core product line includes citrus wines (lemon and lime being their trademark), as well as blackberry, strawberry, elderberry, and peach wines. The portfolio includes seasonal offerings like fall/winter wines (Fezziwig's, Candied Apple, Winter Peach, Apple Mead) and limited releases like Schrodinger's Elderberry. The winery also offers a Wine Club membership program with shipping availability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lemon Wine Signature trademark wine made from lemons, described as a deliciously sweet and sour beverage and best seller. Created approximately 17 years ago and remains a top choice for customers. Sold to individual consumers and through the Wine Club.
• Lime Wine Citrus fruit wine paired with Lemon Wine as one of the winery's trademark offerings. Sold to individual consumers and through the Wine Club.
• Grapefruit Wine Citrus fruit wine; Steve Harper's first wine creation at the winery. Core product in the Maydelle portfolio.
• Blackberry Wine Fruit wine made from blackberries, picked wild from old farm yards in East Texas. Core product in the Maydelle portfolio.
• Strawberry Wine Fruit wine made from strawberries. Core product in the Maydelle portfolio.
• Elderberry Wine Fruit wine made from wild elderberries foraged from surrounding East Texas areas, featuring a narrow ready window. Core product in the Maydelle portfolio.
• Peach Wine Fruit wine made from peaches, including seasonal winter peach varieties. Core product in the Maydelle portfolio.
• Schrodinger's Elderberry A dry finish elderberry wine released as a limited short-run wine due to extended tank aging that resulted in perfect flavor. Targeted at individual wine enthusiasts.
• Fezziwig's Fall/winter spiced wine created in collaboration with O'Farrell Country Vineyards using their red muscadine wine combined with Maydelle's spices and recipe. Seasonal offering for individual consumers.
• Candied Apple Fall seasonal wine described as a labor of love created during an afternoon of merriment. Targeted at individual consumers seeking holiday/seasonal wines.
• Winter Peach Winter seasonal wine made from peaches, available in the fall/winter lineup. Targeted at individual consumers.
• Apple Mead Mead made from apples, offered as a seasonal product in the fall lineup. Targeted at individual consumers.
• Sugar Plum Fairy Seasonal wine in the holiday trio lineup. Targeted at individual consumers seeking holiday-themed wines.
• Holiday Dessert Wines Christmas dessert wines released by Thanksgiving each year as part of the holiday lineup. Targeted at individual consumers seeking seasonal gifting wines.
• Maydelle Wine Club Wine club membership program with an application process that delivers curated wine selections to members' homes and allows shipping to members even if the winery is not nearby. Recurring monthly billing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 years of continuous winery operation since 2004
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• O'Farrell Country VineyardsnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint production of Fezziwig's wine, combining O'Farrell Country Vineyards' red muscadine wine with Maydelle's spices and recipe. The collaboration represents a cross-winery friendship and co-creation effort, with both wineries contributing to the final product.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fall Creek Vineyards: Multi-region Texas winery with tasting rooms, wine clubs, and national distribution. Comparable DTC and Texas-made positioning though at much larger production scale and broader portfolio.
• Becker Vineyards: Texas Hill Country winery with tasting room, wine club, and event-driven DTC sales. Comparable as a Texas winery using direct-to-consumer and tourism channels, though at substantially larger scale.
• Llano Estacado Winery: Established Texas winery with broad distribution across the state. Competes for the Texas-locally-made wine consumer through retail and DTC channels, though focused on grape varietals.
• Messina Hof Winery: One of the largest and oldest Texas wineries with broad grape-based portfolio and full hospitality operations. Comparable as a Texas DTC winery competitor with tasting room, wine club, and event channels at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Blue Ostrich Winery: Texas winery operating a tasting room and DTC model similar to Maydelle's, but in a different region of Texas. Comparable in go-to-market (DTC, tasting room, events) though not a direct local competitor.
• Texas Hills Vineyard: Texas Hill Country boutique winery with tasting room and limited production. Comparable as a small Texas DTC winery but geographically separated from Maydelle's East Texas market.

Direct peers

• Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards: East Texas winery that was the first winery in the region before Maydelle. Operates a similar DTC model with tasting room and event-driven sales, competing for the same regional Texas wine tourist.
• O'Farrell Country Vineyards: Texas winery and active partner of Maydelle (co-produced Fezziwig's). Comparable scale and Texas DTC orientation, with overlapping regional distribution and customer audience.
• Wyldewood Cellars: Kansas winery specializing in elderberry and other non-grape fruit wines. Closest direct comparable on product (fruit wines, especially elderberry) though geographically distinct; illustrates the niche Maydelle competes within.
• Kiepersol Estates: East Texas winery and the predecessor (2nd winery) to Maydelle in the region. Both operate as small Texas wineries selling via tasting rooms, wine clubs, and direct channels, with overlapping customer bases in the East Texas market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maydellecountrywines
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maydelle-country-wines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Maydelle Country Wines