Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County

What Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County does

The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County is a private nonprofit educational organization founded in 2015 by Libbie Agran and headquartered at 3592 Broad Street, Suite 104, in San Luis Obispo, California. The organization collects and presents two centuries of local viticulture history — from the late 1700s Spanish Mission era through modern commercial winemaking — through a combination of primary-source oral history interviews, archival artifact collection, museum exhibitions, documentary films, and book publications. Its permanent collection includes historical vineyard tools and winemaking equipment dating from 1860, rare wine bottles, wine labels, photographs, artwork, personal papers, and documents. The core published products are the 2019 book 'Archie McLaren: The Journey from Memphis Blues to the Central Coast Wine Revolution' and the 2021 book 'San Luis Obispo County Wine: A World-class History,' supplemented by award-winning documentary films distributed through a Vimeo channel and a 'Wine Country Postcard Stories' content series curated by contributor Gail Unzelman.

The business model is nonprofit mission-driven, with revenue derived from a small mix of streams: one-time book sales, subscription/recurring Vimeo film distribution, and implicit donor and supporter contributions. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization employs approximately 7 staff — historians and museum professionals — and is governed by a Board of Advisors that includes July Ackerman, Don Campbell, Jan Cannon, Vicki Carroll, Marc Goldberg, Ian McPhee, Tom Myers, and Brian Talley. It serves three primary audiences: wine enthusiasts and historians, San Luis Obispo County community members, and institutional partners including local museums, galleries, archives, wineries, historical societies, varietal organizations (ZAP, Rhone Rangers, Hospice du Rhône), California State Parks, and academic institutions (Cal Poly, UC Davis). Its geographic focus is the San Luis Obispo County region, with global reach via online video distribution and publication sales. There is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capability, and no external investment or parent entity.

Name

Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County

Legal name

Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County

Website

https://winehistoryproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County is a 7-employee nonprofit founded in 2015 that preserves two centuries of regional viticulture history through oral history interviews, archival artifact collections, books, documentary films, and exhibitions for wine enthusiasts, local residents, and institutional partners in San Luis Obispo County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publications: Revenue generated from publishing books on wine history, including 'Archie McLaren: The Journey from Memphis Blues to the Central Coast Wine Revolution' (2019) and 'San Luis Obispo County Wine: A World-class History' (2021)
2. Film Distribution: Award-winning documentary films covering winemakers, vineyards, and local history available on Wine History Project's Vimeo Channel

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County is a nonprofit organization that collects, preserves, and presents two centuries of viticulture history in San Luis Obispo County. Its core offerings include published books, award-winning documentary films, historical artifact collections, online articles and timelines, and curated exhibitions displayed at local museums, galleries, archives, and wineries.

Product overview

The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County is a nonprofit educational organization that preserves and presents two centuries of viticulture history through multiple channels. Its core offerings include published books (the 2019 Archie McLaren biography and 2021 San Luis Obispo County Wine: A World-class History), award-winning documentary films distributed via Vimeo, the Wine Country Postcard Stories content series, and online articles/timelines covering wine history from ancient times to present. The organization also maintains permanent collections of historical artifacts, produces exhibitions at local venues, and conducts interview-based research. The portfolio is unified in its mission to document and preserve wine history rather than offering a commercial software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Archie McLaren: The Journey from Memphis Blues to the Central Coast Wine Revolution
• San Luis Obispo County Wine: A World-class History
• Award-Winning Documentary Films Award-winning documentary films covering winemakers, vineyards, and local history in San Luis Obispo County and beyond. Films feature interviews with growers and winemakers and are available on the Wine History Project's Vimeo Channel.
• Historical Collections Permanent collection including historical vineyard tools and winemaking equipment dating from as early as 1860, rare wine bottles, wine labels, photographs, artwork, personal papers, and documents.
• Exhibitions and Lectures Exhibitions and events produced in collaboration with local museums, galleries, archives, and wineries throughout San Luis Obispo County, displaying the organization's historical collections.
• Wine Country Postcard Stories A collection of historic wine postcards curated by Gail Unzelman, taking viewers into the past through postcard artwork documenting wine country history across California regions.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• American Alliance of MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization for museums; Wine History Project collaborates with museum standards and best practices
• Paso Robles Wine Country AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional wine industry organization supporting wine country tourism and education
• San Luis Obispo Chamber of CommerceregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business organization supporting regional economic development
• San Luis Obispo County Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to preserving county history; Wine History Project contributes to historical preservation efforts
• California State ParksregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency managing parks and historic sites; Wine History Project documents Prohibition-era history in state parks
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization for state and local historians; Wine History Project aligns with historical preservation standards
• Paso Robles Historical SocietyregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety dedicated to preserving Paso Robles history
• South County Historical SocietyregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety dedicated to preserving South San Luis Obispo County history
• California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal university; Wine History Project collaborates on research and educational initiatives
• Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo CountyregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization protecting natural and agricultural lands
• San Luis Obispo County Wine and Winegrape Growers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional wine industry association supporting local wine and grape growers
• Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization dedicated to promoting Zinfandel wine; Wine History Project documents Zinfandel heritage
• Dana AdoberegionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Adobe site; partnership for exhibitions and historical programs
• Hospice du Rhône Paso RoblesregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization promoting Rhône variety wines; Wine History Project documents regional wine history
• Rhone RangersregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to growing and promoting Rhône grape varieties in California

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance: Regional wine industry alliance promoting Paso Robles wines and tourism. Not a preservation nonprofit, but operates in overlapping territory (San Luis Obispo County) with overlapping stakeholders and complementary storytelling/education functions.
• Heritage Museums & Gardens: A regional cultural institution with permanent collections, exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized cultural nonprofit that curates collections and mounts exhibitions for public engagement, though not wine-specific.

Broad incumbents

• Wine Institute: California's statewide wine industry trade association representing producers. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but a comparable institutional voice for California wine that overlaps with the Wine History Project's regional heritage remit.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on historic preservation, including agricultural and cultural heritage sites. Comparable as a heritage-preservation organization but at a vastly larger scale and broader scope than the Wine History Project.
• California Historical Society: Statewide nonprofit that preserves and interprets California history, including agricultural and cultural heritage. Broader in scope than the Wine History Project but comparable as a nonprofit that curates California historical collections and exhibitions.

Direct peers

• Sonoma County Wine Library: Maintains an archival collection of Sonoma County wine history and provides research and educational access. Comparable in mission to document and preserve regional California wine heritage through collections and public engagement.
• Napa Valley Wine Library Association / Wine History Center of Napa: A nonprofit that preserves and presents the wine history of Napa Valley through archival collections, exhibitions, and educational programming. Most directly comparable peer given the shared wine-history preservation mission, nonprofit structure, and California wine-region focus.

Regional players

• Santa Cruz Mountains Wine History Project: Another California regional wine heritage organization focused on the Santa Cruz Mountains. Comparable in operating model and mission to preserve and document a specific California wine region's history, though it operates in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wine-history-project-of-san-luis-obispo-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County