2016 Fall Dragon

ALUMNI Spotlight
CONTINUED
Business developer Jennifer Loh ’98 relishes the
challenge of conceptualizing ideas and collaborating
with others to bring them to life.
With her latest company, VAULT29, Loh is on a mission
to disrupt the way wine is learned, shared and
enjoyed.
“The wine industry is flooded with labels, tasting
notes and expert ratings. Consumers make purchasing
decisions blindly based on this obscure information,
which makes the process incredibly overwhelming
and daunting,” says Loh. “Wine has so much
more to say than what is made available.”
Jennifer Loh ’98. Contributed photo.
Product and
Business
Development Suits
Jennifer Loh ’98
Teaming up with co-founder Naya Echiribel, Loh’s
VAULT29’s wine discovery app is specific to wine
experiences taking place in the world. “As a wine
lover, the very idea of seeing the grapes on the vine,
the specific winemaking techniques, and the people
behind the scenes, it really creates a deep appreciation
of the craft. But if you take it one step further,
and see who consumed the wine, where it was enjoyed
and in what context – occasion and location – it
creates the full story of the wine from start to finish,”
she said.
VAULT29 was initially conceived in 2011, when Loh
and Echiribel would enjoy wines with friends, save
the corks, and jot down the important details to remember
their favorite wine moments. Casual conversations
quickly turned to business plans.
“The idea was to create an exclusive e-commerce site
dedicated to small, family owned wineries with limited
resources. Everyone knows about Robert Mondavi
and Silver Oak, but the boutique wineries produce
the highest quality wines and, sadly, most wine drinkers
never hear of these brands. Our vision was to
create a virtual wine cellar and journal of these rare
offerings, so we came up with the ‘VAULT’ concept.
“Rather than reference Napa Valley in some superficial
way, we used the number 29 as homage to Hwy
29, which runs through the heart of the valley. We
tied these two themes together to come up with the
brand,” Loh said.
Today, VAULT29 is in its fourth version and available
on the App Store. With users in 32 countries and
counting, wine experiences are being captured by
wineries and consumers alike. Feeling thirsty? Use
the nearby feature to find wine at local restaurants,
44 // Dragon