Overview, company details, product information, news, events, rankings and Rep listings for The Traveling Vineyard.
Traveling Vineyard is no longer active as an MLM. It ended its multilevel party-plan program in December 2023 and briefly continued selected wines through Fissata Wine Company, but both companies now appear closed.
Original Npros business profile for The Traveling Vineyard, preserved below for archival purposes:
Traveling Vineyard was a Massachusetts wine direct-selling company whose origins dated to 2001. The concept was developed by Rick Libby while he was working for mail-order wine retailer Geerlings & Wade. Inspired by the home-party model used by companies such as Pampered Chef, Libby organized the first Traveling Vineyard in-home wine tasting in November 2001. The original operation grew to thousands of independent consultants and reportedly conducted more than 100,000 home tastings annually in 26 states by 2005.
The earlier Traveling Vineyard operation entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April 2010. Libby and a group of investors purchased the business assets and relaunched the company in November 2010 from Ipswich, Massachusetts. Under the reorganized company, Libby served as CEO under the informal title "Chief Grape Stomper." Traveling Vineyard subsequently rebuilt its sales organization to more than 5,000 independent Wine Guides operating in approximately 40 states.
Traveling Vineyard sourced wines from wineries and vineyards in the United States and other countries and sold them under exclusive company labels. Its catalog included dry and sweet red wines, white wines, rosé, sparkling wines, dessert-style wines, seasonal collections, wine-club shipments, and accessories such as aerators, corkscrews, glasses, chillers, and bottle totes. Popular labels included Fissata Sweet Red, Fissata Blonde, and Double Date Sweet Rosé. The company also developed Sommology, a proprietary food-and-wine pairing program introduced in 2013.
Independent representatives were called Wine Guides. They conducted complimentary home wine tastings, virtual events, and online sales presentations that allowed customers to sample wines before ordering. Starter kits included wine, tasting supplies, educational materials, and business tools. Wine Guides earned commissions on customer purchases, with published opportunity materials advertising personal-sales commissions of up to 35%. The compensation plan also included leadership ranks, bonuses, and additional commissions based on qualifying sales produced by recruited Wine Guides and their teams. At its peak, the company therefore operated as both a retail party-plan business and a multilevel sales organization.
On December 18, 2023, Traveling Vineyard announced that it was abandoning its direct-selling party-plan model. CEO Rick Libby attributed the decision to post-pandemic difficulties affecting party-plan recruiting, increased competition from other flexible-work opportunities, and changes in consumer purchasing habits. The company ended its multilevel Wine Guide organization and offered former representatives the option of continuing as single-level affiliates rather than earning commissions from sales teams. TravelingVineyard.com was scheduled to be deactivated after a final customer-appreciation sale ending January 31, 2024.
The company attempted to continue through Fissata Wine Company, a smaller retail business focused on Fissata Sweet Red, Fissata Blonde, and Double Date Sweet Rosé. Fissata was designed to sell through direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and single-level affiliate channels rather than the former MLM structure.
The Traveling Vineyard's mission is "To share our enthusiasm for wine with as many people as possible, while demystifying the wine tasting and selection process. To bring people together in a relaxed, home environment, providing hosts and their guests with an entertaining and informative wine tasting experience. To build relationships and strengthen friendships while rewarding hosts with a generous rewards program and consultants with fun, friendships, fulfillment, flexibility and financial reward along with the ability to learn and share their love of wine."
It costs $99.00 to get started as a Traveling Vineyard Independent Consultant. This includes a Success Kit including 3 months of a personal website. For $75.00 new Consultants can purchase two 5-bottle tasting sets to conduct their first two events. If a Consultant conducts three events in 60 days with interest to order of $250 or more, he or she will receive a refund of $99.00.
Traveling Vineyard Indepedent Consultants earn up to 35% of their personally generated sales and can build a team of Consultants to increase their earning potential. Each week, month and year The Traveling Vineyard acknowledges Consultants who achieve success with recognition, awards, and cash bonuses. The company also has an annual Incentive Trip for Consultants who qualify.
Rick Libby
Ipswich, MA October 30, 2014 -- Traveling Vineyard, a direct marketer of wines through in-home wine tasting events, released its second charity wine, the 2012 Rayado, Limari Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile in partnership with Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). LBBC is a non-profit that connects people with trusted breast cancer information and a community of support. One dollar from the sale of ...
Ipswich, MA, February 28, 2014 -- The results are in and eight wines from The Traveling Vineyard portfolio have been awarded an array of gold, silver and bronze medals by The Beverage Institute.The Chicago- based Beverage Institute's annual sampling netted two golds, four silvers and two bronze wins for The Traveling Vineyard, affirming our belief that value and quality don't have to be mutuall...
Ipswich, MA, February 07, 2014 -- Traveling Vineyard announced today that it won Best Microsite for the 'Sommology™' pages of its website. The award was given at a ceremony during the Second Annual Direct Selling Association "Be Connected" conference held in Washington, DC on December 6, 2013. 'Sommology' is a 'created' word coined as a play on the word 'sommelier," one with extensive knowledge...
Ipswich, MA February 04, 2014 -- Traveling Vineyard, a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited business since January of 2012, has not received a single customer complaint within BBB's reporting period for the last 36 consecutive months. The company has had no complaints to resolve with the BBB since it started three years ago. Traveling Vineyard displays the Accredited BBB Business Seal on its...
PHILADELPHIA, PA, Sep 26, 2013 -- Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) announced today a partnership with The Traveling Vineyard, a direct marketer of wines through in-home tasting events. In support of LBBC's programs and services for diagnosed women, Traveling Vineyard will release Rayado, a new Colchagua Chile Cabernet Sauvignon. One dollar from the sale of each bottle will be donated to LBBC.
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