ABOUT US
Canopy Wine Group was a vision brought into reality in 2009 by two wine business professionals with a vision and passion to revolutionize brokership of boutique wineries.
Robert Watkins and Lisa Valentine were previous colleagues at J Vineyards & Winery, about 6 years previous to this ambitious endeavor of building a brokerage company in a 'down' economy. Depending on which one of us you ask, you'll hear Robert quote, "... and it was the best job she ever had!" If you ask Lisa, she will tell you, "... uhm, yes, of course it was." And from that, you get two ambitious professionals who work in tandem to run an efficient company, whose polar opposite personalities are the perfect recipe for success in this business.
Robert brings more than 20 years of wine industry experience to Canopy Wine Group. He has held a range of executive positions including VP of Sales & Marketing at J Vineyards & Winery (Sonoma), National Sales Manager & Export director at Trefethan Vineyards (Napa), East coast sales and export manager at King Estate (Oregon) and East coast sales manager at Mantanzas Creek (Sonoma). In addition to the President and CEO position that Robert currently has with Canopy, he is responsibile for a Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc project in the North Canterbury region of New Zealand, which Canopy also represents in Northern California.
Lisa's expertise lies in the sales side of the business. With 10 years of wine sales experience, Lisa is the 'face' of the company who ultimately oversees all accounts and manages the wineries' sales needs. All of her energy and passion goes into raising her son, and running this budding company.
Together, they envision a unique boutique brokership specializing in family-owned and operated wineries that provides excellent service to both their customers' and clients' needs, consistently delivering quality and value.