Wednesday's Woman: April Gargiulo, Founder of The Vintner's Daughter

 

 

 

                                                          April Gargiulo

 

           Meet April Gargiulo, a modern skincare maverick with an interesting back ground coming from the design world, to winemaking and launching her own brand of skincare (that was created while she was expecting her first child Whew!)... April searched for something she could use safely during her pregnancy, and what she found were 'natural' products on the market that had chemicals in them that she would never use on the very grapes found at her family vineyard.
                                            www.gargiulovineyards.com

 

What a treat to have the opportunity to interview April.

 

BC: What a fun journey to hear about your career path from working in Design, to launching a vineyard to your own skincare product line. What did you do in design in the early part of your career?

 

AG: I worked for a furniture design company called Vitra in NYC. Vitra is a company that is uncompromising in its belief that good design can be part of everyone’s life. To have design integrity be as important to your company’s mission as the bottom line is deeply inspiring to me and something I have applied to Vintner’s Daughter and Gargiulo Vineyards. 

 

BC: How did helping your family launch a vineyard shape your philosophy for your own business? What learning's did you take with you?

 

AG: Gargiulo Vineyards is all about making the finest wines in the world for discerning collectors. If we don’t start with the very best raw materials and honor them through our winemaking process, then we would fall short of our goals every time. This is a yardstick by which we painstakingly measure our formulation process at Vintner’s Daughter. We produce chemical-free, high performance, luxury skincare for the discerning woman. If we didn’t source the very best ingredients and if our process was about speed not quality, then we would not be able to deliver on that promise.

 

 

 

BC: Did that process of working in startup vineyard help formulate your mind to start your own company? Do you see yourself more of an entrepreneur that will have a career building companies and then selling?

 

I have always worked in family businesses and although not without their challenges, I find their warmth and risk-taking spirit to be rewarding. I hope that I am building another great family business. Maybe my daughters will want to work with me one day.

 

BC: Tell me about how you came to launch the Vintner's Daughter?

 

AG: When I was pregnant with my first daughter I realized that most of the expensive cult creams I was using were filled with nasty stuff that was potentially harmful to my baby, our environment and myself. I went in search of truly chemical free products and couldn’t find any formulated for my skin type or as luxe as I wanted. I needed a little more cream in my coffee so to speak. I started researching active and natural ingredients and two years later introduced Vintner’s Daughter with one “hero” serum formulated for all skin types but especially beneficial to hormonal and acne-prone skin – like mine.

 

BC: Sometimes product companies don't share the story of what they chose to leave out...what are your dirty dozen of common ingredients that are harmful to consumers & what you chose to leave out?

 

AG: The list of ingredients that shouldn’t be in our skincare products seems to be getting longer every day. We choose to work with organic and/or wildcrafted botanicals that come directly from the earth with minimal processing. We believe that using natural non-toxic ingredients is the best way to support the skin’s own defenses from aging, the environment and stress.

 

BC: What's the hardest part of launching/managing a business? What do you hope for this business?

 

AG: The hardest part of managing the business for me is staying in the now. I am a dreamer and am always thinking 10 steps ahead. Sometimes this can be frustrating to not be as far along with our business as I would like. I have to constantly remind myself one step at a time.

 

BC: What is the best part of being a business owner? How does it fit into your life of managing a home, your new little family?

 

AG: Being a business owner and hands-on mom is challenging and I’m never sure I have the balance right, but the days when I feel like I was able to do it all (family, work, husband, personal time etc) are exhilarating.

 

BC: What is daily work wear for the office vs. meetings outside the office?

 

AG: I aspire to be a more adventurous again when I’m not crawling after kids half the day, but for now its easy separates and mostly in black and denim. For meetings I change out of sneakers (love sneakers) and put on some fun heels and accessories. I keep it easy.

 

BC: Last question, (one of my favorite features of Elle Décor is the 12 things you couldn't live without, so its a spin off that!!)

 

AG: What are 5 things you cant imagine your life without? My family and friends are of course number one, but after that it would be

1.      The perfect almond milk latte.

2.      Sunshine

3.      Music/Pandora – Otis Redding station is shockingly good.

4.      Travel – Planning a Paris and Cadaques trip now.  Cant wait!!

5.      Bone broth* – Im obsessed!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Reader's you can learn more about how to correct skin conditions & the benefits of Phyto Radiance Infusion at the heart of the  Vintner's Daughters Active Botanical Serum. These high performance botanicals & essential oils provide anti-inflammatory phyto nutrients, firming phyto-ceramides and nourishing fatty acids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                         www.thevintnersdaughter.com

 

Editors Note: Bone Broth! I loved hearing that response.

*Bone Broth is one of the healing options for anyone with gut health issues, especially those with leaky gut syndrome. I have been doing a great deal of research on leaky gut issues and bone broth is amazing for a variety of heal issues from arthritis, joint issues and cellulite. Cultures use broth made from chicken, fish, beef and because of the high nutrient content & collagen benefits. gelatin provides relief from food allergies including cow and gluten. soothes the intestinal track assisting with IBS, Crohn's and acid reflux to name a few.