Ep. 493: Unique Gifts from Italy and Beyond

About this episode

JJ Flizanes interviews Sheila Donohue about her company Verovino, which curates and imports authentic Italian wines and foods.

JJ welcomes Sheila Donohue for a conversation that blends entrepreneurship, lifestyle, and the art of curated Italian wines and foods. Sheila shares how her company, Verovino, sources small-batch, farm-made wines, olive oils, and specialty foods—many not readily available in the U.S.—and delivers them to both consumers and businesses across America. In This Episode Meet Sheila in Bologna: Sheila shares her life in Bologna, Italy, where she's lived since 2001, and how Italy shaped her expertise and relationships with producers. What Verovino does: Verovino curates and imports authentic, sustainably made, small-batch products—primarily from Italy, plus select producers from other countries and California—selling B2B and direct-to-consumer. From fintech to food & wine: Sheila explains her background in financial technology (fintech), her sommelier training in Italy, and how her personal immersion in artisan food culture inspired the company. Starting from a "clean slate": In 2017, after major life changes, Sheila began building Verovino—funded through savings—and took early action by importing product and going door-to-door to find customers. How the business grows: Sheila…

People in this episode

Host: JJ

Guest: Sheila Donohue

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• lifestyle
• Italian wines
• specialty foods

Keywords

• Bologna
• small-batch
• sustainably made
• fintech
• sommelier training

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Prosecco, Verovino

Books & works: Meet Sheila, Women Behind the Business: Real Conversations

Places: Italy, U.S.—and, America, Bologna, California, U.S., Piedmont, Ojai

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