ASC co-founder becomes co-owner of California’s Vinfolio
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The co-founder of ASC Fine Wine in China, Don St Pierre Jr, has followed up his move back to California by becoming the chief executive and co-owner of Vinfolio, the fine wine trader and cellaring business.
Don St Pierre Jr became chief executive and co-owner of Vinfolio on 4 March following a funding round that secured $4.4m of investment for the California wine business.
St Pierre Jr founded ASC Fine Wine 25 years ago and retired from the Chinese firm’s board of directors at the end of December 2015, having seen it rise to become one of the most influential wine importers in China. Japan’s Suntory gained control of ASC in 2010.
At Vinfolio, St Pierre Jr will take a lead on most operations, including sales, procurement and storage, according to the company, founded in 2003 by a consortium of wine collectors.
He has re-located to California, and said, ‘I believe Vinfolio offers the fine wine consumer a great one-stop solution to more efficiently and enjoyably pursue their passion for drinking, collecting and investing in the best wines in the world.’
Jean-Michel Valette, chairman of Vinfolio, said St Pierre Jr would bring a wealth of experience and contacts to the business.
Vinfolio has several branches to its business. As well as buying and selling wine, it has a Vinfolio marketplace platform to enable collectors to sell wines direct to other fine wine lovers. The firm also offers help with wine storage.
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Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.
He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.
Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.
Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.