Consuming the Craft

Consuming the Craft


Launching a Winery in the Heart of Asheville with Lauren Turpin

August 10, 2022

When Lauren Turpin was in high school, she always thought about opening a sports bar or beer place, though she wasn’t sure where the interest came from. She later graduated from Babson College and worked in corporate America. But, while completing a Master’s in Information Science at UNC Chapel Hill, Lauren became interested in wine. She was inspired to write a business plan for an urban winery and, when the opportunity to turn that plan into a reality presented itself, Lauren jumped at the chance and co-founded Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville, North Carolina.


Lauren joins me today to share her journey to launching Pleb Urban Winery. She recounts how she became passionate about wine and why she chose to establish Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville. She discusses the challenges of finding a business partner. She also explains why an urban winery can be confusing for some drinkers and, for Booze Clues, drinks a pillar of the beer community to prepare her for harvest time.


This week on Consuming the Craft:


  • Lauren’s professional and educational background
  • How Lauren became interested in wine while working in corporate America
  • Why Lauren chose to build Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville, North Carolina
  • How Lauren met her business partner
  • Pleb Urban Winery’s expansion
  • Booze Clues: A pillar of the beer community
  • How people discover wine and the evolution of the wine drinker
  • Serving draft wine and why an urban winery can be confusing for some drinkers
  • How Pleb Urban Winery adapted through COVID-19


Connect with Lauren Turpin:



Consuming the Craft


Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.


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