Wachira Wines: crushing grapes and barriers

Research methodology This case was developed using primary and secondary research. Primary data were collected through interviews with Dr Chris Wachira, founder and CEO of The Wachira Group. Secondary data sources include company records, industry reports, practitioner-oriented publications and news articles covering the wine industry; all references are provided in the References section. No information was disguised. Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.6 was used to assist in developing the assessment rubric. Grammarly.com was used for grammar and copyediting. Case overview/synopsis This case profiles the Wachira Group, founded by the case protagonist Dr Wachira, a Kenyan who immigrated to the USA and turned a winemaking hobby into a self-supporting business. The case opens with a brief biography of Dr Wachira, and a summary of wine supply chains and the US wine market. This case then presents three challenges that Wachira faced and their solutions: scaling a commercial winemaking operation without extensive capital investment, securing distribution and establishing a retail outlet. The case concludes with the challenges that the Wachira Group now faces. Complexity academic level Depending on the questions emphasized, this case can be taught in a strategic, management, strategic marketing/brand management or operations/supply chain course. It is geared towards either undergraduate or graduate students in a general business program or one specific to wine, tourism and/or hospitality. Given the spotlight on the US wine market, the case may be of greater interest to students at American universities or other universities where the study of the US market is important. Prior knowledge of the wine industry is not required, and if students already have industry expertise, the introductory sections covering the US wine market and the wine supply chain may be skimmed or even skipped. The case has been classroom tested in both undergraduate marketing and management courses, delivered in both in-seat and hybrid modalities.