New Wine Venture: Saanj Winery, From Date Night to Dream Business
Photos by Jordan Somers
Recently, on The Day with Trae, Kye Freeman-Chaudhry, founder of Saanj Winery, stopped by to talk with host Trae Holiday about the official launch of Sonje Winery next month in June. Freeman-Chaudhry started her wine journey eight years ago when her now-husband took her out on their first date.
“We were fresh out of college, and he was trying to impress me by doing something more grown-up, not just going out to clubs or something,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. The couple went out locally in Woodinville, just north of Seattle — it was their first time, and Freeman-Chaudhry felt “instantly immersed.” Even as they learned about grapes and different smells, the couple felt out of place.
“There weren't a lot of people that looked like us, and there weren't a lot of people who were our age,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. “That was really intimidating to us. We were like, ‘Oh, shoot, maybe we need to study up on this.’”
Freeman-Chaudhry didn't grow up in the wine industry, but her experience with it started in childhood with her mom.
“My mom's a huge Chardonnay drinker,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. “I have fond memories of her ordering it in the restaurant when we went out for lunch, asking, ‘Can I have a glass of Chardonnay?’ I always remember asking, ‘I want a glass of Chardonnay, too.’”
Her mom, of course, didn’t let her order the drink, but as she slowly immersed herself further in wine culture, it drove her and her husband to try and create something of their own — their own space.
“We've always dreamed of making our own experience. So we said let's create something where people don't have to feel like they need to be a certain way, they need to taste a certain thing,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. “Whether they're new to wine or whether they're intermediate drinkers — wine shouldn't have to be so hard.”
Freeman-Chaudhry faced an uphill battle in starting the business as newcomers to the industry. Their lack of knowledge about the various licenses, paperwork, and requirements needed to begin made the process even more daunting.
“We talked to current wine owners, talked to current wineries, talked to current wine shops, things like that, just to get as much knowledge and say, ‘Okay, how do we want to create our business and brand?’” Freeman-Chaudhry said.
The initial phase commenced officially last year with the acquisition of licensing and necessary legal procedures, signifying a pivotal commitment to their endeavor. Transitioning into the second phase, Freeman-Chaudhry began to define the brand's identity.
“The second phase, at least for myself, was a really good learning journey going through brand identity,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. “It was such a great experience determining, okay, ‘What is Saanj? What does Saanj look like? Who is Saanj? What colors represent that? What colors represent the brand?’”
For her, the telling moment was when she first saw their logo.
“We got our colors, and then we got our labels, and I think the finale was really when we had that first physical bottle with everything,” Freeman-Chaudhry said. “From the branding content to the actual wine itself in our hand, that was a really great experience.”
Saanj Winery officially launches next month in June. For more information on Saanj Winery, go to saanj-winery.com.
For more on local businesses you can support in Seattle, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
