When IG Winery opened in 2012, we were a tiny new business in a region where there had been no wineries since the late 1800s. Wineries in Southern Utah were such a rarity that there were no zoning regulations, the financial community had no idea how to evaluate the business and the local city leaders weren’t sure how it should be licensed. We had to work hard to put together a combination of investors and banks and even helped the city write new zoning codes that would allow for wineries in the area. One-by-one, we overcame those hurdles and I/G Winery opened our first location in a small converted cottage behind the Iron Gate Bed & Breakfast.
We soon discovered that we were not only opening a new business, but we were also creating a new industry in this region. The challenge was both exciting and daunting, but we managed to survive with the help of our family members and our closest friends. They pitched in to help at every stage of the process including construction, winemaking, and selling wine from the little shed next door.