Ingram's June 2022

Cheers to the Rapid Growth of Regional Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries

D avid Hoffman has a dream, one that fits nicely in a wine glass. The native of Washington, Mo., who owns more than 100 business enterprises ranging from commercial realty to executive search firms to pri vate equity, made the bulk of his for tune in his adopted state of Florida. And now he’s investing some of the proceeds closer to his roots. Earlier this year, Hoffman completed the pur chase of a series of wineries nestled in

the Missouri River Valley between his hometown and the St. Louis exurbs. Already a magnet for wine lovers, that region is about to get a serious transfor mation as his dream comes true. “This is all going to get done, and it’s going to get done fast, and it’s going to get done beautifully,” he said in an Associated Press report earlier this year. “It’s going to be a national desti nation people are going to be proud of.” The transformation of tiny August,

Mo., population 290, will include sev eral wineries, more than a dozen com mercial properties and retain a small town Main Street feel. Also in the works is a 100-room hotel, trolley and carriage rides, and riverboat cruises. Once realized, Hoffman’s vision will bolster Missouri’s status as a wine tour ism destination. It may never be Napa Valley—California produces more than 18 times the wine gallonage as the Show-Me State—but the opportunity to

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I n g r a m ’ s

June 2022

Ingrams.com