The Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies
No. 18: Cameron Hughes Wine, San Francisco, CA
Year 2008
Industry: Food & Beverage
Founded: 2001
Growth: 5,754.1%
2004 Revenue: $229,821
2007 Revenue: $13.5 million
Employees: 17
Website: www.chwine.com
What it does:
Purchases surplus wine from high-end wineries around the world and bottles them under a variety of brands sold exclusively through large retailers such as Sam's Club and Costco.
Why it's growing:
Pitched a plan to sell its premium-label wine through Costco in August 2004 and had an immediate hit.
What's noteworthy:
Cameron Hughes started his company during the nosedive that the wine industry took in the wake of 9/11. For a couple of years the business eked out a meager existence with Hughes carting around individual cases of his product to retailers in the back of his Volvo station wagon.
* Ranked No. 2 in the Top 100 Businesses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
* Ranked No. 3 in the Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
