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RESILIENT NH
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NHBR.COM
‘Never give up’ Strength and persistence help LaBelle Winery endure BY A M A N D A A N D R E W S
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EVEN THOUGH AMHERST, DERRY AND PORTSMOUTH are on different points of New Hampshire’s map, there’s one thing that ties them all together: LaBelle Winery. IIn 2010, owner Amy LaBelle and her husband Cesar Arboleda opened their flagship location in Amherst, and quickly grew the hospitality business to two other locations, offering event spaces, wine tastings and gift shops on top of producing award-winning wines grown and packaged locally in the Granite State. The growth of the business over the next several years far exceeded the duo’s original aspirations, but then came 2020. All nonessential businesses were forced to shut their doors for fear of spreading the Covid-19 virus, including LaBelle Winery’s three locations. Amy LaBelle’s first thought, she said, “was for my team. We were ordered shut. I had 102 employees, and I immediately had to lay off 90 of them. That was a very bad day for me and for them,” she recalls. “My team is like my family — they work so hard to grow the brand and do the right thing to provide the best hospitality experience in New England The LaBelle Winery team with owners Amy LaBelle and Cesar Arboleda (at right) behind the scenes at their wine production facility. (Photos by Allegra Boverman)
at all of our properties.” Another major concern was cash to keep the business flowing. “We were terrified that we would not only lose everything we built over the last decade, but that we would lose our house,” says LaBelle. Her first course of action was to establish company-wide communication. Through text messages and emails, LaBelle kept her entire staff updated, including those laid off, to share information about what exactly she and Arboleda were doing to save the business. Among their efforts was to establish an employee emergency fund raffle, giving customers a chance to buy raffle tickets for prizes. Money raised helped pay employees’ rent, groceries or anything else they needed while stuck at home. The real saving grace for the company came within five days of shutting down — LaBelle Winery developed a family meal program that included an entire dinner of salad, soup, bread, the main course and dessert.
“It’s not a business we’ve ever run before. We didn’t know how to do takeout like that. We’re a fine dining restaurant,” LaBelle said. “The real blessing of Covid was that we figured out how much support we have in the community. People were coming out in droves to buy those family meals.” At the time, LaBelle only had 12 members on staff, and most didn’t work in food service. “We had our HR person packing lunch; the vineyard workers were packing lunches. It was all hands on deck in an assembly line. Pictures of that time make me happy and sad, because it’s amazing to see what my team can accomplish.” A FAMILY AFFAIR LaBelle and her husband have built a strong business that relies on its team to produce the best possible experience for all customers. “Our company culture is family. It’s strong, and it’s never wavered during this entire time.
