Meet Phillip Thomas of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phillip Thomas.

Hi Phillip, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Rosedale, Mississippi. As a kid, I always wanted to move to California or Florida, and I was fortunate enough to experience both. I initially moved to California and started working as a personal trainer. Later, I transitioned into corporate America and have now worked in logistics as a corporate account executive now for the past 15 years. I’ve lived in Mississippi most of my life, California for nine years, Florida for three years, and now Georgia.

After the pandemic, I had to get out of the house. I randomly decided to take a winemaking class at Beer & Wine Craft – Sandy Springs Boutique Winery, where Joseph Keenan and Shani Mattox taught me the art and science of winemaking. The process fit my personality, and I fell in love with it. As a hobby, I began making wine in my basement at home. Actor Anton Clifford suggested that I host free tastings in my basement for neighbors and friends. Their feedback and support helped me improve each new batch.

My next door neighbor, Ray, told me the wine was good enough to sell, and my Uncle Kenneth encouraged me to name the business after my great grandmother, Luvie Thomas, who made elderberry wine for family gatherings. That’s how Luvie Wines was born.

To challenge myself, I entered five wines into the American Wine Society Wine Competition hoping to win at least one medal. Instead, I earned a double gold, three silver, and a bronze medal. Most meaningful of all, the elderberry wine inspired by my great grandmother won double gold.

Today, Luvie Wines is distributed by Liquid Distributors and carried at Hippin Hops Brewpub & Oyster Bar, The Indigo Room, and Wine & Liquor Emporium, with restocks arriving by the third week of June.

I got to where I am because I’ve never given up on myself. It’s important to be your own greatest supporter on both the good and bad days.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of my biggest struggles early on was patience. I would call Joseph Keenan worried about stalled fermentations or the wine not being ready fast enough, and he would always ask me, “What’s the rush?”

That lesson stayed with me. Winemaking taught me patience, not only during fermentation, but in life as well.

One challenge I didn’t expect was how quickly demand for Luvie Wines would grow. Now I’m exploring SBA opportunities and grants to help scale the business and meet demand.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been a winemaker for five years, specializing in 100% handcrafted fruit wines. I am known for my wide assortment of unique wine flavors such as elderberry, blackberry, honeydew mango, apricot, and watermelon, just to name a few.

What I’m most proud of is my parents encouraging me to always do my best, along with having faith in myself before starting this journey. I’m also proud of maintaining great consistency in every handcrafted wine I create.

When it comes to what sets me apart from others, I simply consider myself different because I’m my own individual. At the same time, I truly believe we are all great and capable of amazing things. One thing that stands out about me is that I’ve learned how to be my own biggest cheerleader, even during difficult moments.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like most about Atlanta is that it’s an amazing place to support your goals and grow your skills. It’s a very progressive city filled with opportunity, driven people, and a strong culture of entrepreneurship and creativity.

What do I like least? There will always be traffic, however, I try not to stay in an area of discontent too long, but if I had to just force myself to think about something I don’t like about our city… The homelessness, I wish I could just, in a snap of a finger, reverse it. I would love to be in a position where I wish I could make a great impact.

Pricing:

• $25 a bottle retail

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Luviewines.com
• Instagram: @Luviewines
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luvie-wines-phillip-thomas-517b21353?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@luviewines?si=QBKo1NmwJibzotRt