Suzanne & Stuart 

Owners of Vintner's Cellar Cochrane

Suzanne Gaida

Suzanne has lived in Cochrane for 27 years and worked for the Town of Cochrane for 26 and a half years. She began her career as a lifeguard/swim instructor at the Big Hill Leisure Pool and completed her career with the Town in the executive role of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. 

 

Most of Suzanne's career was spent in Community Services where she worked extensively with community members and groups to enhance the quality of life in Cochrane. Understanding different people and responding to their needs in a caring, transparent, and efficient manner is one of Suzanne’s strengths which results in strong relationships and excellent customer service.

 

As a long time Cochrane resident, Suzanne has a passion for the community and is excited to be opening a small business providing a new service to the community. Suzanne has been making wine for over 30 years and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and love of wine.

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Stuart Ray

Stuart worked for 35 years with the City of Calgary, Towns of Hinton and Olds, starting as a summer student and finishing his tenure in Olds as the Director of Community Services. Upon leaving municipal government he operated a guiding and outfitting business in Alberta for several years.

 

An opportunity presented itself to become the Executive Director for a not for profit educational association. He has amazing customer service skills and public relations acumen that have led to his success in whatever business he has been involved with.  

 

Stuart has lived in Cochrane for 12 years and has volunteered on the Town of Cochrane Assessment Appeal Board for 8 years. Stuart has been making wine for13 years and is excited to bring a ferment on premise business to Cochrane now that it's allowed in Alberta. 

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Partners In Wine

Together, Suzanne and Stuart are an unstoppable team. With the right skills, knowledge, attitude, determination, and community connections, they are well on their way to making Vintner’s Cellar Cochrane a successful business. They are thrilled to have helped over 90 people make their own wine in the first month of business - that's 2,700 bottles! Wine experts Suzanne and Stuart make it easy and enjoyable to make your own wine, providing everything you need from start to finish. 

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Stop in to say hi and learn more about creating your own custom wine! And in the meantime, make sure to check out our videos & follow us on Facebook!