The Gypset, Vol 3: Why I Chose to Reimagine Everything After 16 Years
From Elenteny Imports to Elysia & Co: Why I Chose to Reimagine Everything After 16 Years
“The stories that matter most are built on meaningful company foundations — ones that resonate because of the inner joy someone else feels when they interact with that business.”
One of the most difficult things to do as a CEO is to make incredibly difficult business decisions without complete information. You read the data. You trust your gut. You lean into your team. And then you act. The past 16 years in wine and spirits felt exactly like that — storming like a bull, receding like a bear.
We witnessed the glory years: an expanding import market, thriving portfolios, and a culture that couldn't get enough of discovery wines. Then came the headwinds. U.S. wine sales fell approximately 6% in 2024 alone. Global wine consumption has dropped to its lowest point since 1961. Categories like Prosecco and Sancerre face price points that remain stubbornly rigid even as consumer habits shift and international tariffs apply new pressure daily. The industry is in a reset. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn't paying attention.
However, something is hibernating that is quickly coming to life…
Drinks businesses across the U.S. are focusing. Tightening — not just operationally, but around the story they're telling themselves and the marketplace. Brands that evolve with market shifts carry a grit that turns into the success stories we actually remember. The stories that matter most are built on meaningful company foundations — ones that resonate because of the inner joy someone else feels when they interact with that business.
When I founded Elenteny Imports in 2010, the environment was brutal in its own way. Interest rates were high, lenders were tight, and the euro soared. Today's economy looks strikingly similar. As well, our industry historically cycles through consolidation and de-consolidation, where bespoke, purpose-driven products rise to the top and topple brands that have grown less relevant. That cycle is very much in motion right now despite, or in rescue of, the current landscape.
Elenteny Imports has been along for this ride. After 16 years — and two years of deep internal work since I took the helm — I made the decision to rebrand.
We're now Elysia & Co. This wasn't a rebrand born from a marketing strategy. It was born from truth. When I couldn't find a way to beat the system, I built one. And 16 years in, I haven't stopped building. For the past several challenging years, our team has been doing the harder, quieter work: digging into our foundation, rebuilding our vision, priming new skills and asking ourselves what wine and spirits companies will actually need from a logistics partner in the future? The answer to this has nothing to do with outfoxing competitors. It had everything to do with the kind of infrastructure this industry has been waiting for.
For those who don't know, Elysia & Co does something most forwarders and distributors don't — we import and distribute, under one roof.
50-state wholesale. Direct-to-retail in NY, NJ, and CA. Purchase order execution, carrier management, supplier consolidation, customs clearance, drayage, warehousing, price posting, tax filing, and last-mile delivery — all executed by one partner who knows your business inside and out, and frees you to run it. This isn't traditional distribution support. It's modern logistics for wine and spirit businesses who refuse to play small.
I'm optimistic!
These days, I spend more time building a community than anything else. When our employees feel a deep sense of pride in the work we do — and they do — they naturally obsess over our customers. They show up fully when a client is navigating a customs crisis or a brutal shipment delay. They absorb the stress so our partners don't have to.
The evolution into Elysia & Co is founded on what I call "right relationship" — with our professional community, our customers, and our vendor partners. That balance, when you get it right, creates the kind of belonging that sustains a business through any market cycle.
What's in a name?
Elysia is my middle name. In allegory, it is the promised land — a place of arrival after a long and worthy journey. Our logo features a mermaid. She is a guiding light. Her energy represents luck and safe passage for the sailor who presses on through uncertain waters. In an industry navigating one of its most challenging chapters, I wanted this new brand to stand for exactly that: the courage to keep going, and the wisdom to do it with intention.
Elysia & Co is a nod to the future with the glow of innovation that our industry so bravely follows. To our customers, partners, and the broader wine and spirits community: the team you trust is still here. The commitment is deeper than ever. The name has changed because we have grown, and we want the world to see it.
In the words of my friend Tim Elenteny: "Onward!"
Elysia & Co. is modern logistics for wine and spirit businesses who refuse to play small. 50-state wholesale. Direct-to-retail in NY, NJ & CA. Source-to-shelf, under one roof.
LCL CASES TO CLOSE THESE LANES
*Germany to NY: Building new container
*Austria to NY: Full
*Portugal to NY: Full, building new container
*Spain to Oakland: 550 cases
*France to Oakland: Full, need 600 cases for next container
*France to NC: 350 cases
*Italy to NC: 150 Cases
*Italy to Oakland: Building new container
*South America to NY: 850 cases
A TWIST OF NEWS
Latest Tariff Update
The Court of International Trade (CIT) ordered CBP to liquidate and reprocess entries without tariffs—resulting in refunds to importers. While this is great news, the exact refund process still needs to be determined. Read More About the CIT decision
New tariff rate:
Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary announced the new 10% tariff will rise to 15% this week. We haven't received official confirmation from CBP, but expect the change imminently. Treasury announcement details
How Energy Prices Could Soar if Iran War Grinds On fuel surcharges back in effect.
UPCOMING TRADE EVENTS
This spring is packed with wine industry trade shows, bringing together producers, buyers, and distributors from across the globe! A great chance to make connections and see what’s trending in the business.
ProWein Düsseldorf March 15-17
Vinitaly April 12-15
London Wine Fair May 18-20
Sao Paulo Wine Fair June 9-12
