Business Unit: Rootstock MN

Caren was born in California and spent her childhood as a Girl Scout in the Sierra Foothills. Attending the great outdoors has always enlivened and enriched her soul. The formation of knowing herself has always been as a part of nature! At the precipice of her adolescent years, her family moved to the Twin Cities. She lived in the Cities from then through college at the U of MN, where she studied fine arts and humanities while working full-time in the service industry. 

After graduating in 2008, she tucked her degree away to pursue freedom—moving back to the west coast; this time to Ashland, OR, a small town at the convergence of the Cascade and Siskiyou Mountains. She searched her soul in the mountains and found her livelihood and community in the town; where she worked at a small micro-brewpub that focused on seasonal and local food. Here she learned about craft-brewing and the profound beauty of artisanal cuisine.  At the same time, she discovered opportunities to explore local vineyards and wineries in the Rogue Valley and Applegate. 

Wanderlust and friendship led her to move to New Orleans in 2010, where she found her way into the world of fine-dining in a culture that loved dining!  She had the opportunity to work and learn with incredibly talented chefs and sommeliers; thus, deepening her understanding of culinary artistry and entering the ideosphere of the formalization of gastro-sensory pleasure. She found her passion in creating cocktail menus and wine-pairing, developing an understanding of the science, beauty and magic of flavor. 

In 2015, she returned to Southern Oregon to give birth to her daughter; seeking a more rustic backdrop for her new family. She completed the intro course with Court of Master Sommeliers, and worked for a local beverage distributor as their fine-wine specialist; connecting local wineries to businesses in the area. She then left the industry to develop her homestead in Cave Junction in the end of 2017. She took to growing her children and garden; and finding a deep and profound connection to the cycles of nature.

Recently, she decided it was time to move her family back to Minnesota to find home. In so many ways, finding a place at Rootstock is full-circle: back at home in Minnesota, back at home in the service-sphere, and connecting people to the pleasure of beautifully crafted wine that holistically inspires— not only your palate; but our community of humans and our community with nature!

Jeff has spent over 30 years in and around wine and the wine business. As the founding partner of Miller
Brown, Jeff worked closely with Robert Mondavi Winery, Chateau Montelena, Hess, Markham, Newton,
amongst others in marketing and selling their wines. Before jumping into the wine and spirits world, Jeff
worked at Apple in the early years leading the HAL team focusing on setting Apples innovation culture
and trends. He has also been CEO and Board Chair of both public and private companies, and was the
founder or partner in several entrepreneurial business ventures and nonprofits. He’s been called a
thought leader in start ups creating market leading strategy, innovation, branding, and marketing. Mr.
Brown has spent over 14 years as an advisor and marketer in the alcohol beverage industry from both
the distributor and producer sectors. He was part of the team that worked with Robert Mondavi and
Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild to bring Opus One wine to the market. He
loves working with retailers and restauranteurs to create unique selections of wine to please their
customers palates.

Pouring wine for event tastings in the Shenandoah Valley while starting her teaching career in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s kick-started Tania into the wine industry.  Wine education classes at U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Davis along with working in the Santa Cruz Mountains tasting room of Ridge Vineyards contributed to her developing passion about wine.  Tania has explored the various wine regions in California and Europe with a focus on France and an adoration for Burgundy, Champagne, and Jura.

Tania’s spouse shares her passion for wine and together they continue to explore the California wine regions of Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo Counties and Santa Barbara County.  They recently moved their primary home to Minnesota to reunite family and Tania began working for Rootstock.  They keep California close by maintaining a second home to stay connected to the Pacific Ocean, friends, Sierra Mountains for skiing and wine, of course.

 

Josh grew up in Southern California, but moved to the Midwest in middle school when his father got a job in Minot, North Dakota. When his family moved back to California at the end of his high school career, Josh decided to stay in North Dakota, attending the University of Jamestown where he got a B.A. in History and attending University of North Dakota, where he worked toward getting an M.A. in Community Counseling. During this time, Josh worked in various restaurants and enjoyed spending his visits with family in California touring local wineries and developing his knowledge and passion for wine. After working in mental health for several years, he decided that his passion was in food and beverage, and he rejoined the restaurant industry in a management capacity in Fargo and Sioux Falls for almost a decade, during which time he successfully passed his Certified Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers. He continues to demonstrate his passion for wine education and appreciation in the Fargo-Moorhead area and after joining the Rootstock team in late 2022, he has continued to be instrumental in helping start the expansion of Rootstock/Worldwide Cellars wines in various locations in North Dakota. He is currently the Rootstock Account Manager for Fargo-Moorhead and northern Lakes Country, MN. In his free time, Josh enjoys traveling and especially visiting wine regions, golfing, binging prestige television, and cooking.