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Founder of Spanish Vines Is Among Top Young Entrepreneurs in BusinessWeek


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Moore School alumnus Josh Hackler (BS '08) has earned the No. 4 spot among "2008's Best Entrepreneurs 25 and Under" in BusinessWeek. Hackler is the owner of Spanish Vines, an importer of Spanish wine and foods, which he began in 2006 while an undergraduate at Moore.

Nominations for "Best Entrepreneurs" were submitted through the SmallBiz channel of BusinessWeek’s Web site, and readers nominated their favorite young businesspeople online.

 The concept for Spanish Vines grew after Hackler's experiences in Spain, first as a 14-year-old traveling with his parents, then as a college student studying abroad in Oviedo. During the latter, Hackler became friends with a local restaurant owner who had contacts with local vineyards.

Hacker first imported two wines made from traditional Spanish grapes - one red and one white - under his label. He recently expanded his selection to five wines and has plans to import cheese and other foods.

The Spanish Vines Tempranillo (red) wine received a silver medal in the 2006 Madrid International Wine Fair and was recognized by Wine Enthusiast as a "Best Buy" among Spanish wines. The Macabeo (white) wine was a recognized wine in the 2006 Bacchus Wine Competition in Madrid, Spain.

Spanish Vines was also featured on the wineenthusiast.com Web site in April of this year. That same month, Hackler was honored as the first runner-up in the 2008 South Carolina Collegiate Entrepreneurship Award Competition at the annual S.C. Small Business Administration awards.

Hackler works out of an office in the USC Student Technology Incubator in downtown Columbia. From there, he is expanding his business throughout the Carolinas, and plans to spread nationally.

The Spanish Vines Web site, www.spanishvines.com,  features information on wines and travel and includes an interactive page where visitors can sign up and add their own travel tips and comments. 

Gail Crouch
September 2008