Moirae Choquette and the love of Lambrusco
In the bustling world of entrepreneurship, a new venture often starts with a spark of creativity. For Moirae Choquette, that spark was ignited by intuition and a love of good wine. Tomato Wheels, originally a spice and kitchenware company that Choquette began in 2019, evolved through numerous pivots to become the well known Lambrusco brand it is today. We sat down with Choquette to learn more about the power of intuition, perseverance, and the magic that happens when passion meets purpose
What was your career path prior to becoming an entrepreneur?
I never set out to be an entrepreneur. My first job in the marketing and communications field was at Edmonton Economic Development. I had so much freedom for creativity and that’s where I fell in love with experiential marketing. Then I moved on to the world of tech and I worked with Jobber. Whether it was brand partnerships or their influencer marketing program, I got to connect with a lot of entrepreneurs and started to understand the business of an entrepreneur. I took a lot of that knowledge with me and when I went to work for goodmorning.com in Edmonton; that’s where I learned about research data.
Looking back, I was learning all these things, but I had no clue why. It was during my time at goodmorning.com where I really dove into my creativity. I started this side business called Tomato Wheels off the side of my desk and worked on it on the weekends and in my free time. At that time, it was launching as a spice company, so very different from where we are today.
Through all of the pivots the company took, from spices to kitchenware, I was learning how to do all of these things to ultimately pivot to Lambrusco, which is what we are today.
Tell us about those pivots.
Once we launched kitchenware, kitchen towels, and wooden spoons, I wondered how often I was going to get repeat customers from the network I had, as people weren’t buying wooden spoons or kitchen towels every month. I realized I would need some pretty big marketing dollars to compete within the industry because there are so many huge brands doing the same thing. At that point, I knew there was still a lot to learn. I continued to take baby steps hoping the universe would show me the way. I’ve always been a very intuitive person. When the idea of Lambrusco (a red wine I had fallen in love with in Italy) popped into my head and wouldn’t leave, I knew it was an intuitive calling. At the time, I knew nothing about wine, but I knew how to do research and I knew marketing. I figured I could use everything that I had learned to launch this passion into a business.
Lambrusco is somewhat unique. Tell us more about why this wine called to you.
I discovered Lambrusco years ago when I was visiting Italy and wanted it to be like what I had tried and fell in love with there. It is a sparkling red wine that is meant to be served chilled. Lambruscos can range from super sweet to incredibly dry, but I didn’t want ours to be sweet. I wanted it to be very approachable for anybody trying it for the first time, but also enjoyable for Lambrusco lovers who understand and know the product. It is truly a quintessential food wine. We say that it is meant to be sipped eight days a week. It works from lunchtime to nightcaps, because it is so drinkable.
The label is eye-catching. Tell us more about the design.
We put out a call for artists and one of the options that came across my desk was a local Edmonton artist named Lee Kreklewetz. Her art is phenomenal. Her pieces are so unique and creative and they really spoke to me. I knew this was the artwork that I wanted on the bottle of Tomato Wheels Lambrusco.
How do you pay it forward now that you’ve seen this success?
Giving back has always been a passion of mine. When I moved to downtown Edmonton for the first time, I wanted to know my community and who I was living with. So once a month, I would make a big pot of chili and give it out to whoever needed it.
I’d sling it out of the back of my car and meet the people who live downtown who don’t necessarily have the same means as me, and it led to many meaningful conversations. I quickly learned that this wasn’t just for them; it was for me, too. We also launched our Nudes for Nood[le]s calendar, a campaign that collects proceeds for fighting food insecurity while also celebrating body diversity and beauty in all human forms.
What are your non-negotiable luxuries that you need to lead a good life?
Great company, good food and a bottle of Tomato Wheels Lambrusco! But seriously, having the ability to work from inspired action versus feeling obligated to do something, has made my life more authentic. Seeing the tiny joys in life, being grateful and taking a moment to thank the universe has been necessary for me to go with the flow. Freedom and flexibility allow me to travel and go wherever the Lambrusco is. Those things combined allow me to enjoy life!
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