STEPping into International Success
A chance encounter in 2013 sparked the beginning of what would become Velour Imports, experts in supplying craft beer, wine, cider, and spirits to Latin America and the Caribbean. While working at the Houston Food Bank in logistics and transportation, Founder & CEO Brooke Sinclair met a volunteer who had a friend looking to import wine from their vineyard in Argentina. Brooke was skeptical at first but knew with her skillset this could be an opportunity to make something big. With the aid of Business Research Assistance from the University of Houston Small Business Development Center and one-on-one business counseling she came to find out that the real market of opportunity was the other way around- exporting. And specifically, the tourism demand for craft beer at luxury resorts and hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean.
To get the business off the ground and with little capital to invest, Brooke knew she needed... Read More