[ BUSINESS ]
THE GREATEST GIFT ANYONE CAN GIVE
IS TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH PEOPLE,
HELP PEOPLE – ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO
CAN’T HELP THEMSELVES.”
- Rossana Magnotta
Festa Juice was not able to sell wine – only non-alcoholic juice. It
was then that the Magnottas decided to buy a winery called Charal,
located in Blenheim, Ontario near London. “At the time, the 1990
recession hit and many people lost their jobs, many people lost everything. But we wanted to make and sell wine. Can you imagine?”
she said. “We were so naïve. We had a dream. We wanted to build
a winery that carried our name so that we could pass it on to our
children.” Charal had the license, Magnotta knew how to make
wine – so all they had to do was sell it to the LCBO. Just before they
were going to ship the wine, the LCBO closed their doors on the
small winery. Ten years tied up in litigation with the big boys ended
up in a win for Magnotta.
Although the entrepreneurs had a creative vision for their product,
nothing could have prepared them for that moment. “When you’re
faced with a challenge like that, it really tests your resolve. Although
we won the ten-year battle with the LCBO, we still lost – we lost money, a lot of emotion, time and all kinds of things,” recalls Rossana.
“Fear can actually paralyze you and kill you, but it allowed me to open
my eyes, to give me the push to make me fight, to really evaluate
the situation better than I probably would have because I was more
alert.” Rossana is not afraid to say, “this industry is a very bureaucratic, political industry, and when you look at the liquor business, it’s
pretty clear who runs it and what their expectations are, and it’s an old
boy’s club. We were the real fighters back then. We were the David
and Goliath story and people loved us.”
As much as this story is now cemented in the past, it’s part of their
history. “It made Gabe and I stronger,” continues Rossana. “Through
all of this, we built a nucleus of great employees who stayed with us
through thick and thin.” One of the key ingredients to a successful
business lies in its people – the employees. Rossana recognized this
long ago and says, “You have to create the right rapport and treat
them like human beings, like part of a family. It takes energy and it
takes authenticity to do it. The employees know we are the underdog.
How do you compete with the government when the government is
your regulator and your competitor?”
One other component that differentiates Magnotta from other wineries is their continuous generosity. “I really care about the condition of
humanity. The condition that people are living in and the lack of support that a lot of the underprivileged, and the sick in our community
are faced with. I think from the beginning, before I knew Gabe
was going to die due to complications with Lyme, before I knew that
the company was going to have a very special charity, I began to use
the winery as a vehicle to give back. I hope to continue to give back
as long as we can.”
Magnotta’s success is deeply rooted in good business practices. Every year for the past 15 years, Magnotta participates in a rigorous
evaluation, part of which is based on how the company is investing
and what environmental practices they have in place. “We want to
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Celebrate Vaughan / 2016
know how we measure up,” says Rossana. “Just like when we send a
wine to a competition, we want to see how we fare against the best in
the world, against number one. We want to make sure we don’t stop
doing good things because when you stop, the world gets ahead of
you. You need to stay one step ahead.”
After the loss of her husband, Rossana created the G. Magnotta
Foundation, a non-profit organization to advance research in Lyme
Disease. Rossana wanted to create a foundation to focus on human tissue research. “The point of the research is to understand
the relationship of the bacteria in the human body,” says Rossana.
“Can you believe that in Canada we have not done human tissue
research? Lyme Disease is one of the top 10 misdiagnosed diseases
in our country.”
As an advocate for Lyme Disease research, Rossana says, “although my heart has always been my business, I have to tell you
that healthcare and Lyme Disease research are my soul. I’ve made
a full circle from healthcare, to the wine business, then back to the
place where I’m happiest. The greatest gift anyone can give is to
reach out and touch people, help people – especially those who
can’t help themselves.”
Rossana has always been an active businesswoman in the City of
Vaughan. She is proud to be sharing her 25th Anniversary with
the City. “We go way back,” she says of the City. “We started the
first tourism office, the Chamber of Commerce of which I was
President. I was always involved in the community and continue to
support it because I truly care about it. If there are any issues in
the City, I’m there fighting, defending people’s rights.”
When I asked Rossana about the Philanthropic Award given to her
by the City last year, I knew I struck a chord. “I was very touched
by Mayor Bevilacqua’s comments, especially what he said about us as
a couple. He knew my husband for many years and truly has a lot of
respect for us. I was really touched.”
Rossana Magnotta truly is a Renaissance woman. As a mother, a
wife, a philanthropist and biochemist, it seems she has already done
more than most could in a lifetime. What’s next for this warrior?
She is also an athlete! She had the potential to make the Olympic
Skeet team many years ago. After Gabe passed, she picked up the
sport again. She was approached to go back to her club, where she
has qualified for the Canadian Women’s Olympic team. She says
with a laugh, “I think I’m the oldest person alive in this competitive arena. I was patient and now I’m here competing with 19 and
20-year-olds.”
As she competes against the younger and stronger participants, she is
reminded of the many challenges she has overcome and is ready to
enter the next chapter of her life. Rossana knows that whatever challenges come her way, she is prepared to fight. After all, isn’t that what
a true warrior does?