The many careers of Sonoma Valley’s Taylor Serres

Longtime friend Marcia Nelson describes Taylor Serres most aptly: “She is sort of the quintessential 21st century modern woman. There’s nothing cliché about her. You can’t stick her in any particular mold.”

With one hand firmly steeped in barrels of blueberries and tubs of wine grapes, while the other explores the freezing world of cryotherapy, Serres is a contemporary renaissance woman who celebrates her family’s heritage while also carving out her own path. A career in agriculture was pretty much a given for a girl who grew up on a 200-acre Sonoma ranch surrounded by cattle and grapes. And to those who know her well, opening an unrelated business wasn’t a stretch either.

“She’s got guts. She’s got gumption. She shoots guns and is 100% goodness,” Nelson said.

She and husband Gary Nelson have known Serres since she was a child. They describe her as a leader with incredible honor, honesty and integrity, something that “is baked in her from her family stock,” Gary Nelson said

Serres is the fifth generation to work the land that has been in the family since 1924. Her brothers’ children will be the sixth generation.

A few years back, her parents Judy and John Serres attended a workshop focused on family-run businesses. Pat Stornetta, of another multigenerational family-run business in Sonoma County, said she had a “good rule of thumb,” Judy said. That was to make sure the children worked outside of the family business for five years before joining that operation full time.

It gives them “perspective” and “exposure” to how other businesses are operated and managed, Judy said. The young adults then bring experience gained in the so-called outside world back to the family industry. John Serres Sr. said his children “self-imposed” that rule.

“They didn’t want people in town to say, ‘Oh, you’ve got a silver spoon’,” he said. Taylor, 31, and her older brothers John, 38, and Buck, 35, all went out to work for someone else, and they all came back to put to work what they’ve learned.

For Taylor Serres, that meant five years at Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance and nearly two years helping to launch the private sporting club Wing and Barrel Ranch (owned by Darius Anderson, who is also the managing partner of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns the Sonoma Index-Tribune).

The Serres family businesses in which Taylor is involved include wine grape growing, a blueberry farm, construction and, most recently, a wine label. The family’s first release of still wine will come out on Oct. 1, Taylor said.

Already on the market is their carbonated wine beverage Bleusé, which is made from blueberries and grapes, and can be found locally at Sonoma Market, Baker & Cook, Delicious Dish and Sonoma’s Best. It’s not a sweet beverage, Taylor said, but it is refreshing and at 8.5% alcohol, it has a kick.

“She’s basically the backbone of Bleusé,” said her brother John. “Even though my brother and I are partners, she is by far the reason it is anything today.”

Taylor is described as “hardworking and determined” by Maureen Cottingham, who for 17 years – until April — was executive director of Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. “I set a goal of soliciting 100 magnums for the Magnum Force Auction lot. In the past we only had 18 magnums in the lot, when I set the 100-bottle goal for Taylor, she brought in over 120. She is a rock star,” Cottingham said.

Taylor has always liked making money, said Judy, a trait she shares with her daughter. It’s a love that began early on for Taylor, who raised and sold livestock with Future Farmers of America and 4H Club.

“She was always really good at it. She loved counting (the money),” Judy said, adding that Taylor has been “extremely organized” even as a child.

At around 6 years old, Taylor had a friend stay over the night before a field trip. When it was time to go, Taylor presented to her mother with the friend’s paper-clipped permission form and other necessary school documents. Her father John called Taylor his “go-to person,” because she is “competent” and “doesn’t miss a thing.”

Smart and a good student, “She didn’t need help with her homework; she was self-directed,” Judy said.

Taylor excelled as a student at Sonoma Valley High School and in 2008 was crowned Dairy Princess. She earned the title – which came with the responsibility of representing the dairy industry – partially based on her involvement in raising a calf every year for the 4H Club’s Replacement Heifer Program.

Taylor still lives on the 200-acre farm, sharing a home with her fiancé Guido Munrig. It’s a fitting place for someone who said she’s always known she wanted to work in agriculture.

“She had ag on her mind from day one,” said her father. “She loved the horses. She loved the cows. She’d come with me as a little kid,” to feed the animals. “She was ag-based from the go.”

She also completed a year in the California Ag Leadership program, which Cottingham described as “a premier leadership development program, the most respected and longest-running of its kind.”

But grapes, blueberries and cattle are not her only venture. Looking to help her father relieve his constant hip pain, Taylor followed a friend’s advice to try cryotherapy. When she realized that the treatment was effective, she said she knew she wanted to jump on the opportunity to open the first cryo business in Sonoma in November, 2019.

“Taylor consistently stretches herself and jumps into programs that take her out of her comfort zone, forcing her to learn new things but also that makes her a true leader,” Cottingham said.

Taylor said weathering the pandemic wasn’t easy for Sonoma Cryo, and she and her staff closed up shop for a while, but were able to reopen and continue operations.

“If I had a crystal ball, I probably would have done it at a different time,” she said. “I feel like we’ve made it through the hardest part.”

Sonoma Cryo has added new equipment such as infrared sauna, normatec compression, aquaroll, red light natural-wave technology and cryoskin.

“Hopefully we can continue to expand our horizons and bring health and wellness to the Valley,” Taylor added.

While representing a well-known family and brand, Taylor Serres is bringing her own touch to the business, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Taylor is a great leader in our local wine community and provides a wonderful perspective that balances her multigenerational roots with being innovative and forward thinking about farming and wine,” said Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. “She has been an important member of our Sonoma County Winegrowers board and is well respected.”