Flickerwood Wine Cellars
The financing package was like “an angel came down from the sky.’
People
Ron Zampogna and his son, Richard, turned wine-making from a hobby into a small business. The state’s decision to turn nearby Route 6 from a rural thoroughfare to a well-marketed nature and heritage corridor got them thinking bigger. With an expansion of their wine cellar, they could double production. Upstairs, they could build a lounge and sell their wines by the glass.
Progress
Ron looked at bank loans, before being referred to The Progress Fund. When he compared financing options, he found that the Fund’s $197,309 proposal, including a loan from the state’s First Industries Fund, saved him $40,000 in interest. It was like “an angel came down from the sky,” he said.
Impact
More of Ron’s award-winning wine means more visitors to Route 6. It also means two full-time hires. And since more than 75 percent of the grapes that go into Ron’s wines are grown in-state, the effects extend throughout the vineyards of the Northern Tier. “I’m more than glad to support Pennsylvania agriculture,” Ron said. Visitors with discriminating palates are more than glad he does, too.
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