After 26 years, Mikel O. has Retired!
As you all know, 2013 was a landmark year for us at Castoro Cellars. We celebrated 30 years in business and with that comes a lot of memories, emotions and great wine! Being around that long also means change, transition and new chapters in an ever-evolving story. One chapter that is hard to see come to a close is that of our longest-term employee and Assistant Winemaker Mikel Olsten. After 26 years of employment, Mikel has decided to retire and start a new chapter in his life, and as hard as it is to see him go, we couldn’t be happier for him and he will always be a part of the Castoro family!
Mikel’s relationship with Niels and Bimmer goes way back to a time when Castoro Cellars was merely an idea and short shorts and mustaches ruled the land. Mikel met Niels and Bimmer while playing on a co-ed softball team in SLO called “Foul Play” around 1980 or 81 and soon became their friend and landlord. At the time, Niels and Bimmer were in the beginning phases of Castoro Cellars and Mikel was working carpentry and construction, building homes from start to finish. Niels had begun to do some private label work for local restaurants and from time to time would need a hand labeling the bottles. As a good neighbor would (and budding winemaker), Mikel always helped out when he could, and Niels never seemed to be short on things that needed to be done.
Eventually Mikel began working for Castoro Cellars half time, which seemed to always be more like full time, and in 1987 became Castoro’s first full time employee. Having studied Biology and Chemistry at Cal Poly, winemaking was right up Mikel’s alley and Castoro seemed to be a perfect fit. When I asked Mikel what kept him around so long he said, “I always liked the family-oriented philosophy of Castoro and liking the people I work with and for are big reasons I made a career of it. I also like that each day presents new challenges that need to be tackled and there never seems to be a shortage of projects to work on.” Mikel also told me that working with Tom Myers has been a real pleasure over the years. “There is always something new to learn from Tom, even 20 years later!”
More recently Mikel took on the project of setting up and mastering our new Grappa Still. For the past few months Mikel spent his time tinkering with the still and every aspect of the distillation process to make sure we are on track to produce high quality spirits from the start. For those of you who were fortunate enough to taste some of Mikel’s Grappa and Brandy at our Pick-up party, you know how special it was!
In his retirement Mikel plans to spend more time with his family and most importantly his Grandson Corbin. As a matter of fact, as I write this, Mikel is in Hawaii with the whole family, and if I had to guess he’s probably teaching Corbin to snorkel or build sand castles right now! You will also find Mikel out riding his motorcycle and skiing down the slopes of Mammoth Mountain. As hard as it is to see Mikel go, he has truly earned his retirement and we know he couldn’t be happier.
Mikel will continue to involved in Castoro Cellars by attending festivals and events, so when you see him, give him a hug, a hand shake or a pat on the back and thank him for all the years he spent making this company what it is today!
Cheers to Mikel’s next chapter!
Castoro crew!
