KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan’s first African American female winemaker didn’t expect to earn that title.
Nicole Rochè has owned a private counseling practice for more than two decades and is the founder of Black Wall Street Kalamazoo . She is also the CEO and winemaker of the Rochè Collection and its tasting room, the Twine Urban Winery, in downtown Kalamazoo.
She said she represents less than 1% of of the wine industry.
“I am appreciative to be able to be a part of Black presence in history. It’s not what I set out to be, but it’s always an honor when you find out that your life is making a difference and you are attributing to things that your ancestors first started out to do to do,” she said.
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She said becoming the state’s first African American female winemaker came as a bit of a surprise, but it’s something she doesn’t take lightly.