Hatboro’s Cyrenity Sips, a Black-owned micro-winery, wins grant

The micro-winery in a small town was not her first idea. She initially tried to find a storefront in Philadelphia proper, she says, but was unable to find the proper setup.

“We do the whole fermentation process — from first fermentation, second fermentation, clearing, then we do the bottle and label and cork all here on the premises,” she said.

Instead, she “fell in love with a window” that offers more pedestrian traffic with regular events on the town’s main street, like cruise nights, where vintage cars roll down the block.

Williams sources grapes from around the world, from South Africa to Chile, but also in the U.S., such as California and New York.

The winemaking process depends on the type of wine, she said.

“For red wines, I extend the process from eight months to a year,” she said. “But for fruit wine you can do it in four months. The wine will tell you when it’s done.”

Williams said she’d love to own a vineyard someday, but that feels like a stretch right now.

“It’s so much work. And the machinery is expensive,” she said. “But our goal next year is to triple our sales.”

One way she plans to do that is offer the winery as an event space for parties and expand her reach at restaurants.

“We want to take the pretentiousness out of wine so everyone can enjoy it,” she said.

Online shoppers likely won’t get any boozy sugar plum dreams in the mailbox before mid-January.

Online shopping cart abandonment can be an issue due to the cost for shipping fragile boxes, which can be upwards of $20, Williams said.

The shop doesn’t ship to Delaware because it’s against the law. Nor does it ship to New Jersey, which requires extra cost for the business. 

Like many small business owners, Williams isn’t doing any more last minute, on-demand shipping from her shop until after Jan. 5, 2024.

Instead, she’s interested in cherishing “precious moments with family.”