Proprietor
JAK Meyer
Following a career in the investment business and raising two young girls, Sydney and Kamryn, Janice and I decided to completely change directions and get into the wine business. We set out to establish ourselves as one of BC’s top wineries focusing on small-lot premium Chardonnay and later Pinot Noir. The plan was to surround ourselves with the best people in each area. We enlisted James Cluer and Rhys Pender to build our business plan. The final piece of the puzzle was to hire Chris Carson who had just returned to Canada after honing his skills and education in Central Otago. We now spend our days actively in sales, administration, tastings, events, viticulture, winemaking (cleaning tanks), landscaping and wherever else the experts will let us. Our tasting room was completed in 2010, we look forward to seeing you here.
Proprietor
Janice Stevens-Meyer
With a background of both public practice accounting, and many years in the food and beverage business, the winery has become the perfect career choice for Janice. She brings a keen interest and understanding of the business to the organization and is responsible for all the accounting, payroll, bookkeeping, and management. She is often seen at events or at the winery pouring wine.
Winemaker & Viticulturist
Chris Carson
Chris returned to Canada in 2008 after eight years spent in New Zealand, California and Montrachet. He brings his expertise in crafting award winning wines. Chris is hands on in the vineyard, following the grape from pruning to harvest and creating small lot hand-crafted wines. He especially loves the heartbreak grape, Pinot Noir and supervised the planting of 9,000 new Pinot Noir vines in early 2009 at our estate vineyard on McLean Creek Road. Chris is a graduate of Lincoln University in Canterbury, New Zealand with his Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology and he brings with him his extensive enthusiasm and skills in all areas of winemaking and production.
Assistant Winemaker
Ajay Chavan
Ajay is Australian born, New Zealand raised. After receiving a cricket scholarship out of secondary school, he completed the Oenology program at Lincoln University in Christchurch, NZ. Ajay did his first winemaking vintage in 2012 and worked later harvests in Austria, New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. Ajay set his sights on BC to discover more about this young wine region and be closer to family in the Pacific Northwest. After working at Checkmate in Oliver for more than four years, he is excited about the new challenges and opportunities awaiting him at Meyer. Off the clock you are most likely to see Ajay enjoying the Okanagan backcountry, playing tennis and snowboarding once the snow arrives.
Wine Club Coordinator
Julia McKay
Julia is native to Naramata, which sparked her love of the small farming communities of the South Okanagan that have now become winemaking communities. After completing her degree in French Literature and wining and dining her way through Western Europe a few times, she moved back to the South Okanagan in 2013. A long-time member of the MFV wine club herself, Julia couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with some of her favourite wines in the valley with a view of Peach Cliff. When she is not at work you will find Julia walking her two dogs, wine tasting with her husband or dancing on a patio somewhere.
Sales Representative
Angela Grant
Angela was raised by a mother who could make the cheapest 1.5L of Chardonnay last sometimes up to a year, so it was much to her surprise when Angela took a wine class as part of the Hotel & Restaurant Management Program at Algonquin College in Ottawa that she did in fact actually enjoy wine! Angela has a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in History from Cape Breton University. She has completed Wine & Spirit Education Trust level 2 & 3 and enjoys continuing to learn about wine though traveling different wine regions of the world. Angela has worked as a Beverage Director for Redwater Rustic Grille in Calgary, managing their wine cellar of 250 wines & offering the staff education on wine.
Superstars
Ken & Heather Staicesku
Ken & Heather joined the team in 2011 after a recent move from Northern Alberta to explore their passion of landscaping and horticulture. Ken wears many hats here at MFV… viticulture assistant, cellar-hand, warehouse manager, mechanic, builder, and in 2011 he was even one of our tasting room associates! Owner and operator of “Blue Bird Yardworks”, Heather and her side-kick Jesse keep our gardens looking stunning all season.
Accounting Team
Sholeh, Janice & Janet
Our talented accounting team works hard every day to keep us all in cheques! Janet and Sholeh came to Meyer in 2015 and 2019 respectively. They both moved here from BC’s coast in search of warm weather and four seasons! Janet loves raising her daughter in the Okanagan with so much to explore outdoors. Sholeh moved with her husband and two sons from Ladysmith and started working in the accounting field shortly after moving to the Okanagan.