Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
december 2015 / the tasting panel / 1 19 A s a Senior Vice President for Starbucks, Clarice Turner wanted a safe, familiar place to hang out and sip a glass of wine on business trips. Not the hotel bar, and not in her room with the mini-fridge. "I'd be traveling alone in a foreign city, and around 4:30 in the afternoon, I'd wish I had a glass of wine or small plate to hold me over until dinner," says Turner, whose experience and keen eye for potential led to the launch of "Starbucks Evenings" in 2010, a popular program that offers wine, craft beer and small plates in 170 Starbucks coffeehouses nation- wide. "My experience as a woman traveling for business forced me to look at Starbucks' footprint and realize it was a huge business opportunity." Turner has wine in her blood, dating back to her great- great-grandfather, a French émigré who came to California during the Gold Rush and later planted vineyards in Sonoma County. As a child growing up in Mendocino County's tiny town of Talmage, Turner was surrounded by Italian immi- grant families who farmed vineyards and made wine. Life in the country with little money influenced Turner profoundly throughout her life. "My entrepreneurial side comes from the responsibility I had as a child," she says. "My parents equipped me with the tools I needed for life. They placed no limits on me." With that bootstrapping spirit, Turner put herself through ten years of undergrad and graduate school during which she worked "in every restaurant and hospitality position you can name." Some of that work included two years study- ing in The People's Republic of China, where she learned Mandarin and experienced a vastly different culture. "It wasn't the commerce environment that you see now," she recalls. "I had to stand in line with a ticket to get milk or yogurt because everything was still being rationed. It was quite a culture shock." After graduate school, Turner was recruited into a 16-year career with both PepsiCo and Yum! brands in which she performed a variety of roles from licensing and franchis- ing up to acting as Taco Bell's National Director for U.S. Operations. When Papa Murphy's called to recruit Turner as President, COO and, eventually, a Board Member, she took the job, maximizing the value of the brand for two years before positioning it for sale in 2009. After nearly 19 years in the fast lane, Turner fantasized about traveling abroad and homeschooling her children for a year. "I had a villa in the south of France ready . . . and then Starbucks called me. There are very few companies I would shelve my plans for, but that was one of them." In the end, she accepted Starbucks' offer, traveling to Europe with her family for three months and visiting coffeehouses across the continent in anticipation of her new position. "In many parts of Europe, coffeehouses serve wine and beer, and food is a major component," she says, sharing that this approach was "the spark of an idea" for Starbucks Evenings. As an industry veteran, Turner is often asked to mentor young women, whom she encourages to speak up and take risks, especially early in their careers. She also implores them to ask for help when they need it. "My husband and I got to a breaking point with mountains of laundry once," she laughs. "We finally admitted: We need help! There are all kinds of ways to problem-solve to create the harmony that you need to have a healthy family life, no matter what that looks like." Turner marvels at what exciting opportunities women in business have today. "I think we're in a very special time, with the ability to network like never before through new social channels. If we leverage that correctly we can support one another more effectively, sharing our wisdom, failures, and pulling each other forward, whether male or female." Still, she says, the work of advocating for women in the hospitality industry isn't over. "I often hear young women say that gender parity was accomplished by our mother's generation. I remind them that it hasn't even been lawful for us to vote for 100 years! The journey's not done. It takes focus, effort and education to continue to advance." About Women of the Vine ® Women of the Vine is a membership-based alliance that empowers and equips women worldwide to advance their careers in the alcohol beverage industry, fostering gender diversity and talent development across the industry at large. The Women of the Vine Global Symposium is scheduled for April 4–7, 2016 in Napa, CA. For more information, visit www.WomenoftheVine.com. Starbucks Evenings' offerings.