In 1994, then twenty-eight year old Andy Ryan was already a veteran in the mobile wine bottling industry. He had used his mechanical engineering degree from UC Davis well. He had helped build and start up several bottling trucks, had designed, built and operated a prototype rotary glue labeler and was the lead operator for his employer. Andy loved his job and his customers but became frustrated with the lack of support from the office and no funds for equipment maintenance.

Andy had a vision. He wanted to build a high-speed bottling line and put it in a compact truck. The compact truck could access even remote wineries. Competitors in their tractor trailers couldn't do that. Space would be limited but expandable pop-out sections of the truck box would create space in which the operators could work. The high-speed equipment would allow jobs to be completed more quickly, about 35% faster than the competition, and would save customers money on labor. Andy joined forces with his sister, Mary Ryan McLaughlin. Mary, a banker with extensive customer service training, shared his vision and a company was born!

Our first bottling run began January 11, 1995. The reception was amazing and we were quickly booked beyond our expectations. Our competitors, who once chuckled at our idea of a high-speed line, began to build their own. As time went on, we noted changes in the industry. By 1999, requests for pressure sensitive labeling and demands on our schedule created the need for a second truck. In January 2000, we rolled out that truck. We rebuilt the first truck in January 2002 so that it too reflected the state of the art for the industry.

The mobile wine bottling industry has changed dramatically since 2000. The number of mobile bottlers in the area grew from about ten to over thirty. The increased competition makes the need to provide superlative customer service even more important – a challenge we welcome. The demands of our clients have also changed and we have responded. In December 2006, we unveiled our third truck that included a Zalkin screw capper. With the 2010 rebuild of Line 2, we added a rotary labeler that enabled us to provide accurate label orientation at the speeds to which our customers are accustom. In 2012, we purchased a Parker Balston nitrogen generator. The oversized unit allows us to provide a constant flow of gas with a purity of 99.5% and greater.

The most challenging aspect of expansion will always be staffing. We were incredibly fortunate to find two exceptional employees. Gordon Creaves and Francisco Caratachea joined our team in 1999. Gordon, a Purdue graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering, came to us from a local water company with five years of packaging experience, both in production and quality control. Francisco came to us with over ten years of winery experience. He was intimately familiar with both the fine points of winemaking and mechanical operation. Both men proved to be invaluable assets. Their skills and visions for customer service meshed perfectly with our own. Gordon and Francisco became a part of the management team in 2006 and the ownership group in 2012.

Another vital member of the team is John Gravier, who joined the company in 2006. He came to us with over ten years experience in the wine industry. He had spent seven years working on mobile bottling lines, the last four of which he was operating screw cappers. The companyÕs growth has given Manuel Avina, with us since 2005, an opportunity to parlay his twenty years experience as a mechanic at a water packaging facility to become a successful operator/line technician. Oscar Bogarin joined the company in 2009 and has matured into a quality operator. Robert Carson, who has been with the company since 2003, rounds out the staff as a floating operator who is skilled on any of the three trucks.

Ryan Mobile Bottling has seen many changes since 1994. The wine industry will continue to evolve and we will continue to improve with it. We will always do so with an eye toward how to best serve our customers.

We will always do so with an eye toward how to best serve our customers.