A food lover and adventurer, Christel was born and raised in Cognac, France, in a family where food and wine were both a very big part of everyday life. Passionate about traveling, Christel studied Foreign Languages (German, English, Spanish) and International Business and got a Master’s degree in German Literature.
Thinking that speaking foreign languages was not enough, her Cognac roots motivated her to join a Master’s program for Spirits and Brandy before starting to work for a small Boutique company in Cognac, Leopold Gourmel in October 1993. A job opportunity took her to Germany in 1995, joining the marketing department of Wein Wolf Imports, one of the largest Wine and Spirits Importer. Her thirst for learning and gathering experiences lead her to work in sales for Moet Hennessy and later for Robert Mondavi Europe, taking over the Benelux region (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) early 2000.
In September 2001, she decided to broaden her wine business knowledge and joined the first Wine MBA program with the Bordeaux Business School. That unique and rich experience took her to attend classes across the globe (California, Australia, Japan, Chile). She graduated at the end of 2002 and came to Michigan. After a great experience with a fine wine distributor, AHD Vintners, as a portfolio Manager, she took over the Midwest territory for two different European Importer’s, Europvin and Winebow representing an international portfolio of wines and artisanal spirits and Sake. After a brief tour representing “Les Vignobles Foncalieu”, a modern cooperative from the Languedoc, Christel has brought her considerable expertise to Kindred Vines Import Company, where she is a national sales & brand manager.