Sep 9, 2021 · 36m · american-optimist
Jake Kloberdanz: Cause-Centric Commerce and the Art of Award-Winning Winemaking · Joe Lonsdale
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In this episode of American Optimist, host Joe Lonsdale interviews OneHope Wine founder Jake Kloberdanz about democratizing the wine industry through cause-centric commerce. Kloberdanz outlines how combining direct-to-consumer sales, award-winning winemaking, and built-in corporate philanthropy creates sustainable social impact and business growth.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Joe holds 18.8% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Joe as informed peer 4.1 Guest teaching 4.1 Guest disagreement 0.6 Joe pushing back 1.2
speaking balance: gold is Joe, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 31:26 Playful reframing of startup smoothness
In a very collegial interview, Kloberdanz uses sarcastic pushback when Lonsdale asks about near-death business moments, joking that it has always been 'up and to the right'.
Hardest push from Joe ▶ 10:46 Challenging wine storage standardsLonsdale presses Kloberdanz on whether keeping high-end inventory in an unrefrigerated public storage unit was a sound strategy for a nascent wine venture.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 13:33 Demystifying grape commodities and terroir economicsKloberdanz details why grape sourcing only represents 10 to 15 percent of final bottle cost and how post-harvest processing and branding drive value.
Joe holds their own ▶ 5:05 Citing Palantir's culture of cutting toxic high performersLonsdale demonstrates operational leadership expertise by comparing Kloberdanz's rugby standard to Palantir's early policy of letting brilliant jerks go.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Joe as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Joe pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode Highlights: Free Markets and Democratizing Wine | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Lonsdale and Kloberdanz establish their childhood friendship and Cal athletics background. The conversation is warm and collaborative, with Lonsdale prompting Kloberdanz to recount the cultural standards instilled by Cal rugby coach Jack Clark. | |
| Culture, Values, and Cutting Top Talent | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Lonsdale draws an explicit parallel to Palantir's early culture regarding cutting toxic high performers, showing operational expertise. Kloberdanz agrees completely, sharing growth numbers and volume goals for OneHope. | |
| Cause-Centric Model and Community Entrepreneurs | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Lonsdale outlines the traditional three-tier alcohol distribution system, while Kloberdanz educates on additional layers like brokers and Texas four-tier rules. Kloberdanz explains how direct-to-consumer and cause-driven event hosting by over 10,000 women bypasses legacy distributors. | |
| The Origins: From Storage Units to Award-Winning Wine | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | Lonsdale playfully teases Kloberdanz about storing wine in an unrefrigerated public storage locker early on. Kloberdanz explains how navigating the 2008 recession and leaning into purpose helped the brand gain its initial distributor traction. | |
| The Winemaking Business: Terroir and Grape Sourcing | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | Kloberdanz gives an in-depth breakdown of Napa Valley terroir, the Rutherford Bench, grape pricing economics, and the asset-light model of sourcing grapes from master growers. Lonsdale acts as an interested interlocutor probing into cost structures. | |
| Winemaking Process, Talent, and Aging | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | Kloberdanz schools Lonsdale on technical winemaking, barrel aging times, single-block estate wines versus multi-region blending for vintage-to-vintage consistency. Lonsdale connects Napa's talent agglomeration to Silicon Valley tech clusters. | |
| Embedded Cause-Centric Commerce | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Lonsdale highlights his own experience as chairman of OneHope and discusses investor ROI on charitable models. Kloberdanz explains why year-round mission integration beats temporary marketing campaigns like pink ribbon branding. | |
| Supply Chain Support for Napa Farm Workers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Lonsdale makes a pointed remark contrasting OneHope's supply chain support with tech giants using unfree labor in China. Kloberdanz discusses specific local healthcare initiatives (Ole Health) and grants supporting first-generation Mexican-American farm workers and staff. | |
| Corporate Responsibility and Philanthropic History | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Kloberdanz details the history of corporate philanthropy starting from the late 19th century to American Express's early cause-marketing campaigns. Lonsdale contributes context about former AmEx CEO Jim Robinson III and accountability via transparency. | |
| Startup Realities and Optimism vs. Pessimism | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Both discuss overcoming resistance from the Napa 'old guard' when building the new winery, contrasting entrenched protectionism with forward-looking industry leaders. Kloberdanz emphasizes historical data on rising standards of living to refute pervasive cultural pessimism. | |
| How to Connect with OneHope & Conclusion | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | A brief, cordial wrap-up where Kloberdanz shares details on the 20/20 Collective, consumer wine subscriptions, and entrepreneurial signup opportunities. |
Statements from this episode (13)
Lonsdale: Palantir fired a brilliant early employee for disrespecting engineers
“We did that at Palantir too early on. There was someone who was really, really bright, but they weren't really someone who was a team player in the right way, and they weren't respecting the engineers in the right way, so they couldn't fit into the culture.”
Kloberdanz: OneHope will sell over 2.5 million wine bottles this year
“We're going to sell over two and a half million bottles.”
Kloberdanz: OneHope is a top 100 US winery by volume
“We're definitely in the top hundred by volume out of over 11,000 now.”
Kloberdanz: OneHope will become the largest US DTC wine brand
“And we'll be the largest direct to consumer wine brand in the U S in the next couple of years too.”
Kloberdanz: Over 10,000 people sell ONEHOPE Wine, 99% women
“Over 10,000 and 99% of them are women and over half of them are moms.”
Kloberdanz: Grapes represent only 10% to 15% of wine production costs
“Relative to that bottle of wine, generally the grapes are 10 to 15% of the cost.”
ONEHOPE Wine operates asset-light, owning only about 1% of its vineyards
“We're a very asset light business, so we own about one percent of our vineyards and we work with some of the best vineyard families.”
Kloberdanz: Single-block sourcing increases weather volatility versus blending
“People would think that the consistency would be higher if you source from the exact same block every year. But actually, then the weather has a chance of affecting it a lot more, right?”
Kloberdanz: ONEHOPE launched with $10K from mom and $75K credit debt
“A perfect example is our first year. We only had enough to be able to donate 10,000 dollars. This was pre any outside financing. This was when my mom had given me 10 grand of equity and I had 75,000 dollars on credit cards and are the amount of passion and pur…”
Kloberdanz: Corporate giving compounds over time and belongs at inception
“Donating and volunteering today, it compounds down the road or it should. And so when I think about it, it's really a progression and it should be at the heart of a business from the very beginning, even if it's really small.”
Kloberdanz: American Express pioneered and trademarked cause-related marketing
“American express was really the first ones to trademark that phrase and term it. And they actually re renovated and rebuilt the statue of Liberty.”