About Gironde Logistics
Our Mission and Strategy
Gironde Logistics takes its name from the Gironde Estuary near Bordeaux, France, arguably the greatest wine-producing region of the world and a long-established center of the wine trade. At Gironde Logistics, our goal is to free our clients from the minutiae of paperwork and compliance issues that are characteristic of the international wine trade. With close to a decade of experience in wine logistics and importation, we have well-developed competencies in the consolidation, importation, customs clearance, State and Federal compliance services and distribution of fine wine. At Gironde Logistics, we operate leanly but efficiently, with a focus on tailoring services to the specific needs of our clients. This enables our clients to pay only for those services that they require, rather than being locked into a one-size-fits-all agreement.
Competencies
Gironde Logistics has a long history of importing wine from Europe, South America and South Africa and has extensive relationships with domestic and international logistics providers. Through these partnerships, as well as a network of self-operated and third-party facilities, we provide our clients with a complete set of importation services including consolidation of wine at source, arranging and coordinating trans-oceanic wine shipments, management of United States import documentation and processes, and clearing services for wine imported into the United States. On the domestic side, Gironde Logistics arranges for direct shipment to our centrally-based East Coast or West Coast facilities, warehouse inventory and storage services, as well as “last-mile” shipment of wine within the United States. Our experienced staff provide a personal, focused approach, ensuring that your specific business needs and goals are timely achieved. With our extensive wine importation experience, we guide wine importers and distributors of all sizes through the complexities of the importation and distribution process, thereby dramatically reducing time-to-market and significantly lowering overall costs. Freed of the need to manage time-consuming and highly complicated logistical details, clients can more efficiently grow their businesses and seize new opportunities.
Team Members
Jaime Bachrach
Prior to joining Gironde Logistics, Jaime Bachrach worked primarily in the legal sector, including as a commercial litigator at Day Pitney LLP in Hartford, as a law clerk for a nationally-renown federal appellate judge, and as a prosecutor with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. Jaime’s practice for several years as an advocate for small- to mid-sized businesses prompted her to seek a more proactive hands-on roll with an expanding company, and her long-time interest in wine led to her to Gironde Logistics, where she serves as Head of Operations. Jaime received a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Wesleyan University, along with a J.D., Cum Laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.
Tony Wion
Anthony (Tony) Wion has been with Gironde Logistics since its inception, and in the wine business in various financial, operational and data research roles since 2009. Prior to joining Gironde Logistics, Tony taught math and economics at The Taft School, a prestigious boarding school in Watertown, CT. Tony has also worked in database programming and product management in several venture-backed high-tech startups. Tony has a B.A. in mathematics with a concentration in statistics and a minor in economics from Bowdoin College, has done graduate work in statistics at the University of Minnesota, and has a M.B.A. in finance from the Yale School of Management. He is a CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder and serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Gironde Logistics.
Ryan Freeley
Ryan Freeley is a logistics and compliance specialist with 5 years’ experience working in the wine and spirits industry. Since receiving his Customs Broker license from the port of Boston in 2014, Ryan has worked extensively in import operations, developing door-to-door shipping solutions for the global wine supply chain. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2011 with a B.A. In Comparative Literature.
Nathaniel (Than) Southard
Nathaniel (Than) Southard joined Gironde Logistics in 2016 after teaching Mathematics at Litchfield Middle School in Northwestern Connecticut. He supervises warehousing and logistics and has a hand in most of the daily operations. Since joining the team, he has created working relationships with numerous domestic transportation carriers and moves wine throughout the United States. Than graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Environmental Science and has a Masters in Mathematics Education from the University of Bridgeport.