Haw River Wine Man, located in Burlington, North Carolina, is a wine importer and distributor servicing North Carolina and South Carolina. They import wines directly from 40 different wineries in Italy but also distribute from France, Spain, and Australia. In expanding their selection, they also sell cider from Vermont and Italy, as well as olive oil from Greece. Established in 1995, Haw River Wine Man was one of the first direct importers in North Carolina. With a firm belief that wine is an everyday beverage and not the exclusive domain of the wealthy and privileged, the company strives to bring the consumer the best values possible by sourcing wine direct from the producer.
Mike Tiano, the current owner, has worked in the wine industry for over 21 years. Throughout this experience, he has had the opportunity to travel to Italy and other parts of Europe to expand his knowledge and relationships in the industry. In 2001 he joined Haw River Wine Man and became business partners with Jim Stock in 2006. In 2021, he had the opportunity to buy out his partner and take 100% ownership of the business.
As he was researching financing options, he reached out to the local FNB branch where he was in contact with Reed Laplante. Reed and our SBA Business Development Officer, Michael Byers, provided an overview of his financing options and Mike ultimately felt like an SBA loan would be the best option. Michael was able to structure an SBA 7(a) loan that met all of his needs.
Mike had this to say about his partnership with Michael Byers and the team at FNB Small Business Finance:
Michael does amazing work! He was very communicative, easy to talk to and was just very professional throughout this process. I have joked with a co-worker about how we want to look for people that are like Michael when we grow our team. He was on top of everything - reminders, deadlines, gathering information, and everything in between. Michael made the process very smooth! I would absolutely recommend Michael Byers and the team at FNB Small Business Finance without hesitation.
It was with great pleasure that we had the opportunity to partner with Mike Tiano as he took steps to achieve his goal of owning Haw River Wine Man.We wish him all the success in the future. Visit their website to see their vast selection of wines – click here.
