April Yap-Hennig

I am a wine lover and marketer with 10 years of experience in International Marketing and Communication in Europe and the United States, and life experience also in the Caribbean and South America.

What do I have to offer?

• MBA at Krannert School of Management, Purdue University
• Masters in Viticulture, Enology, and Wine Business Management at the University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
• Certified Wine Sommelier from the International Wine Guild in Colorado
• 10 years of experience in International Marketing and Communications in B2B and B2C as well as wine industry experience in international exportation and marketing for premium Estate wines
• I manage and write a wine culture blog: www.sacreddrop.com
• I do consulting work, occasionally for free, for small boutique artisan wineries I believe in.

I am a citizen of the world, and also American—in every sense of the word: both North American and South American. I have traveled all my life, lived in different countries, and seen the world. I hope to continue to do so. I believe it is a part of my DNA.

Born in the United States of a Peruvian father and German-Italian mother, I lived in the Dominican Republic from ages 3 to 13. At 13, I moved back to the U.S. At age 16, I moved to Ecuador, where I completed high school. I then returned to the U.S. to attend university in Utah.

After two years of university, I decided to re-experience the world, to see it as an adult, because Utah was, unfortunately, too small for me. I decided the best way to do this was to do a Study Abroad. I chose to study in La Rioja, Spain. I fell in love with the country, the region, the people, the culture, and finally the wine. This is where my life changed.

Thus, after a successful career in corporate marketing in both the U.S. and Europe, I decided to finally pursue my dream in the wine industry. I returned to La Rioja in 2010 to follow a long-held dream to work in the wine industry--and so I came back to where it all started.

I worked at a winery here in Rioja where I have doubled and tripled sales through relationship marketing. I now do consulting work for a few wineries. However, my husband and I knew our stay was only temporary; our next step is Oregon, where he will study medicine. This is who I am, a global citizen, seeking to forge a future in Oregon.