Our Story

A Dream Worth Living
How Croma Vera Began

Croma Vera has been a dream of Mindy’s since her days in college; those glorious four years in a human’s life where it is okay to dream, where it is expected.

While working at the famous Cheese Store of Beverly Hills and pursuing a degree in art at the University of Santa Cruz, Mindy developed a fascinating but perhaps unordinary palate for a twenty-something-year-old.

For the better part of four years, wine and art became her religion, the center of her universe and a dream to one day open a winery of her own.

But, not unlike so many of the dreams we have when we are young and naive, this dream got pushed to the back of her mind where it collected dust and was replaced with something more realistic.

Post-graduation, Mindy would spend the next couple of decades working a vocation as a graphic designer; a vocation she would very much enjoy and become quite good at. But, something was missing.

One day, a dear friend of Mindy’s got sick. At first, there was hope. But, he became sicker and this sickness eventually led to his passing. He was just one day older than Mindy.

Something he said to her in his closing days was not to waste anymore time. And, she listened.

Croma Vera is a dream once upon a time. It’s a beautiful contrast between art and wine. It’s a phoenix, resurrecting something living from the passing of someone who meant the world to her.

Croma Vera's Mindy Oliver checking on the Graciano at Vogelzang Vineyard in Santa Ynez.Croma Vera's Mindy Oliver checking on the Graciano at Vogelzang Vineyard in Santa Ynez.