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“He thought if we could get just a portion In order to manufacture this product, Buon “It’s a transitional process,” says Mike, refer-
of that market then this would be viable,” Vino relied on the services of a Hamilton- ring to how the business continues to evolve
he says. based shoe company to create the moulds as he and his brother take on more respon-
Peter, who had just graduated from univer- for this new system. sibilities.
sity with a political science degree, entered “We were still a relatively small company,” “We all sort of fall naturally into our roles,”
the business just as it was getting off the says Peter. he says. “People ask me, ‘What do you do
ground. there?’ and I tell them I do everything.
But their new product became a hit and it That’s the way it has to be.”
“Fred kept saying, ‘I’ve got something here’." wasn’t long before they took a leap and be-
Peter admitted that he initially had no inten- gan producing their own moulds to manu- Chris agrees and says the potential for
tion of going into the business. “I was toy- facture their new systems. growth is very exciting. The company now
ing with the idea of going to law school, but distributes its filtration systems and a vari-
what I really wanted to do was get involved “We jumped in with both feet, knowing ety of wine-related products worldwide.
in foreign affairs, or something like that.” nothing about injection moulding,” he says. “I’m definitely keen in exploring new bound-
But Peter saw great potential in the business Anthony quickly became the company’s ‘go- aries,” he says. “I’m excited of the possibility
and says he was very upfront with his father. to-guy’ regarding injection moulding, giving to take it to the next step.”
“I set some ground rules. I told him I’m not up a job as a marketing/sales co-ordinator
at another company after graduating with a Both Peter and Anthony say they are pleased
a mechanic and that I’m more of an office marketing degree from Conestoga College. by the sense of ownership the younger men
guy,” he says, adding the first big change he have taken on.
made was replacing their bookkeeper with He said his father was instrumental in con-
an accountant. vincing him to join the business. “It’s not me telling them what to do or An-
thony telling them what to do,” says Peter.
“I wanted to learn how we were doing and “He said, ‘Why work for someone else when
where this company was going. That was you could be your own boss?’,” says Antho- “They’re seeing what needs to be done.”
our first major fight,” jokes Peter. ny. “And that kind of hit home for me.” Peter says he’s ready to take a step back but
At this point, Buon Vino was selling products The transition into the family business was is not considering retirement.
in Toronto, Hamilton and some Italian gro- not a difficult one, he says. Anthony – who has three young daughters -
cery stores as well as to those selling grapes. jokes that he has at least another 20 years to
“I already knew a lot about it, and I knew
“Gradually, we made a little bit of money how to do about 95 per cent of the jobs give to the business.
and reinvested it back into the company,” he here,” says Anthony. “I’m still here and still want to be here,” says
says. That same versatility holds true for Peter’s Peter. “I don’t know if I ever want to leave.
Peter says a turning point came when an two sons, Chris and Mike, who are now the I’m not sure what I would do with myself.”
analogist who moved to Canada from Italy third generation to join the business.
to start a wine making company using juice Like their uncle, both had spent their sum- The company’s commitment to its custom-
began promoting their products. mers growing up doing a variety of jobs ers is also reflected in its commitment to the
community.
“He promoted us quite a bit,” says Peter, around the growing company, which moved
who also began attending trade shows. “We to its current Franklin Boulevard location in Both Peter and Anthony have been involved
were starting to get known in the industry.” 2000. in local service clubs and have supported
It was in the early 1990s when his younger As teens, both welcomed the opportunity to many local charities, including the Bridges
Shelter.
brother, Anthony, joined the business just as be part of the business.
the company began to enter a new phase “I was more than happy to be do it because “I’ve always felt I was blessed for what I’ve
with the introduction of its Mini Jet filtra- it some money in my pocket,” says Chris, got from the community and giving back is
tion system. who officially joined the company six years just a natural thing for me to do,” says Peter.

“To be honest, I really stepped in when I ago after studying journalism at Conestoga “Hopefully, I’ve instilled that in my sons.”
was 11,” jokes Anthony, who had helped his College.
dad and brother after school and during the “I was considering other routes in social me- PHOTO: The family ties at Buon Vino Manufacturing
Inc. are very strong after more than 30 years. The busi-
summer for several years. dia and in the food industry,” he says. “But it ness includes Peter Tudisco, left, his sons Chris, back,
At this time, Peter says that home wine kits didn’t fulfil me as much as being able to take and Mike, front, and his brother Anthony.
were gaining in popularity and the company some initiative and step up here.”
adapted to meet this trend head on with His brother feels the same and joined about
this new product. three years ago after pursuing a career in
“It was a different market and a different music. He continues to play in a local band
concept,” he says. called LUVR.

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Spring 2019