Private Wine Tours With Local Insiders

What happens when two wine-loving friends turn their passion for Niagara Benchlands into a business? 🍷

In this episode of The Lincoln Local, hosts Sara Wilde and Stephanie Hicks sit down with Jennifer Pratt and Graham Cocking — the husband-and-wife duo behind Crush on Niagara Wine Tours.

From hidden gem wineries and private curated tours to the realities of building a tourism business together as a married couple, this episode dives into what makes Niagara Benchlands such a unique destination.

Jennifer and Graham share stories about:

• How Crush on Niagara Wine Tours started
• Why Niagara Benchlands feels different from other wine regions
• The rise of experience-driven wine tourism
• Funny and memorable tour moments
• Their favourite local wine experiences
• What it’s really like working together as spouses and business partners
• Hidden gems, vineyard views, sparkling wine, patio season, and sweater weather 🍂

Whether you’re planning your next girls’ getaway, celebrating something special, or simply looking to rediscover your own backyard, this episode is packed with local love, tourism insight, and plenty of laughs.

🌐 Website: https://crushtours.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crushtours/

Mentioned in this Episode

• Niagara Benchlands
• The Watering Can
• Flat Rock Cellars
• Back 10 Cellars
• Malivoire Wine Company
• Pearl Morissette
• Cloudsley Cellars
• Theatre Bacchus
• Mayor Sandra Easton’s Charity Golf Tournament

Theatre Bacchus – The Invisible Man

Experience Theatre Bacchus’ spring production of The Invisible Man at the Lincoln Community Hub.

🎭 Tickets

Mayor Easton’s Charity Golf Tournament

Hosted at Twenty Valley Golf & Country Club.

📅 Registration & Sponsorship Info

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SpeakUpLincoln.ca/Podcast

Thanks & Credits

With support from:

• Niagara Region Economic Development
• The Watering Can
• Second Chance Decor
• Verhoef Electric

Transcript

Welcome To The Lincoln Local

Stephanie Hicks 0:02

Welcome to the Lincoln Local, a brand new podcast from the town of Lincoln. I'm Stephanie Hicks, the Town's Economic Development Officer and co-host. I focus on growth, opportunity, and community, helping people stay connected to what's happening and what's next.

Sara Wilde 0:17

And I'm Sara Wilde, the Town's Creative Design and Digital Media Advisor. Behind the camera, behind the design, and now behind the mic as your podcast co-host.

Stephanie Hicks 0:25

Today on the Lincoln Local Podcast, we're raising a glass to one of the best ways to experience wine country with the people who know it inside and out. We're joined by Jennifer Pratt and Graham Cocking, the husband and wife duo behind Crush on Niagara Wine Tours, based right here in Beamsville. Crush describes themselves as fun, wine-loving friends who just happen to know all the best spots, and that really captures the heart of what they do, creating memorable, relaxed, and custom wine tour experiences across the Niagara Benchlands.

Sara Wilde 0:52

From intimate private tours to larger group experiences, Crush helps guests explore the wineries, views, food, and local hospitality that make Niagara Benchlands such a destination. Their tours are built around more than just getting from stop to stop. They are about connections, storytelling, and helping people discover the personality behind each winery and each glass. And because Jennifer and Graham are not only business partners but married partners too, we'll also get into what it's like building a tourism business together in one of Ontario's most beautiful wine regions. Jennifer and Graham, thank you so much for joining us.

Jennifer 1:25

Thanks for having us.

Graham 1:26

Thank you, ladies.

What A Crush Tour Feels Like

Sara Wilde 1:27

Thank you.

Stephanie Hicks 1:28

So let's start at the beginning for anyone who's listening and might not be familiar with Crush yet. When someone books a tour with you, what kind of experience are you hoping to create for them?

Jennifer 1:37

Something intimate, customized, curated, fun, easy, all of the things. Unpretentious. I want them to come out and explore Niagara in a very comfortable way.

Graham 1:53

I think we like to show off what we have in our backyard. I think that's what we're most proud of. We like to introduce people to the wineries of the Benchlands. We live here. We like to show off what's in our backyard. We like to show off the places we like to hang out and surprise people a little bit. I think that's part of the impetus of our tour business.

Stephanie Hicks 2:13

I love that. So what drew you both into wine tourism?

Jennifer 2:17

I grew up in Grimsby, so even though I now live in Beamsville, I consider myself a local. Graham went to Brock and feels as though that this was his motherland, tried to get us back to St. Catharines, but we went as far as Beamsville. And I mean we have a love for Niagara. My parents still lived here. We would come down all the time here, hang out at my parents' house in the backyard, and they backed into a vineyard. And we were bringing our friends down here, organizing our own wine tours, and it kind of evolved from there, would you say?

Graham 2:50

Yeah, my parents were garage winemakers when I was a kid. I used to steal their wine and sell it to kids at school. So that was my first You were the popular person.

Sara Wilde 3:00

Was it dandelion wine?

Graham 3:02

Uh no, it was a wine created from a box. So obviously your complete basement operation. And when I came down to Brock, my last year of school here was the first year of the onology and viticulture. And I took the first year class in my fourth year thinking this will be the easiest A that I ever get in university. And just about failed the course once I realized how much science and sophistication there was in not only winemaking, but in wine tasting. And that was really my introduction to the more nuanced portion of winemaking. And I had been a fan ever since.

Jennifer 3:34

Yeah, I mean, I think it was very organic in how this evolved. We both worked corporate jobs. I had a little one at home, and I was more the one saying, I don't know if climbing this corporate ladder was for me. And I wanted to give lots of hours to a job, but why don't we do it for ourselves? So we were looking for kind of ways to start a business, find a business, grow a business, and I threw a ton of ideas at Graham.

Graham 4:02

Most of these were happening while we were sitting at local wineries, drinking glasses of wine, like, what business could we possibly get into? Then we'd hop in the car and head off to the next place and be like, you know what? What could we possibly do that we're good at? It sort of dawned on us that we were doing exactly what we were doing. We just happened to be doing it with the two of us, or somebody in the backseat of the car saying, We really we know these really cool places we should take you for a great glass of Cabernet Franc. Come with us.

Stephanie Hicks 4:27

Well, yeah, the best ideas I think come from drinking wine. Yeah.

How Wine Tourism Became The Plan

Graham 4:31

It seemed to be glove in hand for us when we fell into this business for sure.

Jennifer 4:35

Yeah, and evolved from there.

Sara Wilde 4:37

I love that you describe yourselves as wine-loving friends who know all the best spots and hidden gems. That feels very different from a standard formal tour, which I love. What do you think makes a wine tour feel less like a tour, more like a really great day out?

Graham 4:51

I think our staff helps a lot. The people that we have driving our tour vans and vehicles have been with us for a long time. They are super highly rated. We're not on a script. We always say that to our drivers. We want their personality to shine when they're on the road. We think the time in the van should be as much fun as the time spent at the winery sipping. And we say to these guys, let your personality shine. Make sure the guests come first. It's all about their experience when they're on the road. And you can see it in the reviews when people take to Google and give us a five-star review. It is often about their experience with Gord or with Wes or with Ghee, as much as it is about the wine that they tasted at Flat Rock or Back 10 Cellars or Malivoire. And we take a lot of pride in that. We make sure that people know that they can come back year after year and they can request the guide that they had last year, and we get a lot of requests. Hey, Jen, we want to book our tour with you again, but could you please make sure that Todd is available for us that day? So Jen's got to leave a note for me when I'm scheduling the drivers. Please make sure that Todd is available for Alicia's group. It's their fifth tour, but they don't want anybody else but him. So that tends to be what we like to point to as well. Our guides are just as much a part of that friendly experience as we are.

Stephanie Hicks 6:05

Shout out to Todd.

Sara Wilde 6:06

Yeah, shout out to Todd.

Jennifer 6:08

Definitely. I always say by nature, people are coming out to have a good time. Like they know they're coming out to have a good time. So we're just facilitating that in an environment that's relaxing and showcasing what we have. So, I mean, it's it's pretty easy once you kind of get off and running.

Graham 6:24

I mean, I do driving every now and again myself as well. And I tell you, for a I can't wait to retire one day and this be my fun time employment. We tell our guides have a good time with your groups. You end up being a photographer half the day, as much as you are telling about the history and the scenery of the region. And you're making sure people have a good time. I mean, we're not the tax department, so it's a pretty easy day to get out and have a bit of fun and really enjoy yourself in a special kind of way with friends.

Sara Wilde 6:49

It seems like you got the personality for it too, Graham.

Graham 6:51

I'm telling you, it it's a great day to spend the day out. I mean, you've got the music going, you're going to wineries, you're driving, you're looking around at all the beautiful things we have here. We stop at fruit stands, we go to flower farms. It's not just about wine, but that's certainly the central point of it. And you're out with people that are either learning or they're really into wine and they want to learn a bit more, or they're seeing properties. For me, that's really cool that they haven't been to. We all know some of the big box wineries, which are great. They have a place, they draw people in, but it's really neat to take somebody to a place that they've never seen before and they discover something new.

Sara Wilde 7:24

Okay. I love that you do flower stands and little farmers picking up. I didn't know that. I love that. So, what do you think people misunderstand then about wine tours before they go on one, especially yours? Because I didn't know you also made these secret hidden pits.

Jennifer 7:38

I think people can be very intimidated by wine tour, even though you're planning a day out that's going to be fun. I think people feel they have to know something about wine, or that if they don't know anything about it, they're going to feel stupid or not welcome. So I think that's one thing that's a misunderstood, or you're packed in with a bunch of other people. We offer only private tours. It's kind of what separates us, I think, from most of our other competitors. But getting a group of people sipping alcohol together, you kind of want to stick with your own group because you kind of never know what you're gonna get. And if you're a couple out celebrating an anniversary or a birthday and you're paired up with the Bachelorette group, it just makes for a different day. Different vibe. It is a very different vibe. So we kind of spun this.

Stephanie Hicks 8:24

Especially for Todd.

Graham 8:25

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

Jennifer 8:27

We definitely spun this to say, what would you like to do? And I don't want to be paired with people that I don't know. I want to hang with my own friends. So that's where we kind of kept us different from others and stuck with that, I would say.

Stephanie Hicks 8:42

So just rewinding a bit, when did you start this business?

Graham 8:46

This goes back to the planning process was in 2018. Actually, I'll take you back a little bit further. Jennifer and I did a trip to Italy in 2013. And we rented a car. And when we got to Italy, the car was a five-speed Alfa Romeo, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world. But Jennifer cannot drive a five-speed or a stick. So as we made our way through the wine region in Tuscany, I got to do all of the driving. So I think the impetus of that of this business was born on that tour because I said, this is absolute bullshit that I have to do all of the driving while she enjoys all of the sampling and the sipping at the wineries.

Jennifer 9:26

I mean, it worked well for me. I'm not gonna lie.

Graham 9:28

I thought, you know what would be great? It would be fantastic as if we were going to all of these different wineries, we had somebody else doing the driving for us. We had to plan strategically those days, and we started at the farthest locations and strategically tasted as we got closer to our accommodations. But we thought, wouldn't it be great if we had somebody that knew the area, knew the boutique wineries, got us away from some of the touristy places, and took us to the places where we were gonna speak to winemakers or talk to owners, even though they weren't speaking Italian, we could figure out a way to taste. And I think that was really the impetus that started us down this path.

What Makes The Benchlands Special

Sara Wilde 10:01

One of the things that stands out about Crush is that your tours are so connected to place. You're not just taking people to wineries, you're helping them experience the Niagara Benchlands as a region. Niagara Benchlands has such a strong wine identity. What makes this area special compared to other wine regions?

Jennifer 10:16

The bench has that nuance of you know, authenticity of being small and boutiquey and hidden gem and unpolished. And that's kind of where I sell it to people on that point. That there's still some bigger names out this way. But I mean, there's 50 wineries on this side, and it's wild. Talking to residents, they don't even realize there's that many. So I think we're building our own identity, it's evolving.

Graham 10:41

I would say we we might be a little biased because we live on this side of the on the on the side of the peninsula, but we also prefer the wine on this side of the peninsula. So if you're a wine drinker and we all have our preference for what regions and what areas of the world we like, you can get into even microclimates where you say, I even like a particularly small, you know, area of Niagara wine country, and I prefer the Benchlands. And everybody's ears kind of perk up when they're a wine drinker. Well, tell me more about the Benchlands and what they uh their wine has to offer. In my opinion, it's got a more complex flavour profile. It's a bit more refined, and I like that cottagey feel to some of the wineries here rather than your big production of wineries that might be found in Niagara and the Lake. And I think you get a bit more of an authentic experience when you're in the bench as well. I think a lot of times you're going to these wineries, especially when we set them up on a tour where you might get the opportunity to speak to the winemaker or the owner of the winery. You're not really doing that if you're going into a, you know, one million case production type facility in some of the bigger wine regions. But if you're going to a place that only produces 5,000 cases of wine a year, the person working at the front desk is very often either the owner or the winemaker. So you get a little bit more of that intimate experience when you're up here on the bench as well.

Stephanie Hicks 11:55

Wine tourism has also changed so much. It's not just about tastings anymore. It can include food, scenery, storytelling, celebrations, local shopping, and really curated experiences. So, from your perspective, how has wine tourism changed over the years?

Jennifer 12:10

I mean, Graham's a bit older than me and has been out this way longer than me seeing it. I mean, he'll he can tell you kind of how many wineries were out here when he was in university to how many there is now. But...

Graham 12:22

There was an age reference, and I think that was a little thought and how much older. Anybody listen to me? I'm only six years older than Jennifer, so don't think because you can't see me, I'm an old guy.

Jennifer 12:33

I'm just you can see it from a broader scale, maybe, than that.

Graham 12:37

Compared to 1995, when I was here at my first year of university. Thank you very much, Miss Pratt.

Stephanie Hicks 12:45

How is the wine change from your dealer day, Mister Graham?

Graham 12:48

I can tell you it is significantly better there. And that's no nothing towards my mom and dad with the wine that they made. But after we started drinking the wine now, my parents did have a couple of the old cases of wine they gave us for Christmas one year, and I said to Jen, this is almost undrinkable now compared to the good wine that we really get into here as part of our connections in the wine tour industry.

Who Books Tours And Why

Jennifer 13:10

That and then realizing that wine tourism isn't just about wine enthusiasts anymore, it's about experience. And that's where I think that shift has gone it from, you know, kind of traditionally people just come and taste wine because they're wine nerds, and now it's just people coming out to have fun. And as much as wineries may not like to hear this, sometimes the wine is the byproduct. They're out to experience, and the wine just happens to be there at the same time. So that's where I've seen it change a bit.

Stephanie Hicks 13:38

I like that you kind of segued into my next thought here, which is what types of groups do book tours with you?

Jennifer 13:45

Oh my god.

Graham 13:46

Wow, we've had any kind of group you could imagine. First of all, we do a tremendous amount of celebration. So your typical bachelorette party, your 50th wedding anniversary, birthday celebrations, 40th birthdays, retirement parties, engagement. We've had just about every kind of celebration you've got to do.

Jennifer 14:04

Reunions groups of teachers or nurses that get together, you know, every couple years or went to school together to do reunions. I mean, just friends going out, that kind of stuff.

Graham 14:15

I think mom groups, people that have got a sitter for the day and just needed a day out locally. I mean, we do transportation for people in the sort of greater Hamilton uh area. We'll we'll go pick them up, bring them down to the bench, and then take them home in the same day to make it cost effective. They don't have to get a hotel room. They can leave the kids for the day, come down, experience wine region with a group of friends in one vehicle, and then we take them back to their doorstep. Thank you very much for a great day. I'm still home to put my kids to bed. Exactly.

Stephanie Hicks 14:44

And safe. I'm home.

Graham 14:45

And I'm home safe. I didn't have to navigate the QEW while somebody else was.

Jennifer 14:53

Isn't a group we haven't got like last year? I had we get a lot of weddings who maybe have come down in groups, have come down to Niagara for a wedding, and then the next day after the wedding, they all want to go wine touring. Some of them are very hungover. I'm like, let's just go at it again. So I mean, you just get, I mean, every variation of group we really get.

Graham 15:11

Yeah, I think some of my favorite groups, especially when I'm driving or behind the wheel, often we'll get a big group of couples, and it's really fun when everybody's dividing into the vans because you end up, okay, ladies, all the ladies in one van, the women want to experience one wine tour completely different from the guys that jump in the other van. And the experience of driving each group is both fun, but it's a lot different in terms of experience. So we get a little bit of everything. We get some super wine, nerdy people. I've picked up some top chefs, you know, at the airport that were really going to do high-end tastings and then dinner at Pearl Morissette and do the whole thing. And then you get other people who are like, I don't know if I like red or white. Just let me try it. I'm like, okay. And it's a safe environment for them to try because if they don't like it, they haven't committed to buying a bottle. I don't like this. Usually somebody else on tour is like, Well, I'll try it for you. I'll take it. So we get a little bit of everything.

Sara Wilde 16:00

For the locals listening, because sometimes when something beautiful is in your own backyard, you forget to explore it like a visitor would. Why should someone who lives nearby, like me, and thinks they already know wine country, I don't, still consider booking a tour.

Jennifer 16:14

But I'll always say from our just transit side of things, I mean just social responsibility in general. I think that the movement on that has certainly shifted. We've seen that with younger generations, have almost no ability to have a glass of wine and they won't drive. Like they definitely are just like not doing that. Sometimes the other generations grew up differently. And so having a couple glasses of wine and driving, I mean, feels like nothing to them. But I think we obviously have a child in this community, we raise a family here, just social responsibility in general. We want, I mean, there's cyclists on the road, there's this. If you're gonna go out, just have someone else drive for you, and then you really can enjoy it, not just watch your friends enjoy it while you're the driver. So I think that's one area.

Graham 16:58

I think for people that are local, it is showing off your own backyard too. We can all be guilty of not really appreciating what we have here. And it's so nice to have somebody that you can call on the phone like Jen and say, hey, listen, I've been to these four or five spots, but that's out of 50 plus wineries. Where else should we go? Here's something cool that we're looking to do with friends that are in or family that are here on vacation, and we want to do something that's different. And to be honest, I don't want to be the one driving around. I want to partake in the experience as well. Where should we go? And she can put together an itinerary that says, okay, we're gonna try this for the reds, we're gonna try this for the whites. Hey, you like sparkling? Let's go over here. Hey, there's a new release rose at this stop. Let's go and pick that up. And on our way, there's the watering can. We're gonna stop in there, we're gonna pick up some flowers because you can take them home and it's your anniversary, and you've already not planned for that, so we're gonna do that. We're gonna have some fruit as well, so the kids have something when you get home, and it becomes this whole destination of your backyard that also costs you less than going to somewhere else, using your own gas, driving away, and being the planner of the day too. Imagine somebody else take care of all the planning. Jen does all the planning in our family anyway, so I have my own concierge, but you've hired a concierge for the day to make something special of your own community.

Jennifer 18:13

That and a lot of locals will come out, whether it's for like Graze the Bench or a passport program, because they see it around here. But people will go out, drink wine in the afternoon, and then come back and do a barbecue at their house or get everyone to get. So it's really more of an afternoon thing. It doesn't have to be this big, extravagant, we have to, you know, pay all this money, do all this stuff. I'm like, it really can be that simple as three hours in the afternoon. Come out, drink some wine, go home and have a barbecue.

Stephanie Hicks 18:37

Right? I do want to talk about the planning for a minute because I bet behind the scenes there's a lot of planning, timing, relationship building, reading the room. So, what is the secret to keeping a group on schedule without making the day feel rushed?

Jennifer 18:53

I would say step one is working with our winery partners, setting the tone and the timing of the experience. So as long as we know kind of what we have to work with on both sides, then that just starts off of what each experience will look like. And we can then time the day from there. Here's what I will tell you every day starts out on time until you know that second, third winery. It starts about it's like anything, right? You're having a couple drinks, you're on schedule until you're not on schedule. And so I think our guides are a huge key in that. That's a selling feature, really, is what I say to guests is you just need to show up and enjoy the day. You don't have to worry about organizing your group. I mean, a large group is like herding cats on a good day, and then add wine on top of it. So, and then add catching up and chatting and all that. It's the guides are great at kind of you know, keeping them on time, getting them ready, making sure that they have time to use the restroom, go through the retail store, all that kind of stuff, get them on the bus and get going. So that is a good chunk of their job is keeping people on time, taking a photo before we go. Then someone gets on the bus and has to use the rest. It's never ending. And I think it's probably one of the things that people don't plan, even in large groups, when I say, Hey, you're gonna need X amount of time at each shop, like, why do I need that much time? Like, I don't think you get how long it takes to load people on and off a bus and then add wine on top of that.

Stephanie Hicks 20:17

What is a sign that a group is having a good time?

Graham 20:20

From driving a tour, you can tell as the day goes on, the chatter gets louder, the music gets turned up, people are genuinely smiling and having a good time. You're taking a ton of photos, people are uploading it to Instagram and Facebook and sharing it with their friends. They're tagging us along the day, uh, along the ride as well. And you can hear it from the feedback. That was a great stop. We really enjoyed that. Hey, what a neat tour that was. You can hear the enthusiasm built throughout the day as well. A lot of times, as Jen said, that first stop can be a little bit quiet, a little bit muted. You get a couple glasses of wine into you, a couple tastings, and and people you could see start to loosen up and have a good day. And by the end of the day, I'm telling you, from driving some of these events, I've had such good groups. I've almost wanted to invite them to our house for a barbecue afterwards because you become such good friends while you're out there having a good time. Because you're not all only chatting about wine, which a lot of people love. You're showing off our region. People are always jealous that we live here. I can't believe you guys get to do this every day. You end up having a good laugh along with them as well. And I think that's what our drivers like, right? They're part of the party as well, in a safe way, but they're there enjoying it. And a lot of our drivers say that. They say, Graham, the day that this becomes a job for me, I'm not doing it anymore because they're all retirees. They love doing this, they love hanging out with groups. It's fun.

Sara Wilde 21:47

So you mentioned a few groups that have contacted you, celebrations. Every group must have its own personality. So some people are celebrating, some are learning, some are reconnecting with friends or family. Do you have a favourite kind of tour to plan?

Jennifer 22:00

I mean, I do all the planning. So I think personally my favourite is people I can see myself in. So whether it's my group of girlfriends, I mean, I got six really close friends, and us trying to organize a dinner takes enough time. So when I see a group of friends together planning a weekend away, not so much as I'm envious of it, I'm like, this is great. They've carved out this time for themselves. I want to make their weekend just as good as I would want my weekend to be. So I think planning the girls' weekend away is always super fun. And then my second favorite is planning couples. Usually you get four couples. We have a couple groups that are regulars, they get their neighbors on their street together, they get a sitter for the weekend, and they come down here and they do a wine tour with us. And I mean, I have a we have a little one. And when you have sports schedules, school schedules, work schedules, I mean, our life is very overscheduled. So I'm extremely mindful that people can have that time that they can dedicate to friends or to get away. And I want to make sure that we're capturing that in a way that they want to spend. I'm grateful they want to spend it with us. So I take those ones as though I really want to knock it out of park because I know how much time and effort it takes to try and get away for a night.

Sara Wilde 23:12

Yeah.

Jennifer 23:12

So I love the couples and I love the girls. And I mean I love I do love everyone else in between, but I the ones I can see myself in. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna plan the weekend that I want to have myself. So they're my faves.

Memorable Moments Plus The Fleet

Sara Wilde 23:24

So you have a most memorable guest moment, either one of these.

Graham 23:27

We've had lots of engagements on our tours, both planned ahead of time and spontaneous, of which I've driven and been on the tour where we know it's coming. Jen's already given the winery the heads up. We have a photographer at the ready hiding, you know, behind the vines that's gonna capture the moment. I always like that. It's exciting because you want things to go perfectly for the groom because he's put a lot of thought into this. But we've had those spontaneous ones as well, you know. Hey, excuse me, everybody, while they're at a winery and he's got a ring in his pocket and does an engagement.

Jennifer 23:57

I I think that's I don't mind them, but I wanted to wish they would give me the heads up. I'm like, we could make this a little bit extra.

Sara Wilde 24:02

Yeah.

Jennifer 24:02

I've had a groom to be like the weekend before, be like, oh, I'm and then I get him on the phone. He's like, No, I'm gonna plan to propose. I'm like, I can help you with this. Like, this takes some time. So then those ones are kind of fun. We've had a couple really memorable, meaningful ones in the sense of either a remission from cancer and they're celebrating a year post or something like that. And that's why I'm like, sometimes it's not about the wine, it's a day out to celebrate something. So those ones are always fun. There are fun ones that are about the wine. We have this woman, this group of ladies that comes out in September usually, and they she reminds me every time make sure you send the big fan, Jen, because we buy lots of wine. And they're from more northern Ontario. And I think this is the full haul they get. Clearly, they their LCBOs don't carry enough or Ontario wine that they come down. So, like, they come down and they are truly checking through every box of winery. So those are the fun ones that I'm like, I get my list, my pad out of where we've sent you in the last five years, and I'm like, I'm gonna get you to every winery before we start circling back. And those ones are fun because those ones are really into the wine, and they bring it all back up north for them to share with their family and friends. And those ones are super fun too, because that's where I do truly feel our wine is really reaching at that point. But yeah.

Stephanie Hicks 25:16

Why don't you talk a little bit about your fleet? Because you mentioned they said bring the big bus, Jen. So why don't you let us know what your fleet looks like?

Graham 25:24

We've got a good mix of vehicles. So we've got seven vehicles total in our fleet. I think if we used every single one of them, we could take 65 people. So they're all ranging in size. Biggest one holds 14 people plus a driver, uh, and the smallest, we have a suburban that will do groups that are a little bit more intimate. It can hold six, but we would typically groups two or four in that. And then we've got everything in between four transits, multiple sprinter vans. They're a great way to get around. They're large enough to pack cases of wine in the back. Uh, or the cooler package. We've got all kinds of vehicles and you know, they're all in really good shape. They're all safety checked every year. We're licensed. One of the big challenges of this area is making sure that everything is safe. We provide a socially responsible method of getting around town, and you know, the vehicles are in good shape. We want to make sure that that's as much as part of the experience as going to the wine.

Jennifer 26:13

We have done obviously corporate groups or bigger groups. We will charter buses out of either Toronto area or kind of outside the region, like we can fully go, and bring people in on those buses as well. So we do a lot of corporate stuff out of the city.

Graham 26:25

We'll have one of our guides jump on a bus if we do a big corporate group or a group of 56. One of our guides will actually get on the bus and on the microphone and talk them through wine country as well.

Jennifer 26:33

I really do try to the first question I truly ask people when they email me usually is what are you out to celebrate or what are you out to get out of the day? Because I just think without knowing that, and that's where I do think separates us. That is my goal because I just think matching people up with the day and experience they want just we're all gonna be happy. And I think it helps with wineries as well. Everyone knows what they're getting, and then hopefully that works for everyone. So I do try my best in that.

Sara Wilde 26:59

Now we have to talk about the fact that Crush is not only a business partnership, it's also a marriage partnership. A lot of people would say working with your spouse every day sounds either amazing or terrifying, depending on the day. So let's get into what that dynamic looks like for both of you. What is it like running a business together as a married couple?

Jennifer 27:21

No. I'll go first because I always say this to people. I I do love it. Good, bad, or otherwise, I always tell them I wouldn't do this with anyone else but him. So I mean, like anything, gosh, it has his ups and downs, but doesn't any marriage, let alone adding in a business. But I do think anyone listening who's an entrepreneur in general will know running your own business had I mean the highs are very high and the lows are very low. And that there's not much in between. It's a roller coaster. So at least doing it with your spouse. Hey, hey, you got someone along for the ride. I mean, it adds to it. I think it does make us stronger. I think we're navigating and we've navigated some rough times just in general with the economics, COVID, all these kind of crazy things. So it just adds to it. That's my point.

Graham 28:14

So the husband is silent, eh? Yeah.

Stephanie Hicks 28:16

I was actually gonna comment because people can't see you guys, but I will paint a picture. They're like they look into each other's eyes as they answer, which we're not used to that.

Graham 28:25

So I'd say you it's different because you are business partners, but you're spouses as well. So whatever arguments, decisions, tough conversations you have as a spouse, you're also doing as an entrepreneur as well, and you often take those into your the personal side of your relationship as well. So when it's going great, it's going great. When it's going not so great, it does creep into your personal life. But you do have the benefit of a really supportive partner that you know you've chosen to spend your life with that's a really good business partner. So it does add to the weight of some of those decisions. But at the end of the day, you know, there's times when we can talk about business and how things are going, but we're pretty good at shutting it off as well when it's time to focus on our family and our son, who's nine, a very busy little kid. We can get away from the business, but you're never really away from it as a husband and wife. There's always something going on. There's a lot of late hours in our household. We share an office as well, so there'll be a lot of times where we're each sitting at a computer working on our own separate things or our own areas of the business, but there's an easiness to that as well when it's with your spouse.

Jennifer 29:30

As business partners, the one positive thing, I mean, I at least, but I maybe both our sides compliment. I come up with sometimes really crazy ideas, and then at least he's kind of the finance and practical side. So the logical side. Yeah. So I come with some crazy, and he's like, Jen, that's never gonna make money. He's just all about like, where do the numbers work? I'm like, but so we we're really good at that side. I mean, if we were both just crazy ideas, we'd probably be bankrupt.

Sara Wilde 29:59

So, Jen, you do like the tour planning, you're the more logical, meet the fleet kind of thing. I take care of the ...

Graham 30:07

I say I'm the logistics side of things. I'm the logistics. So I take care of our guides, all of our HR, all of our uh accounting and finance, all the really nitty-gritty stuff behind that keeps us functional from a moving around perspective. Jen does all of the planning, execution, winery bookings, relationship building. Even as we go around town and we meet other businesses, I'm a lot of the behind-the-scenes guys. She has a really strong relationship with the wineries. People know her in the community.

Stephanie Hicks 30:35

And what have you learned about each other through running crush together?

Graham 30:39

Oh man, we could go on. I'll tell you this. Jennifer is relentless. She had it, like she said, the impetus with this was her corporate job, and she wanted to work hard, but wanted to work hard for us, and she does. I mean, not only is she a great mom, she works hard to make sure that this business thrives. I mean, she's the sales end, she talks to the customers. I am a little nervous sometimes to pick up the phone. I'm like, I'm not gonna say this right because she'll listen to me. She's like, that's not what you're supposed to say. It's like she has a mini script built into her head already, but uh but she gets her energy keeps going, and I think that's what helps us because you know we're a busy company, thankfully, right? We're happy to have the customers that we have. Uh but she really is the energy behind this. Uh and I tend to be the more pragmatic and the more, you know, kind of A, B, then C, where she's like, Zed, why, R, K, let's keep going. And guess what? We're gonna start a glamping company now, too, and we're gonna buy an Airbnb and we're gonna run that as a short-term rental. Let's let's keep doing these things. Uh so her energy is really what drives us, I think. By the way, it's our anniversary coming up too. So I gotta make sure I say good things, right? 15 years.

Jennifer 31:41

I was just gonna say, I mean, communication is a constant work in progress. But yes, as I said before, probably I mean, we'd be bankrupt without Graham, because I would just be having crazy ideas with no full plan. So certainly the practical one and talks me off the ledge. I could be the emotional one. So that helps.

Sara Wilde 32:02

What's the best part of building something together in your own community?

Jennifer 32:09

I mean, I love our community, as anybody maybe listening to this knows. I'm involved in our community in many ways, but I can be vocal about our community. I think why I'm involved is I'd like to find solutions to problems, or at least if I'm gonna have a say, I want to be part to help fix it. But I love this community. I love what we build here from not even just in tourism in general. I'm raising a family here. This is a little slice of heaven that I think that people don't really realize. And I think there's more to come with that, and it's besides just wine from restaurants, as we've said before, to little shops downtown. When you start to realize in every day of life that you know somebody who knows somebody who's this, and I always say this, good, bad, or otherwise, this is a small town, you're always gonna run into people you know somewhere. So I we try our best to support other businesses and not even just in to get anything out of that, just in general, as a business owner. I think sharing and recommendations and that kind of stuff just goes a long way in building that community. And that's kind of my favourite part. What would you say?

Graham 33:25

I think we have uh such a nice community here, not only other businesses, our business doesn't exist without other businesses, right? I mean, we're tied into the wineries, obviously that's our primary focus. Restaurants, fruit stands, flower shops or all other businesses that we touch on. These are also people we run into at the grocery store or community events. They go to school with our kids, you know, with our son. So being a good community member is important to us. We like to volunteer our time when we're not um you know, working on our business. We like to be visible, but we want to be seen as a good partner, right? We want to be a value to our community as well. I think that we both love living here. We enjoy the little piece of property that we've got. We like raising our son in this area, and you know, we want to be recognized. I think that's you know why we do what we do as part of our community, right? We want to make sure that we know everybody and people know us as well, right?

Community Boards And Telling The Story

Stephanie Hicks 34:21

Well, I would say that you're incredible ambassadors for Niagara Bench lands. But I do want to go back to what you both said. You both actually mentioned that you're involved in this community and you want to be known and kind of leave your mark. And I know both of you sit on boards in this community. So can you tell us, maybe starting with you, Jennifer, the boards that you sit on?

Jennifer 34:43

I am currently the vice president of the local Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. And then the other board I sit on, the Beamsville Early Learning Childcare Center. And I think most people don't realize it's not-for-profit childcare. But I think childcare is a huge need in our growing community an even bigger need, and affordable childcare at that. And I joined that board and then remained on as a board member without a child involved, which I think is a good perspective to have. And then I became the president of that board. Oh. And then I'm on parent council for 20 Valley. But that that one I co-chair with another friend.

Graham 35:19

I'm not quite as busy as Jennifer is in our free time, but I am the treasurer of the local St. Catharines Lincoln Destination Partnership that was recently established, so our local destination marketing organization, part of the inaugural board, which is just getting its work underway to really promote the Benchlands and St. Catharines and the destination that we have here. So I'm happy to sit on that board. And I also volunteer my time mostly as a sports coach. So I'm involved with hockey coaching, soccer coaching, and baseball, all sports that our son plays, and really enjoy giving back to the community on that side of things as well as a volunteer.

Stephanie Hicks 35:53

Well, thank you both for everything that you do for this community. How important is storytelling in tourism?

Jennifer 35:59

I think it's important. I would say that right now I feel that the term storytelling is a bit of a buzzword because it's important. But the first thing is we need to say is before you can tell the story, people need to find the book. So I think once you get people here to a place that's inviting, it's approachable, there's a space for them, then I think at that point you they're willing to hear your story.

Stephanie Hicks 36:25

No, I would say that's why one of the things that we're really excited for in Niagara Benchlands in the town of Lincoln is this new DMO that thankfully your husband is a part of and can help write that story to, you know.

What Is Next For Crush

Jennifer 36:38

I think so too. I mean, it's one that we're on. And I think that I love this area so much. Like that's an opportunity. So I think we just make these assumptions. I'm like, people drive that QEW and they see our signs. That's great. But we got to get them off the road. So I think that's where the DMO can really help with that. I really do.

Stephanie Hicks 37:00

So Talk of the Town T is where you have the opportunity to tell us any new ideas, packages, partnerships, experiences. What's next for crush?

Jennifer 37:10

Oh, gosh. What new ideas do I have? I mean, anyone that's followed along with us in the last couple of years, we dabbled in some glamping stuff a couple years ago. And it's certainly something that is very high on our priority list. I think there is an appetite for that type of experience that is affordable, approachable, easy, unpretentious, that you can kind of get away and feels like camping for a night, and then you can still go home, have your nice shower, do those fun things, but also do it all.

Graham 37:43

I like these are 15-foot bell tents with you know single and double king-size beds with linens with duvets on top.

Jennifer 37:53

So I'd say that packages-wise. The one thing that I will say is we kind of we're on a line between clearly we're more than just wine and stuff. We would love to we do some culinary stuff, we would certainly love to do more flower farms, maybe some fruits, and that's again has to more align with certainly the fruit season. We are looking for more experiential stuff and whether that's experiences in other businesses, a flower picking farm, that kind of stuff.

Sara Wilde 38:19

Okay. Now we're gonna have a little fun. Not that we're not having fun already.

Jennifer 38:22

Oh, yeah.

Sara Wilde 38:23

We're moving into our lightning rounds. So quick answers, gut reactions, no overthinking, and we'll start with our wine country edition. So, patio tasting or cozy indoor tasting.

Jennifer 38:36

Oh.

Graham 38:37

I will take the indoor tasting myself.

Jennifer 38:39

Really? Oh, I would totally go patio. No, I actually thought you would want patio.

Graham 38:43

Why? Because I like to taste all year round. I don't want to be restricted. Wine country is not restricted to just summer. We get some really intimate tasting experiences in the winter when things are a little quieter. And that's why we say we're a 12-month-a-year wine tour operation. It's amazing to be able to taste some of the new stuff coming out of tank or out of barrel in November when new releases come out. So I'll take the indoor tasting with new stuff coming out.

Jennifer 39:08

That was a really good sales pitch.

Sara Wilde 39:09

Yeah, I was just literally gonna say, you know what, Graham, you're such a sales man.

Jennifer 39:14

That was a sales pitch. Come make sure you take a tour with us in January when it's quiet.

Sara Wilde 39:20

Summer wine tour. Oh gosh, did you already answer this then? Summer wine tour or fall harvest tour.

Jennifer 39:26

Oh, actually, that's a good one because you can answer first, but I can tell you, I think, where people go.

Graham 39:31

I really enjoy the fall wine tour. I like to see when the grapes have changed colours. I like to see when harvest is in full swing. I also like to show people what, you know, people have this really romantic idea of what winemaking it is. And I like to show them that it really is a farming business, you know, and it takes some of that pretentiousness out of wine when they see that, man, this is tough work when you're picking grapes, sorting grapes, you know, pressing grapes. Like it's a lot of work to get to some of the quality prepped into the request.

Stephanie Hicks 40:00

It's okay. I like that she's like, she's not my own. The light really took it off. This is my own.

Jennifer 40:07

Well, my quick thing on that is most people think we're the busiest in like July and August. We're the busiest in September and October.

Sara Wilde 40:13

Really?

Jennifer 40:14

And here's why. Well, here's my theory on why. I actually don't have the spot. What colours? Fall foliage. Women love the fall foliage. Everyone loves September. Yeah, they love their sweater weather, like they love all this.

Sara Wilde 40:24

Sweater weather.

Jennifer 40:25

But I think it's because we're also not competing with so much in the summer. Summer, summer vacation, cottages, everything like that. Once September hits, kids are back in school, cottages are closing, people love and the fall changing well and harvest. So September and October are madness in wine country.

Sara Wilde 40:40

So which do you prefer then?

Jennifer 40:41

I would prefer summer, but because I know how madness it is in the fall.

Sara Wilde 40:46

Okay, scenic vineyard view or hidden gem tasting room.

Graham 40:51

Vineyard View for me.

Jennifer 40:52

Yeah, I do vineyard view too.

Sara Wilde 40:54

Okay. Most underrated Benchlands wine.

Graham 40:58

Oh, I'm a big fan of Cloudsley Cellars. Very small winery uh on Victoria Avenue in Jordan. Jen bought a case of rose last year and misclicked and actually bought two cases when I went to pick them up.

Stephanie Hicks 41:15

And whoops.

Jennifer 41:16

Well, that's a good one.

Graham 41:17

It was one of those happy accidents. It's still one of my favorite bottles of wine that they've they've produced. And I love Cloudsley, so Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the odd case of Rose. Great spot.

Jennifer 41:27

I just didn't want you to let that out of the bag because I continue to say that Cloudsley's Rose is the best value and bang for your buck. So it is so good. And they're the price point on it is perfect. But I now people are gonna know about it, and then they're gonna go take set and buy it.

Graham 41:47

Little shout out to Matt Smith there, right?

Jennifer 41:48

What had to happen was I see it always come up, and I was like, Oh, I'm gonna order a case of that wine, and it must have been in the cart. And then I was like, Oh, I forgot to do that top. Anyways, I ordered another one and they went to go pick it up, and she was like, Here's your two cases of wine. Graham's like, two cases, and text me. I'm like, oh ...

Stephanie Hicks 42:02

I'm gonna try that trick.

Jennifer 42:03

Yeah, yeah. It was a true accident.

Sara Wilde 42:06

My best wine tour snack.

Graham 42:09

Always a wine and pizza guy. I again I want to take the pretentiousness out of wine. A good wine with a nice pizza with lots of toppings. That's for me.

Jennifer 42:18

Oh, yeah. I mean, I like french fries. I'm salty. So I would do sparkling and some French fries all day long.

Stephanie Hicks 42:27

I would do them both.

Sara Wilde 42:28

Yeah. That sounds great. So yeah, we're going on the tour.

Stephanie Hicks 42:32

We're continuing on lightning round, moving on to married couple edition.

Jennifer 42:35

Oh can't, wait.

Stephanie Hicks 42:37

Who is more likely to be early?

Graham 42:39

100% me.

Jennifer 42:40

That's right. All day long.

Graham 42:41

Um when Jen and I first met, she operated on Jen time. I've done a good job at getting her to Crush time now, which is on time.

Jennifer 42:48

Lots of people would agree with that as well. I've really improved over the last decade and a half.

Stephanie Hicks 42:52

Okay. Who is more likely to know every back road in the Niagara Benchlands?

Graham 42:57

Jennifer.

Jennifer 42:57

Oh, me, for sure.

Graham 42:58

100%.

Stephanie Hicks 42:59

You guys surprised me by the answers, and I don't know why.

Graham 43:04

I think she has the advantage of growing up here, but she seems to remember the places. The one I can't remember the name of the street. I think I'm too Google-oriented now. I follow just the blue line of where to turn, and she knows a little bit.

Sara Wilde 43:16

I love that.

Jennifer 43:17

Yeah.

Stephanie Hicks 43:17

Okay. Who has the better wine palette?

Graham 43:20

I think we'll both argue we do we both do.

Jennifer 43:23

Yeah, I think so too.

Graham 43:24

I think we both like different wines. We do share some similarities.

Jennifer 43:29

Actually, there is a wine, a wine that we had not that long ago that I thought I was loving, and he was like, I can't drink this. And I'm like, that's never where we're that far off. But anyways, I said he had a cold. I'm like, I'm like, you must be getting a flu.

Stephanie Hicks 43:43

And I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I'm gonna ask it who is more likely to make friends with the whole tour group?

Graham 43:49

Oh god. I have been known to do that on occasion. But we each I think that's what why we get along so well too. I think Jen can get really get along really well in a crowd with people as well, she's very involved in the community and knows everybody.

Stephanie Hicks 44:03

Who is better at handling last minute changes?

Jennifer 44:07

I'd say me. Clearly he doesn't agree.

Graham 44:11

No, I I I think that's fair. I think that's fair. I think you gotta always be on your toes. Yes. And I think Jen's probably ready for those last minute changes, but we're both pretty good at the time.

Stephanie Hicks 44:20

Who is the better driver?

Graham 44:22

Me. 100%. That's why you can safely get in a tour event with me.

Stephanie Hicks 44:27

Who is more likely to overpack for a day out?

Graham 44:31

100%, Jennifer.

Jennifer 44:32

That's me all day long.

Stephanie Hicks 44:34

Who gives better directions?

Jennifer 44:36

That's me as well.

Graham 44:37

Jen as well.

Stephanie Hicks 44:39

All right. Who is more romantic?

Jennifer 44:41

Oh.

Graham 44:42

Oh, I mean, we've been married for 15 years. Romance died after year three. Oh, God.

Jennifer 44:47

That tells you.

Graham 44:48

No, I'm just kidding. Jennifer is definitely the one that does the planning, the one that's more thoughtful. It's our 15th anniversary coming up in two weeks. Do you think I've done anything ahead of that?

Jennifer 44:58

No, I think he's just trying to surprise me.

Stephanie Hicks 45:01

Yeah. And who is more likely to say, let's open the good bottle?

Jennifer 45:06

100% me.

Graham 45:08

I was gonna think myself.

Jennifer 45:10

Really? No. So the funny story is for our one year anniversary, I went and searched out for a bottle of wine that Graham insisted he always wanted to try. An expensive bottle of wine. And I found it. And I said, we'll hold it and drink it on our 10-year anniversary. He was like, Oh, that's a great idea. So our 10-year anniversary rolled around, kind of in the middle of COVID. So we couldn't go anywhere. And at least it was summertime. And we and I said, It's time to open the wine. And he's like, That bottle of wine is really appreciated. It's like worth way more now. And I'm like, it's not about what it's worth. What did we just put in for 10 years of marriage? Like, we've earned this bottle of wine. And so he's like, Oh, I think, and I'm like, we're drinking this bottle of wine. And he's like, Well, it was your gift to me. I'm like, we're drinking this bottle of wine. So then we open this wine, and then we both are like, I hope this wine's good. Anyways, we drank it in our backyard.

Sara Wilde 46:03

Was it amazing?

Jennifer 46:04

And it was amazing.

Graham 46:05

It was awesome. Yeah. It was really worth waiting for.

Sara Wilde 46:07

And finally, we'll end the lightning round with a crush tours edition. Most common thing guests say at the end of a tour.

Graham 46:17

The most common thing everybody says I think at the end of the tour, first of all, they always ask you when you're driving, what is your favourite winery? We get asked that every single tour you're on, every single driver. At the end of the tour, one of the things I like to hear from customers is that was such a fun day. It was more than I expected, and we're definitely going to book again.

Sara Wilde 46:36

Thanks Todd.

Graham 46:37

I think that's fun. Thanks, Todd. Gord, Ghee, Wes, Ken.

Jennifer 46:41

All of us at our staff meeting. These guys are going to listen to the podcast.

Sara Wilde 46:47

I hope so.

Jennifer 46:48

Oh, they might.

Graham 46:49

Dan.

Jennifer 46:49

They will.

Graham 46:50

I'm sure I'm missing somebody off the top of my head.

Jennifer 46:53

Carrie.

Graham 46:54

Carrie, yeah. I don't want to forget to get it. Carrie. We've got a great group of group of guides. They do tours in English or French. We can muddle around a little bit in German as well, but they really are the heart of our business. They're a great great group.

Jennifer 47:06

Absolutely.

Sara Wilde 47:07

If Crush Tours had a theme song, what would it be? Or what would the vibe be? Either one.

Graham 47:14

Oh, what would the vibe be?

Jennifer 47:15

That's a good question.

Graham 47:16

That is a good question. A lot of good music in the in the movie Sideways, one of my favorites. It would definitely be the opposite of Paul Giamatti's character, I'm not drinking Merlot. He would be saying, I am drinking Merlot as we drive around. I don't know if we had a song.

Jennifer 47:30

I don't know either.

Graham 47:31

Something cool, something unpretentious, something to set the mood for the day. Imagine the sun is shining. You're out in a vineyard, you've got a glass of wine in your hand.

Sara Wilde 47:42

Graham the sales guy.

Stephanie Hicks 47:44

I feel like you need to write this song now.

Graham 47:46

And Todd is carrying your case of wine back to the wine tour van as we gently drift off to the next wine room. Sounds like a perfect day to me.

Sara Wilde 47:55

It sounds perfect.

Stephanie Hicks 47:56

Sounds like a number one hit coming up.

Jennifer 47:58

There we go.

Sara Wilde 47:59

Finish the sentence. A perfect day in Niagara Benchlands starts with...

Graham 48:06

Starts with. I always say it starts with a nice cool rose. Oh. It's a great start to a wine tour.

Jennifer 48:14

I would say start with a glass of sparkling.

Graham 48:17

A traffic-free QEW.

Jennifer 48:19

Oh, that one would be. There you go.

Sara Wilde 48:20

That's a good one.

Stephanie Hicks 48:22

I know. We need to add those lyrics into the song, right? Exactly.

Jennifer 48:26

Start with arriving on time.

Where To Find Crush Tours

Stephanie Hicks 48:28

Okay. So that brings us to the end of today's episode. A huge thank you to Jennifer Pratt and Graham Cocking from Crush on Niagara Wine Tours for joining us and giving us a behind-the-scenes look at wine touring in the Niagara Benchlands here in Lincoln.

Sara Wilde 48:42

Whether you're a local looking to rediscover your own backyard, planning a day out with friends, or visiting Niagara Benchlands for the first time, Crush Tours is a reminder that wine country is about more than what's in the glass. It's about the people, the stories, the scenery, and the experience.

Stephanie Hicks 48:58

You can learn more about their tours at Crush Tours.com and follow along with them online at Crush Tours.

Local Events And Sponsor Messages

Graham 49:05

Thanks, ladies, for having us today. Anybody listening? Drink Ontario Wine.

Lana 49:09

Hi, Lana Borsellino here from Theatre Bacchus. And I'd like to invite you to come and experience our spring production, The Invisible Man, coming to you at the Lincoln Community Hub. I'm calling it an experience because not only will you be immersed in laughter as you watch three actors take on 15 characters, you will get to taste our Bacchus bites, our signature cocktails, and delicious London-born wine. Tickets are available at theatrebacchus.com.

Andrea 49:33

The Town of Lincoln is excited to announce the details for Mare Easton's annual charity golf tournament. Since we started directly hosting the event some three years ago, we have raised over $167,000 for local charities. Funds raised from this event help support Lincoln's local charities and those that directly support residents of Lincoln. Partnering with the Niagara Community Foundation, we are pleased to bring you this year's event hosted by Twinny Valley Golf and Country Club on Wednesday, June 10th. This is a one-day time-tea event with a number of ways in which you can get involved. Join us for a day out on the course with registration, including 18-hole golf bee, golf cart, registration gift, lunch, and a $50 dinner voucher to one of two local restaurants. There are various opportunities for sponsorship as well as logo recognition on course. A golf ball pool has become a great way for businesses to showcase their product, experience, or service, with everyone who makes a purchase guaranteed to take home something matched with a uniquely numbered golf ball. If you're interested in providing an item to showcase your business, please contact Andrea Chambers at 905-563-2799 extension 269. Registration and sponsorships are being accepted until May 20th. Please go to Lincoln.ca backslash Mayors Golf for more information.

Closing And How To Suggest Guests

Stephanie Hicks 50:58

That's all for today's episode of the Lincoln Local. Thank you to our sponsors Niagara Region Economic Development, the Watering Can, Second Chance Decor, and Verhoef Electric. New episodes drop twice a month and will be shared through the town's social media channels. And if there's a topic or local business you'd like us to feature, visit speakuplincoln.ca backslash podcast. Don't miss the next Talk of the Town.