We want to share a little more about the path that made Telaya a reality.

Earl is originally from central Kentucky, where he proudly was raised working on the family tobacco and cattle farm. Carrie was raised in suburban Southern Indiana. We met as college juniors, living on a 40-foot fishing boat, studying tropical ecology in the Galapagos Islands. Our journey from that meeting has taken us to San Salvador, Bahamas (studying tide pool and coral reef ecology), to College Station, TX (master’s program in molecular genetics for Carrie), down the coast of Africa from Nigeria to Angola (Earl working in international logistics), and then to Columbus, Ohio (DVM degree for Carrie at Ohio State). We landed in Boise, ID in 2002 – originally moving here for Earl’s work in generic pharmaceuticals. Earl has traveled the world in his profession from Europe and Asia to Israel and Cuba.

But after all of this – we consider Idaho to be our home. This is where our two sons were born and this is where we want them to be raised. We proudly identify with what we consider to be the Idaho values of hard work, family, integrity, love of outdoors and living life with a passion.

As both of us were ready to turn 40, we decided on the beaches of Cabo that we needed to find that passion for life again. So we asked ourselves what it was we were passionate about. Our answers to each other revolved primarily around family, friends, and teaching crucial life values to our boys. We are also very passionate about travel – our two favorite places in the world being specifically the Teton Mountain range in Wyoming and more generally the beach (or playa in Spanish). And we loved wine – the tastings, the pairings with food, the fact that wine production combines our respect and experience with agriculture with our science backgrounds. We talked and planned as we walked many miles on the beaches of Mexico. It was on one early morning of that trip that Earl came up with the name Telaya (combining our beloved Tetons with playa) and drew our logo of a mountain range and ocean waves in the sand. And so our new endeavor was born.

We were fortuitously introduced to Victor Cruz through the good people of Anelare Winery and our close personal friends, Chris and Rae. Through these introductions and discussions, we were able to strike a partnership to produce a product of which we knew would both meet the quality standards we wanted and represent the Telaya brand well. Victor is not only a very talented master winemaker, but a wonderful person that we have thoroughly enjoyed working with to produce our hand-crafted wine.

In the Fall of 2011, Telaya joined the 44th Street Wineries Cooperative in Garden City, ID. Not only has this facility given us an urban environment to perform tastings and wine events, but more importantly has provided us the opportunity to learn. Earl was lucky enough to work the harvest of 2011 for Angie Shaltry of Periple Winery as a first year cellar rat. The knowledge and hands-on experience that he gained was priceless and proved that the concept of hard work and passion for a product were intertwined in wine.

Telaya seems like the perfect fit for us – this blending of our passions. And we view this as only the first step. We have many plans and dreams for the future – both for us, our family and for the company.

And we would love to have you come along with us on this journey…