Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Rice.
Hi Dan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a Minnesota Native, growing up in Apple Valley, MN. I studied Finance at the University of Minnesota and started working in Investment Banking at Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis upon graduation. I transitioned to Piper’s New York office in 2013 and spent 5 years in the city. During my time in NY, I started frequenting natural wine bars – The Ten Bells in LES and also Four Horsemen in Brooklyn.
I became hooked on the vibrancy and distinctiveness of the wines – but also the ethos of what the natural wine movement stood for small producers practicing regenerative agriculture with little to no manipulation in the cellar.
The natural wine bug had infected me and when I moved back to Minneapolis in 2018 there was nothing remotely close to a natural wine bar. At best, we had Henry & Sons (a dedicated natural wine bottle shop) but no place to hang and sip on wines and learn the stories of producers like I had experienced while living in NYC.
At this time, I was burnt out from 8 years of banking and long hours, and looking for a major change. I quit my job and set the sights on opening Minneapolis’ first natural wine bar. I spent the next 9 months traveling and researching.
Followed by a long search for locations and business partners. What ultimately followed was the birth of Bar Brava.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A rollercoaster. Bar Brava opened 3 months before COVID-19 lockdowns.
We had tremendous momentum, and then the news came we had to shut down. It was heartbreaking. You can plan for a lot of things, prepare for the worst, and buy insurance, but you can’t plan for a global pandemic.
Thanks – So what else should our readers know about Bar Brava?
Bar Brava is Minneapolis’s only natural wine bar.
We focus on wines made by small producers, without the use of herbicides/pesticides and with little to no manipulation in the cellar. The wines that result are vibrant, distinctive, and alive. Wines that we think you can feel really good about drinking.
Bar Brava food program is unique in that we partner with chefs for long-term pop-ups, or a better term could be a Residency. Our most recent partnership is with Eric Pham of Khues Kitchen – he is the son of the famed Quang restaurant on Eat Street.
I purchase wines for the restaurant and manage the front of the house. My purchasing focuses on unique and hard-to-find wines.
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Talk to anyone and everyone. Mentors are invaluable. I wish I had found mine sooner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.barbravamn.com
- Instagram: @barbravamn
- Facebook: @barbravamn
