Meet Jasmine Calhoun | Wine and Fellowship Curator & Mastectomy Fitter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jasmine Calhoun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jasmine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process in starting my own business was multi-faceted. One, I always thought that turning your passion into your career was the best way to live life – no matter the income, doing something you love is special. For me, what started as an appreciation and infatuation for wine, turned into a crazy side hustle, and is now going to one day become my day to day…and I cannot wait for that moment. The other part was understanding that starting a business doing something I was passionate about was always going to benefit others. I didn’t want to pursue something that did not have others at the center of it. Wine curation is more about bringing people and our community together and bridging the gap…especially in southern GA. And lastly, as a black woman, I wanted to be an example to my beautiful bonus daughters, nieces and other young girl and peers. I want to show them how to be compassionate, confident and have initiative and that they do not have to dim their light for anyone,

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always believed that there is enough pie for everyone but your piece will always be a little different than the others. As it should. In the world of wine curation, I prefer the term experience curation because serving a glass of wine and educating people about the wine is truly a joy but the bread and butter of it all is the experience, It’s the fellowship that organically occurs that is the driver.

This entire wine venture started when i started pairing wine with music on Instagram and began to intertwine this with the booming wine and culture scene in Atlanta. The different wine and music selections began to create a buzz among family, friends and other wine enthusiasts and after attending wine and culture fest, I began to think of several ways to incorporate wine into my life professionally.
Taking a step back, my training is in healthcare and public health and I have worked in some form of forward facing client care for most of my professional career. I absolutely love people and it is an honor to serve and love on people. It’s the easiest and quickest way to start the healing process. I guess now I am in a different type of healthcare. Healthcare for the soul.

Alright, so moving forward – after moving from Atl back to my hometown in South Georgia almost two years ago, I had an opportunity to DJ and pour wine at a local wine shop and the experience was incredible. Seeing individuals from different walks of life, backgrounds, races, etc enjoying a glass of wine and good music solidified the idea that wine is a catalyst to help bridging the gap….whatever that gap may be. People genuinely connected over fermented grape juice and Jodeci….it was beyond me!!

Now don’t get me wrong, being in the south is tricky simply because you are in the Bible Belt and social drinking isn’t always accepted but what I have realized is that the what sets me apart is that I fully embrace that the Bible uses wine and the vine as a way to convey connection and fellowship. It has helped make drinking a glass of wine more than just a glass of alcohol. It’s understanding the agriculture and time and love that goes into each bottle of wine. My brand is not wine…my brand is people. My brand is fellowship. My brand is community. My brand is the person reading this – YOU. And my story is continuously evolving…as I learn what my community needs and desires, I get to grow with them all while offering a wine experience that will meet and hopefully exceed that need.

I have learned so many things on this entrepreneurial journey…one of the biggest is that criticism is necessary and you cannot possible know everything right out the gate. In true transparency, financial part is still a journey for me…understand margins, profits, taxes, etc is happening on the job. But it is pushing me to develop those skills and hopefully mentor other budding entrepreneurs as well.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Now that I have moved back to South GA, I think I would start in Thomasville and take my best friend on a Taste of Thomasville tour…we have amazing restaurants and experiences in our downtown such as Tavern on Broad, Jonah’s, Farmer’s Daughters tasting room and Sweetgrass.

After that, we hit the road and head up to Atlanta and go north….North GA has some amazing vineyards, including Kaya Vineyards. They will set up the perfect wine and vineyard experience. Actually this may be a the perfect spot of us to do a double date with our significant others and then drop them off somewhere and continue on our journey!! lol!

Next, we would head to Avalon in Alpharetta to do some shopping and get massages and people watch while sipping rose at one of the outdoor restaurants.

At some point we have to go to the Battery and see the Braves in action and hangout out at Cru wine bar and get a flight of every wine they serve…within reason.

To end the trip, we would definitely head to Ponce and rent bikes and ride the trail and stop ever so often to grab a beer or a a snack or a glass of wine and continue on our way.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, we will ALWAYS shout out God. He is the one that put the desire in my heart to love on others through the medium of wine and without His love, compassion and example, none of this is possible. Because of God, I have a partner and family that have been more than supportive. My partner has been a sounding board for ideas, a shoulder to lean on during anxious moments and my number one promoter – he invites more people to my wine events than I do!! And he knows more about wine than he ever intended but the man knows his Cabernets! My family and friends (especially my bonus daughters, mom and Gerriann K) have also whole heartedly supported this venture and are by my side for every tasting and party. And by default they get to be my wine tasters (not my daughters…lol) and pourers…which isn’t a bad deal!

Website: https://Www.thediversepour.com

Instagram: @thediversepour

Facebook: Jasmine Calhoun and The Diverse Pour

Image Credits
Daniel Clark Shippey