Alero Emenike is the Chief
Executive Officer of Villa Alero Wines. At the tender age of 10, she left for
Italy where she went to school and received a degree in Fashion Designing.
However, because of her love for the languages, she earned another degree in
Linguistics. Although she studied Fashion Designing, she opted for wine
production due to her long stay in Italy.
According to soft-spoken Alero, “I
went to Italy to study. My first degree was in Fashion Designing but my
interest in languages made me undertake another degree, this time in
Linguistics. This enabled me to speak Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
I picked a job as a translator for a tourism organisation before leaving.”
Speaking about why she decided to
produce her own red wines, Alero disclosed that, “I have been in wine business
for quite some time now but in Nigeria we started in 2006 which includes
getting the NAFDAC number and preparing it. My first consignment arrived in Nigeria
in 2011 and today we decided to unveil the new bottle. We have upgraded, it is
a new taste and a new bottle but same Villa Alero wines.”
What motivated Alero into going
into wine production business? “I grew up in Italy which is known as the home
of wines. There, they drink wine like water. They drink it during meal time and
any merriment. I like wine, especially red wine so I decided to share my love
with every other Nigerian like myself. The production is not done in Nigeria
because our weather will not permit us to grow grapes so it is from the
homeland of wine, Italy. There have been challenges. It has not been easy and
the reason is because there are some other people who have been there before
me. It is not just easy to introduce something new and different to our people
but it is getting better every day,” she emphasised.
Many people believe that drinking
red wine is healthier than white wine. Alero who is an expert in the wine
business substantiated the statement when she emphasised that, “First of all, I
don’t like white wine. I used to sell white wine but it is not good for our
weather.
You can’t preserve it for long
because of the hot sun. White wine is not too good for our teeth as well. Since
Nigerians eat more of beef than chicken and fish, red wine helps it to digest
fast. We also have a lot of health benefits for both women and men. I am not a
doctor but I know about them, so it is good for our heart like the way pepper
is good for the heart and a lot of diseases too because it is a fruit. There is
a new study which just came out; it says that red wine is good for women
because it prevents breast cancer. So the ladies have to start drinking any
good red wine.”
Every growing child had a dream,
what were Alero’s dreams as a young growing lady? She stated that, “I had a lot
of dreams like every other child but I never dreamt of going into wine
business. I like good clothes so I have my own clothing line as well which one
day I am going to launch. Incidentally, I am into male clothes only. I decided
to do strictly men’s clothing and classic. So I have the blazer, belts, shoes,
underwears and shirts.” As someone who studied fashion designing, how would
Alero define her style? “When it comes to style, some people say I am a tom boy
but I am just a jeans and shirt woman. I like dressing simple, different and
classy. You won’t believe but every little classic thing is your own style.
What I will never be caught dead
wearing will be 12 inches high heeled shoes. I will never wear them. I like
wearing unisex shoes and flat shoes just to look simple and smart.” What is
Alero’s motivating factor in life? She disclosed, “First of all, God is my
motivating factor in life. Also, I am not that kind of up-there person, I am
satisfied with any little thing as it makes me happy and motivates me.” How
does she cope with being a wife and a businesswoman? Alero disclosed that she
has coped well and her husband is an understanding person.
“My husband is really an
understanding person. I met him outside Nigeria and we dated for eight years
before we got married. He is my soul mate and friend; we know and understand
each other and also work together. The truth is that when I indicated my
interest in producing good wine for the Nigerian market to him, he was excited
about it and he supported me.”
In addition, Alero said, “It is
good for every woman to know how to manage her home properly and also have time
for her family as that is what makes her a good mother and wife. It shouldn’t
be about business all the time.”
Advising young, aspiring people who
intend to go into business, Alero said, “Never give up because you will have a
lot of frustrations. Always make sure you pray because a lot of things will go
easy for you with prayers.”
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