Owen Mayo

When Owen Mayo joined Quilceda Creek fulltime in 2019, he’d been working on and off at the winery for several years. He was in college when he was first offered a harvest intern job, but working 12-hour days, seven days a week through the fall wasn’t something he could swing while going to school. But in 2015 Owen was taking classes part time, and when the harvest intern offer came around again, he took it. That’s when he fell in love with winemaking, as well as the team at Quilceda Creek. “There was a fulfillment that I’d never felt in any other job.”

Over the next few years Owen worked every harvest at Quilceda Creek and made himself available for any other job the winery offered. From bottling and production tasks to working release events and delivering wine to customers, Owen did whatever needed to be done. He joined the winery fulltime in 2019 and was named member relations liaison in 2020.

In his current position Owen is the first line of communication between Quilceda Creek and its members and members-to-be. In addition to striving to provide excellent customer service, he helps out with tours and small events at the winery when it is open. But Owen still keeps his hands in winemaking, working the harvest each year and into the foreseeable future. “I love the hands-on work.”

A native of Snohomish, Owen studied business with a marketing focus as well as music production at Bellevue College, where he earned his Associates Degree. An accomplished songwriter and musician who plays guitar and keyboard, Owen is part of the regional band Cytrus, which performs in Seattle, Portland and other northwest venues. “I notice similarities between making wine and making music; both involve bringing different elements into harmony.”