The Cejas went from picking grapes to owning their very own winery in Napa.
For the Cejas, running a successful wine business in California’s Wine Country has been a labor of love.
Pedro and Amelia Ceja were just 12-years old when they met in the vineyards.
The Mexican migrant workers had just moved to the U.S. and were helping their parents pick grapes on the weekend.
Amelia Morán Ceja is now the president of Ceja Vineyards. She said, “I told my dad I was going to have my own vineyard someday. It was also Pedro’s dream. So it was a collective effort of many talented immigrants that have made Ceja vineyards a reality.”
The Cejas are now one of very few Mexican-Americans who have gone from grape pickers to owning their very own vineyard.
Pedro Ceja said, “It can be done independent of our humble beginnings if we work hard and we’re willing to pay the price.”
Amelia said in an industry dominated by white Europeans, she faced pushback for pairing high-quality wines with classic MEXICAN dishes like spicy mole. “People thought I was crazy when I started pairing beans and cabernet,” she said.
But that’s exactly what she envisioned doing as a young migrant worker, one day weaving her Mexican heritage into delicious wines. And it’s something she’s passed down to her sons and her daughter, Dalia.
“There’s this saying in my familia,” Dalia explained. “We don’t have blood in our veins, we have wine. And it’s that expression of passion, dedication, and focus to building a family legacy.”
The family said they take workers’ rights very seriously. Amelia said she has rallied in Washington to support legislation that would extend protections for migrant workers. “What I care deeply is about protecting them,” she said. “To make sure they’re not exposed to harmful pesticides and herbicides and to make sure their contributions are acknowledged.”
Currently, the Cejas say they produce 7,500 cases of wine a year. But they hope to raise that number to 18,000 cases within the next decade as they build a new mission-inspired production facility and grow the Ceja legacy.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.