Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | The Grapes of Wrath | 5

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2020

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Heading into the turbulent 1960s, Ernest Gallo attempts to conquer the Midwestern wine market by taking on a dangerous associate of Al Capone in Chicago.

As the company grows, the two Gallos join forces in consolidating their control over the family empire and edging their younger brother, Joe, Jr, out of the family business. But just as Gallo reaches the pinnacle of the industry, it gets caught in the middle of a major labor rights battle. Cesar Chavez and his United Farmworkers are fighting with the Teamsters union over who will represent grape pickers. Chavez’s Gallo Boycott is poised to become the company’s biggest public relations challenge yet.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to business wars at free on Amazon Music.
0:04.6	Download the app today.
0:07.0	It's 1961 in the Gallo Winery in Modesto, California.
0:20.5	Ernest and Julio Gallo stand over Ernest's huge oak desk, fearing down at the front page
0:25.5	of a Chicago tabloid.
0:28.0	In their early 50s, the brothers have never looked more alike, both balding with heavy black
0:33.2	rimmed glasses, but they've never been more estranged.
0:37.4	Now they're staring at a photo of a black man lying dead in a gutter, his hand clutching
0:41.8	a bottle of Gallo's best-selling product, Thunderbird.
0:46.1	In the two months since they gave away street samples, they've sold 50,000 cases of it.
0:52.2	Ernest jabs his finger at the photo.
0:54.5	This has got to be the work of the Chicago mob.
0:56.6	I'm sure of it.
0:58.0	They're furious we're taking over their market.
1:00.9	Julio's hardly modified.
1:02.9	He crosses his arms and glairs at his brother.
1:05.7	And what about your other tricks, Ernest?
1:07.7	My friend and Italian Swiss colony told me you made a secret deal with them, and they
1:11.8	sold 90,000 cases for us on the black market.
1:15.2	That's bad enough, but pushing into Chicago territory?
1:19.3	It's crazy and it could get us killed just like dad.
1:22.6	Ernest holds up a hand in warning.
	...

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