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The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Coast Guard, Cold Milk, and a Cuban Kid's First Taste of America Pt. 2
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About this episode
Gino Santos, President of Premium Blend Cocktails, picks up right where the adventure began — on a sinking shrimp boat in the Florida Straits. Gino shares the vivid story of his family's escape from Cuba, being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, and arriving in Key West to sandwiches and cold milk. From there, the story fast-forwards through Stetson University, an MBA from the University of Miami, a stint at Oscar Mayer, and the moment Gino spotted a wine-based product on his sales route that changed everything. He and his brother Henry built Premium Blend from the ground up — and the hardest part wasn't making the product. It was convincing a skeptical industry to believe in it.