ABOUT US
Bon Vivant Imports began its journey in 2005, when Brad Jensen & Laura Kent-Jensen moved back to the states after five years living in Barcelona, Spain. During this time they were able to travel around the country and truly fall in love with not only the wines of Spain, but also the entire concept of life with good food and wine on a daily basis. They were inspired to return to the states and begin importing the wines of many winemakers who had turned into great friends of theirs. After the first few successful years, Italy was folded into the mix, expanding the search for more expression of different terroirs of Europe. Portugal and Slovenia were later added to the collection as well, and finally France came in the fold to truly add even more gusto behind our name, and continuing to round out the portfolio, offering more to our customers nation-wide.
Philosophically, we like to drink as we eat and we like to drink when we eat (we are Bon Vivants after all), giving priority to 'conscious' production in every single possible aspect. Food and wine go hand in hand in Europe, and we want to help nurture this mentality as much as we can in our daily lives, and share that with our friends, family, and customers. We work with small family producers who cultivate their own vineyards and often have for generations, who intimately understand this connection of land, food, wine and culture. Our jobs would literally be impossible without them. Their sense of history, of the earth beneath their feet, and the beautiful wines they produce make us proud to represent each and every one of them.
We believe in and support sustainable and organic agriculture as much as possible (be it certified or not), and our relationships with our wineries assure us that their philosophy lines up with ours. We love 'natural' wines just as much as the next wine geek (in fact we love finding beautiful natural wines for our portfolio), but we find it so important that the character of the grapes and land is still present in the finished wine. We seek ‘natural wine with no excuses’, where the wine’s quality and fresh characteristics speak for themselves, without flaws that throw off the balance of flavor and beauty. In effect, we import wines that are great, full of character and living vibrancy, where the earth the grapes grew on and the winemaker's gentle hand in the cellar together make for a glass full of magic.
Philosophically, we like to drink as we eat and we like to drink when we eat (we are Bon Vivants after all), giving priority to 'conscious' production in every single possible aspect. Food and wine go hand in hand in Europe, and we want to help nurture this mentality as much as we can in our daily lives, and share that with our friends, family, and customers. We work with small family producers who cultivate their own vineyards and often have for generations, who intimately understand this connection of land, food, wine and culture. Our jobs would literally be impossible without them. Their sense of history, of the earth beneath their feet, and the beautiful wines they produce make us proud to represent each and every one of them.
We believe in and support sustainable and organic agriculture as much as possible (be it certified or not), and our relationships with our wineries assure us that their philosophy lines up with ours. We love 'natural' wines just as much as the next wine geek (in fact we love finding beautiful natural wines for our portfolio), but we find it so important that the character of the grapes and land is still present in the finished wine. We seek ‘natural wine with no excuses’, where the wine’s quality and fresh characteristics speak for themselves, without flaws that throw off the balance of flavor and beauty. In effect, we import wines that are great, full of character and living vibrancy, where the earth the grapes grew on and the winemaker's gentle hand in the cellar together make for a glass full of magic.
OUR TEAM
In addition to our team below, we give many thanks to our distributors who make our lovely wines accessible across the nation. If you would like to see where our wines are near you, please explore our different distributors in each state on our FIND OUR WINES page.
Brad Jensen is the President of Bon Vivant Imports. Brad’s first career was in the tech world. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he went to work for Hewlett Packard in San Diego. After many years in product development and manufacturing, HP gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse – the chance to move with his family to Spain and create a new engineering team. While in Spain, Brad also completed an executive MBA at the University of Chicago’s European Campus and decided to put this degree to work founding a new company. While living in and traveling through Europe for five years, Brad discovered a love for the history and traditions, people, and especially the foods and wines of Europe. Hence the creation of Bon Vivant Imports.
“I am so grateful that we decided to jump into the wine world as it enabled me to take my love of food and wine and sharing these things with friends and family and incorporate these into my work life. The more I delve into the world of wine and the more I learn, the more interesting it all becomes. It is like reading a fantastic book that never ends. I think the wine world in the US is in its most interesting phase as wine consumers discover more of the small family producers who have been making this magical drink for centuries. I am excited and proud to be sharing our discoveries with our new friends in the wine community. Drink well!”
[email protected]
Laura Kent-Jensen is the Vice President of Bon Vivant Imports. After graduating from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, she worked in the high tech industry for several years. In 2000, she moved to Spain, where she served as President of the BFIS Commission while developing the business plan and portfolio for Bon Vivant Imports. She now manages the operations for the business and eagerly participates in portfolio development activities.
“I love the wine world because it combines natural farming with the making of art. When I visit our wineries, I am impressed by this connection between the earthly endeavor and the higher ideal, as the wine-maker transforms ripe fruit from their land into a fine bottle of wine. The healthy and sustainable methods they employ give me confidence that they are working with the best materials in crafting their wines. But even with my engineering background, it is not the vinicultural science that draws me; it is the commitment to concept and leap of faith that result in a great wine.”
[email protected]
Bryan Hinschberger is Bon Vivant Imports' National Sales Manager. Having started his wine career within many different restaurants’ walls, passion for food quickly developed into an overall enthusiasm for wine, spirits, food, and how they all play so well with one another. Having chef'd, somm'd, and most all other aspects of the industry, Bryan’s efforts to continue learning and developing his palate are a constant goal for him. Spending much time traveling the country working with our distributors, incredible restaurants and retail shops, Bryan looks forward to watching the growth of the company start at the consumer level, as his true passion sits with them and their natural reaction to this amazing beverage.
“There is something so surreal about wine and the way it brings people together. From Mother Earth giving the most exceptional fruit in the world to the farmer; to the farmer or winemaker creating a true expression of what the fruit wants to say to us as if it could speak; to the consumption by each and every different person across the world that touches this magical juice… Then we all sit around, talk, laugh, love, and enjoy the very thing that brought us all together- wine.”
[email protected]
Brad Jensen is the President of Bon Vivant Imports. Brad’s first career was in the tech world. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he went to work for Hewlett Packard in San Diego. After many years in product development and manufacturing, HP gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse – the chance to move with his family to Spain and create a new engineering team. While in Spain, Brad also completed an executive MBA at the University of Chicago’s European Campus and decided to put this degree to work founding a new company. While living in and traveling through Europe for five years, Brad discovered a love for the history and traditions, people, and especially the foods and wines of Europe. Hence the creation of Bon Vivant Imports.
“I am so grateful that we decided to jump into the wine world as it enabled me to take my love of food and wine and sharing these things with friends and family and incorporate these into my work life. The more I delve into the world of wine and the more I learn, the more interesting it all becomes. It is like reading a fantastic book that never ends. I think the wine world in the US is in its most interesting phase as wine consumers discover more of the small family producers who have been making this magical drink for centuries. I am excited and proud to be sharing our discoveries with our new friends in the wine community. Drink well!”
[email protected]
Laura Kent-Jensen is the Vice President of Bon Vivant Imports. After graduating from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, she worked in the high tech industry for several years. In 2000, she moved to Spain, where she served as President of the BFIS Commission while developing the business plan and portfolio for Bon Vivant Imports. She now manages the operations for the business and eagerly participates in portfolio development activities.
“I love the wine world because it combines natural farming with the making of art. When I visit our wineries, I am impressed by this connection between the earthly endeavor and the higher ideal, as the wine-maker transforms ripe fruit from their land into a fine bottle of wine. The healthy and sustainable methods they employ give me confidence that they are working with the best materials in crafting their wines. But even with my engineering background, it is not the vinicultural science that draws me; it is the commitment to concept and leap of faith that result in a great wine.”
[email protected]
Bryan Hinschberger is Bon Vivant Imports' National Sales Manager. Having started his wine career within many different restaurants’ walls, passion for food quickly developed into an overall enthusiasm for wine, spirits, food, and how they all play so well with one another. Having chef'd, somm'd, and most all other aspects of the industry, Bryan’s efforts to continue learning and developing his palate are a constant goal for him. Spending much time traveling the country working with our distributors, incredible restaurants and retail shops, Bryan looks forward to watching the growth of the company start at the consumer level, as his true passion sits with them and their natural reaction to this amazing beverage.
“There is something so surreal about wine and the way it brings people together. From Mother Earth giving the most exceptional fruit in the world to the farmer; to the farmer or winemaker creating a true expression of what the fruit wants to say to us as if it could speak; to the consumption by each and every different person across the world that touches this magical juice… Then we all sit around, talk, laugh, love, and enjoy the very thing that brought us all together- wine.”
[email protected]