About L’uva Bella
L’uva Bella® first started in 2006 when founder Frank Sergi began selling home winemaking juices to local winemakers in Northeast Ohio from his home garage. At the end of each season, Frank would gather his friends to make wine with the left-over juice he couldn’t sell. For the next 10 years, Frank and his wife, Ruth, would work tirelessly to build the business from a local wine juice distributor into a production blending and packaging facility distributing winemaking juices into 10 states through a network of wholesale partners.
In 2016 Frank’s daughter, Marisa, had graduated from Cornell University with a degree in viticulture and enology and spent a year working for the largest winery in the world. After a year, Marisa decided to move home and launch her own wine brand, Red’s Wine (Formally Redhead Wine). Marisa would drive store to store to sell her wine by hand for many years before Walmart Open Call gave her the opportunity to pitch her products on a global stage. With the Walmart authorization, this gave L’uva Bella the platform and validation to promote multiple brands in new markets across Ohio.
In 2020, Marisa and her husband, Evan Schumann, presented a plan to Frank and Ruth to purchase the business from them in hopes of taking their wine brands national. In May of 2020 the business officially changed hands, and with that, a fast-track plan for national expansion. L’uva Bella’s brands can now be found in most major retailers across 7 states and continually growing. Our mission is simple, to create modern wine brands from the best ingredients for the everyday consumer. We make wine fun, we make wine approachable, and we are on a mission to make our brands known.
Executive Team
Marisa Sergi
Chief Executive Officer
Evan Schumann
President
Garrett Lattanzio
Director of Operations and Winemaking
Delanie Bianco
Sales & Marketing Manager
“Red” Kimball
Head Chef
In The News
📰 Featured Articles & Press Coverage
1. Forbes – “These Under 30 Listers Are Expanding Their Local Family Winery To Nationwide Retail Shelves”
A deep dive into how Marisa Sergi‑Schumann and Evan Schumann transformed L’uva Bella from a regional family winery into a fast-growing national brand, with retail presence in over 5,500 stores across 10 states. Food & Wine+12Forbes+12Business Journal Daily+12
2. WKBN / Youngstown News – “Forbes lists L’uva Bella Winery owners … on ’30 Under 30′ list”
Profiles the co-founders and their journey from local roots to Forbes recognition, emphasizing their entrepreneurial spirit and growth trajectory. WKBN
3. Business Journal Daily – “L’uva Bella Winery Ready to Start $1M Expansion”
Covers a major $1 million expansion at the Lowellville facility and how the winery scaled production from demand growth. Business Journal Daily+7Business Journal Daily+7Business Journal Daily+7
4. Business Journal Daily – “Three Area Wineries Shine at Competition”
Highlights L’uva Bella being named Ohio Winery of the Year at the New York International Wine Competition, and medals won across multiple wines. Reddit+14Business Journal Daily+14Business Journal Daily+14
5. Business Journal Daily – “L’uva Bella Owners Toast ‘Seven Figure’ Investment”
Details a strategic investment from InvestBev Group, enabling expanded marketing, production capacity, and brand growth. Crain’s Cleveland+2Business Journal Daily+2Crain’s Cleveland+2
6. Mahoning Matters – “RedHead Wine CEO pours new life into L’uva Bella Winery”
Personal perspective from Marisa Sergi, tracing her long-held passion for winemaking and her transition into leading the family business. Forbes+11Mahoning Matters+11Business Journal Daily+11
7. Crain’s Cleveland Business – “L’uva Bella Winery Raises at Least $1 Million”
Focuses on the equity funding from InvestBev and its role in driving brand expansion and infrastructure upgrades.Business Journal Daily+5Crain’s Cleveland+5Business Journal Daily+5
8. Crain’s Cleveland Business – “L’uva Bella Winery scaling up production capabilities on quest to grow into a national brand”
Tracks early investments and capacity building—doubling output to support multi-state expansion across U.S. markets.