Local grower plants niche in all-natural gourmet grape juices

By Melissa A. Wabnitz

Transcript Staff Writer

SLAUGHTERVILLE -- Grapes are naturally tasty, nearly any way you pluck, press or pasteurize them. And for former weather predictor Jill Stichler, the sometimes sweet, sometimes tart juices derived from the cantankerous little fruits have turned into the lifeblood of a home-based business -- Redland Juice Company.

Nestled in the crook of Bryant Road and 108th Avenue off Slaughterville Road since 2003, Stichler and her partner-in-juice, Kathy Bates, have bottled a recipe for success with their line of gourmet grape juices ranging from vintage Chardonnay and Merlot varieties to a signature blend, Maiden Oklahoma and, most recently, an antioxidant-rich elderberry-grape blend.

Stichler, a native Oklahoman, said her business venture began the year she retired from the National Weather Service.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to grow grapes, and then, in 2000, on my way home from work one day, I saw some guys up the corner planting some grapes and I just turned in there and introduced myself," she said. "It started there and really that's how it came to be -- it's like God leads you down a path and I think I'm just supposed to be doing this."

Though no Redland products contain alcohol, ironically it was from Stichler's attempts at wine-making that she and Bates dreamt of producing an all-natural, sugar-and-water-free juice variety.

"When people think of grape juice, they think of concord, and when they try something else, they are just astonished at the variety," Stichler said. "I found out in this business, everybody has a favorite juice, kind of like favorite wines almost. Some people like really, really sweet juices, like our Merlot is very sweet, and some people like a tart juice, like the Maiden Oklahoma."

In many ways, wine-making may have been the easier pursuit, Stichler said, but producing an original item that's safe to give to grandchildren and grannies alike is a worthwhile and satisfying pursuit.

"I spend nearly all day, every day here," Stichler said of her nearly four acres of grape vines. "It's work, but if you enjoy what you're doing, it's not really work."

Melissa A. Wabnitz 366-3550 mwabnitz@normantranscript.com