Brentwood's Contra Co Co Wine Company offers best of local wines

Name of Business: Brentwood's Co. Co. County Wine Company
Type of business: Tasting room and wine bar
Owners: Tom and Rebecca Bloomfield and Brett and Dafne Swisher
Founded: November 2007
Address: 633 First St., Brentwood
Phone number: 925-634-WINE (9463)
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 8 p.m.; Friday 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. Private tastings by appointment.
Number of employees: four
Products and services: "We carry the best of Contra Costa and California wines, beer, complimentary cheese and fruit," Bloomfield said. They also offer live music and wine tasting.
How did you get into the business: Dafne, being the property manager of the site, approached Rebecca, a local vintner, Bloomfield Vineyards, to research the possibilities of leasing to a co-op wine group.
"Most local vintners do not have a tasting room to feature their wine, so our goal was to create a venue to showcase local wines," Bloomfield said.
Best part about the business: "The best part of the business is that we own and operate it," she said. "From the very beginning we worked together, painting, decorating, you name it we did it. We transformed the building to become a reflection of what we thought would be an inviting place to come and enjoy wine."
Worst part about the business: "Managing our time to balance between our professional life and home life," Bloomfield said.
Key to success: Bloomfield said that they believe that the key to success is to value the opinion of others, and to strive to bring the best possible service to their guests.
Biggest misperception about the business: "The biggest misperception is that experiencing wine and all that it brings is preconceived as pretentious. We are all about sharing our wines and the story that they bring," she said.
Future plans: "We are constantly engaged in the process of growing, and are planning to add tapas (appetizers) to our venue," Bloomfield said.
— Roni Gehlke