John Kapon, president and chief executive of wine auction house Acker Merrall & Condit, recalls that when he was still in college at New York University, he used to work nights out at his family's wine store.

Despite that, he had never thought of it as his cup of tea, or taking over the family business. He merely needed some pocket money to "chase after other things".

"My father had never forced me into the business. He always encouraged me to find whatever I wanted to do, to discover what I was passionate about. But, after some time, I just fell in love with wine so, naturally, I took up the family business," he reminisces.

Kapon reckons that if his father had coerced him into the business, he probably won't be here today. He would have probably rebelled and taken a different course. He's grateful that his father had been very nurturing, and he was allowed to discover the love for wine on his own.

The young Kapon joined the family business 25 years ago in the early 1990s and has stayed there ever since.

He's very proud of the heritage his family has fostered, recognizing that Acker Merrall & Condit is America's oldest wine shop and, probably, the third-oldest licensed business in the state of New York, enjoying a real rich history and tradition.

"You know we had wine cargo on the Titanic. Obviously, we didn't get that cargo. We used to have stores all over the country, in America."

Kapon says he would like to bring that heritage back and eventually have Acker Merrall all over the world. Hopefully, one day, when people think of fine wine, they would think of Acker Merrall, just like when they think of jewels, they would think of Cartier.

The family's core value is to work hard - Kapon's father had been used to working 10 to 12 hours every day for some four decades.

Following the Great Depression, Acker Merrall & Condit became the neighborhood wine shop, and the business had to downsize to just one store in New York City. Kapon's father ultimately brought back the rare wine heritage that had existed before the Great Depression, enabling Kapon to put the business on a new track.

He subsequently started wine auctions and wine tasting functions, and turned the company into an international brand.

"I'm very proud of what we have accomplished and what we have done. I feel there's a lot more to do and that keeps me motivated."

As head of the family business, Kapon says he respects all his employees and he tries to treat everyone fairly. The company doesn't have a high turnover, so he believes it has nurtured a very nice staff culture.

sophiehe@chinadailyhk.com

John Kapon, president and chief executive of Acker Merrall & Condit, says they have attracted hordes of Chinese mainland customers to Hong Kong looking for the best quality wines. Parker Zheng / china daily

(HK Edition 12/08/2017 page11)