Evelyn Campbell has decided it’s time to hang up her hat. A combination of factors led to her decision, including recuperating from hip surgery, says the Blasted Church proprietor.
But above all, “Everything changes—and I’ve changed,” she says.
Campbell truly relishes the ride of just over 19 years, which started when she and her now former husband Chris took over struggling Prpich Hills Winery and Vineyard in 2002. Annual production was around 300 cases. Blasted Church now ships around 25,000 cases a year.
“It’s crazy how quickly it’s gone by. And reflecting on it now, there are so many wonderful memories,” she says.
Revelation 1
One of the first tasks the new owners undertook was to rebrand the phonetically challenging Prpich Hills Winery name. In 2002 they engaged Bernie Hadley-Beauregard (Brandever Strategy), who researched the area and unearthed the true story of the Dynamite Church. A house of prayer that was dismantled at the Fairview Mine and rebuilt in Okanagan Falls in 1929.
As history tells it, the project engineer Harley Hatfield, had given the old church building a concussion of dynamite in order to loosen the nails for dismantling. The plan worked, save for losing the original steeple in the blast.
Interestingly, when researching the church’s history the Brandever team asked a museum volunteer (who happened to be a churchgoer) if anyone ever called it the blasted church, her lips immediately pursed and abruptly said “No!”. So, without hesitation, Blasted Church was born.
“Blasted Church was a brave new name for us and for the BC wine industry as well” recalls Campbell. I say ‘brave’ because it was 2002, and 9/11 was still in everyone’s mind. And here we were, with a wine featuring dynamite in a church. OMG.”
In fact, Evelyn & Chris had asked 10 individuals for their thoughts on the new branding, and 9 people out of 10 said “no, don’t do it”. The tenth person even called the next day to rescind her vote from a yes to a no. Cautious feedback be damned, Evelyn had a hunch that they were on the right track. With fortitude, they pushed forward. Blasted Church became an instant celebrity in the BC wine marketplace, as well as the internationally, winning countless design & wine quality awards worldwide.
The irreverence kept coming. One year, out of the blue, Blasted Church produced a Gospel Choir label that (unbeknownst to yours truly) featured caricatures of Canada’s top wine critics. You can imagine how clever and well received that was!
Perhaps the grandest accolades the winery received was when the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art selected and featured Blasted Church packaging as part of their How Wine Became Modern exhibition in 2010.
“There we were, on display in one of the world’s most preeminent contemporary art museums, in the company of many of the planet’s most creative wine brands. Such a tremendous honour!” said Campbell.
Crushing timelines
While orchestrating the launch, Campbell remembers a conversation she had with the late Harry McWatters. When she told him of her plan, Harry told her, “I’m one step ahead of you,” as he revealed his idea to rebrand Hawthorne Mountain to become See Ya Later Ranch.
However, McWatters’ clever initiative was bogged down by his organization’s internal approval processes, consumer research and so on. Evelyn recalls “we implemented our launch plan in a fraction of the time”. Campbell believes that was her damascene moment: when she understood being first meant everything.
“I realized the success that we could have with Blasted Church lay in the fact that we could do things smartly and quickly. That’s how to compete with companies with much deeper pockets. ‘Be clever and be first’ became my mantra from the very outset.”
A Litany of firsts
Beyond the bold wine labels, there were a lot of other firsts, including becoming the first Canadian winery to fully adopt screw caps.
“While others were still experimenting with screw caps, we forged ahead” said Campbell. “We diligently researched the opportunity,” says Campbell. “We refined our winemaking to have optimal wine bottled under Stelvin capsules. No compromises anywhere. There was no going back”.
A significant cost, the change required a whole new bottling line with a Stelvin closer. Spring 2005 saw the release of all 2004 whites under screw cap, again, making Blasted Church the first to wholeheartedly adopt the closure for both white and red wines.
Blasted Church was also one of the very first BC wineries to enter the on-tap market, through Fresh Tap, with initial listings at Tap and Barrel.
“People really like our Big Bang and Hatfield’s Fuse, still available by the glass,” says Campbell. Later the winery was among the first to switch to Eco light-weight bottles.
Royal ascent
Then there was the time when Governor General Michaëlle Jean came to visit as part of a whirlwind Okanagan tour in January 2008. Campbell took an entire weekend to clean the wine shop from top to bottom—everything except her upstairs mezzanine office. “We invited all our growers and everyone connected with our winemaking to meet her,” says Campbell.
“As her entourage was coming up Parsons Road, one of the secret service guys came up to me and said: ‘she needs a landline—to make an urgent call before we get started!’ So that’s what happened. She wound up making the call, of course, sitting at my messy desk!”
“We had a lovely time introducing all of the people from different cultures and backgrounds who work with us. We tasted some wine and took a group picture out on the bench in the snow and sunshine. And off they went.”
The Gospel According to Evelyn
Campbell is a firm believer in a leadership style that encourages individuals to take the initiative. Over the years she’s employed many who’ve gone on to follow their own entrepreneurial paths in the BC industry.
“We’ve been instrumental in the start of a lot of brilliant careers. We’ve had some great people, who’ve moved on with some wonderful experiences. At the same time we have many excellent people who’ve remained with us for many years.”
When winemaker Evan Saunders came on board, Campbell recognized the experience he brought, having worked with Pascal Madevon at Osoyoos Larose.
“Evan has a genuine passion for red wines and is an excellent winemaker. It was a conscious decision on my part as the leader to shift our portfolio much more towards red wine (three quarters) from two thirds white. We wanted to make every effort to showcase what he’s capable of—much like you would a gifted chef.”
“It’s something we felt strongly about. And it’s really made a difference to our wines and our focus. Evan comes up with these wonderful little projects. Sometimes they’re unique wine creations like Trebbiano, Lagrein and Teroldego (about 25 cases of each)from a tiny Similkameen vineyard for our Small Blessings tier.”
Divine intervention
Above all it’s critical to be able to adapt and act decisively, says Campbell. When the pandemic required everything go on-line Blasted Church went to work. Thanks to amplifying its already clever and witty on-line campaign (their Instagram account is the bomb), In 2020-2021 the winery increased its Direct To Consumer (DTC) sales fifteen-fold.
Blasted Church employees show their appreciation for BC’s Wildfire fighters
Wildfires are also a recurring risk that require a quick response. In July 2020 the Christie Mountain fire resulted in a one week evacuation of the area. And, currently, the Thomas Creek wildfire is also a threat. While irrigation can provide some vineyard protection, not having access to the winery poses its own challenges. “We’re constantly upgrading our tooling and putting in remote control systems in the event that we need to maintain cellar operations from elsewhere,” says Campbell.
“One thing we learned from COVID is we can’t shut the doors of the winery & vineyard because the plants grow, the tanks are full, and they all need to be looked after.”
Life after Church
What’s next? Campbell says she’s not yet sure. She will be leaving the property. But she’s not departing the industry, as she remains a Blasted Church director and shareholder.
“I would like to hand off my position eventually. We’ll see how it goes. And, for now, I’ll always be accessible.” She won’t be that far away, as she’s moving to her home in Revelstoke, where she plans to make the most of the outdoors, hiking, golfing, skiing and more.
As for her significant legacy, “I’m truly happy with what we’ve managed to achieve with my beloved Blasted Church”, she says.
“But maybe it’s time for someone younger, with fresh ideas.”
Godspeed, Evelyn!
Sponsored post
Great posting, Tim!
Thanks, Jim. Much appreciated. T
Harley Hatfield was my uncle. As you might imagine, my extended family became instant customers (once we recovered from the excitement). We were well rewarded by many lovely wines (and fantastic labels) over the years. All best wishes to Christine. Robin
All the best to those who are coming into our grape and wine industry and more so to those who offered so much and the time has come to leave the opportunity to somebody else to do the same !
All the best where your dreams and life are leading you !
Elias Phiniotis
So well said, Elias. So many, like you, have helped lay the foundations.