Katie Jackson
Our family has always been passionate about sustainability. It’s just the right thing to do, and we feel very lucky to be able to give back to our community.
“I have been sitting in on business meetings with my mom for as long as I can remember,” says Katherine (Katie) Jackson, oldest daughter of Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson. Katie cannot remember a time when the business and art of making wine weren’t part of her life.
Born in San Francisco, California, and raised amongst the vineyards of Sonoma County, Katie was exposed to wine from as far back as she can recall. “Winemaking was just a part of our lives,” she says. “Not just the business aspect, which my mom always made sure I was a part of, but all of the other facets of the industry.”
Not content to idle away her teenage summers, Katie started working in the family business in high school by interning in the company’s marketing and public relations departments. After college, she decided to absorb the heart of the business by learning the winemaking process.
“My first harvest was at Stonestreet Winery working in the cellar,” Katie says. “I learned the basics of winemaking from the bottom up, cleaning the tanks and filters, making yeast preparations and supervising maceration.”
Katie is now focused on sustainability and government relations, representing the Jackson family’s belief that both environment and social sustainability are essential to a strong, long-lived business. She also plays an important role in telling her family story to the public. “I love sharing my family’s passion for wine.”
Katie and her husband, Shaun Kajiwara, live in Sonoma County with their three young children.