The Grape Friend’s Story
Karen Donison and Ron Jaggard, founders and operators of Grape Friends Lounge & Tours Inc. They left their jobs on the Pacific Coast to come and follow their passion for wine and a more leisurely life style and left the fast pace of the Lower Mainland behind.
After settling into beautiful Penticton, they wanted to show case its wineries, lakes and scenic beauty. They started courses at CommunityFutures to bring together a great business foundation and fundamentals needed to start a business. We then sat down with a glass of Okanagan Wine and did some brain storming and the ideas were starting to flow; before long Grape Friends were born and the journey began.
That was back in May of 2010 and the rest is history.
Licenses/Certifications
Here is more about our official documents:
- Class 4 BC Chauffeur’s License
- Penticton Business License
- Out of Area Business License
- National Safety Code Certified
- BC Passenger Transportation License
- Penticton Commercial Vehicle License
- BC Government Vehicle Inspection Certificate (Re-inspected every 6 months)
- Fully Insured
Associations
Grape Friends Lounge & Tours Inc. is proud to be a member of the Penticton Chamber of Commerce: http://www.penticton.org/
Full Members of Penticton Tourism: http://www.tourismpenticton.com/
Associate Members of Similkameen Wineries Association: http://similkameenwine.com/
Associate Members of Naramata Bench Wineries Association: http://naramatabench.com/
An Associate member of the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Association: http://www.oliverosoyoos.com/
Grape Friends are also Associate Members of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce, the OK Falls Chamber of Commerce, and the Peachland Chamber of Commerce.
Here are some of the local Organizations that we participate in:
- Okanagan International Children’s Festival Volunteers
- Okanagan Boys & Girls Club – Fund Raising
- OSNS – Penticton’s Children’s Development Society – Fund Raising
- Penticton Rotary Events and Fund Raising Volunteers
We also donate blood regularly