Keel and Curley Winery was started in spring of 2003 in the kitchen of founder and owner, Joe Keel. Keel, a central Florida blueberry farmer wanted to find something to do with his end of crop blueberries. As in most produce farming, once the market price reaches a price which is lower than harvest and sale commissions, farms stop harvesting their crops. At this time in the season, there are still a lot of quality blueberries on the bushes. So Keel asked himself, “what can I do with this perfectly good fruit, to use it in a productive way and not waste it? Jellies, jams, blueberry pies? No!” Keel decided blueberry wine would be interesting to dabble with in the family farm house kitchen. He started that spring of 2003 with 10 gallons of blueberry wine. The wine came out so-so, but drinkable. So he made 10 more gallons and it got better each time. So was the beginning of a company he started with production of over 20,000 cases of quality wines that the company produces to this day.
