Joseph Divino ’88 is co-owner of Insieme Wines and Tasting Room in Oceanside, NY. He grew up in Rosedale, NY, and lives with his beautiful wife and three amazing children in Nassau County. Joe is proud to have been a member of the first graduating class of Kellenberg Memorial High School in 1988. Joe has been an entrepreneur in multiple industries. He says, “I always dreamed big and aimed for the moon. I never let anyone tell me that I couldn’t do something. My pride and joy will always be my family and close friends. I wholeheartedly believe in God and I live my life based on doing the right thing and helping others.”
Joe invites Firebirds to check out Insieme and offers a 10% discount to the Firebird Family! To register to receive the discount, please click here.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur/winemaker?
I have been making wine with my very close friend and business partner since 2004. It started as a hobby, but over the years we kept increasing production until one day we decided to introduce our product to the market. With the love and passion of making a high-quality wine, along with my last name being Divino (meaning “of wine”), I felt God was on my side with this venture.
How do you think your time at Kellenberg Memorial helped to prepare you for your success in your professional pursuits?
Kellenberg is/was an amazing school. I am proud to have been a member of the first graduating class and have great memories of my time there. I firmly believe that Kellenberg played an intricate role in building my faith in God, even if I didn’t realize it back then. I appreciate Kellenberg more and more with each passing year. Kellenberg put me on the right path. I learned to follow rules, structure my life, and be responsible for my choices. Kellenberg gave me my strong sense of faith. I am thankful to God for all of the good things He has provided me in my life, mainly from my wife and children. I think Kellenberg played a big role in helping me become the man that I am today.
Do you have any advice for current students or young alumni who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs?
I have been an entrepreneur for many years in multiple industries. In fact, I opened my first business when I was a senior at Kellenberg. Some ventures were wonderful and others not as much. To succeed in anything you must work hard, be determined, and have a passion for what you do. If you have these things, you are off to a good start but you also need to create a business plan, even if it is very basic. You will fail sometimes and you will make mistakes – all business owners do. You need to own up to your mistakes and learn from them, but never give up on your dream. You have to know what you want; you need to forecast into the future to see what you want your life to look like when you are older. Where do you see yourself when you are 25, 35, or even 50 years old?
In the winery we have a saying… If you want to make great wine you better be great at mopping the floor. What this means is that when you are an entrepreneur, it’s not all glitz and glamour. You have to get your hands dirty a lot of the time. You will put in more hours than you thought possible. As a business owner, you are going to wear many hats. Hire the right people and be good to them. If you do, they will work hard for you. Treat your customers great because if you don’t, they will spend their hard-earned money somewhere else.
Do you have any favorite teachers, coaches, or club moderators from your time at Kellenberg Memorial?
Mrs. Albano was my Italian teacher and it was a class that was of great interest to me. I feel that the teachers in Kellenberg had our best interests at heart. As a student, I didn’t give much thought to the time and effort that the teachers put into their jobs. As I often reflect back to my Kellenberg days, I have grown to appreciate how wonderful the school really was.