Junaid and I met in October 2009, when I moved to Aspen to start a new job at The Little Nell, a five-star, five-diamond resort at the base of Aspen Mountain. He was the HR coordinator, and I was a new breakfast server trying to make a good impression. He was the second person I met in Aspen, and I still remember walking into that office in my best outfit. Junaid looked up at me with his easy going and disarming vibe and said, "Hey man, I'm Junaid," before getting me started on paperwork.
At first, I thought he was nice, but we didn't click instantly. If you ask him, he'd probably tell you the same—he didn't look at me and think, "Here's a friend for life." But as the winter season rolled on, we started working together in Montagna, one of the restaurants at the resort, and things just started to click. We bonded over a lot that winter—snowboarding, hiking, cooking for friends, and sharing late-night glasses of wine. Junaid is one of those rare people who's got this natural ability to connect with anyone. He's got an energy about him—calm, empathetic, and genuine—that draws people in. But what really impressed me was his determination.
One day, he told me about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The first time he tried it, an early season snow cut his hike short, so he went back the next year and finished what he started. Then, in 2010, he set out again to hike the entire 2,650 miles in a single season. I thought he was crazy—20 to 40 miles a day, 420,000 vertical feet of elevation gain—but it was clear he was the kind of person who could focus on something and see it through no matter how hard it got.
We had our own adventure that winter, too—a backcountry snowboarding trip off Aspen Highlands Bowl. The plan seemed solid at first, but weather forced us to change our route. What we didn't know was that the new route had a high avalanche risk. Cole, our friend, dropped in first, followed by me, and then Junaid. A few turns in, Cole triggered an avalanche. Junaid and I managed to escape to the side, but Cole got swept down the mountain, holding onto a tree for dear life. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, but somehow, with Junaid by your side, you always feel like you'll figure it out.
By the end of that season, I was itching for a road trip, and Junaid needed a ride to the Pacific Crest Trail kickoff party to share his hard-earned wisdom from his two hikes with the season's new hikers. We combined plans and hit the road for two weeks through Zion, Death Valley, and California's Highway 1. That trip sealed the deal for our friendship. We hiked, camped in the rain, woke up to the towering cliffs of Zion, and stared up at the stars in Death Valley. It was one of those trips that stays with you forever.
Over the next few years, our paths wound through the hospitality industry. Junaid opened a restaurant, and I worked in some of the best restaurants in Colorado. Not everything we touched turned to gold. Some projects failed, some succeeded, and we both learned the hard way about resilience, accountability, and trusting ourselves—and each other—when things got tough.
For me, wine became my own version of "monk mode." After leaving Aspen, I dedicated myself to studying wine through the Court of Master Sommeliers and diving into every corner of the supply chain. I've worked extensively as an importer, co-founded a wholesale distribution company, and even worked harvest at wineries in Oregon. I also spent years on the floor of top restaurants, gaining firsthand experience with how producers' stories are told—or sometimes lost—along the way. This journey wasn't just about mastering wine; it was about understanding the entire ecosystem and finding ways to bridge the gap between producers and the people who love their work. Those years of studying, tasting, and immersing myself in every aspect of the wine world have been instrumental in shaping the vision for Vitis Vera.
Fast forward to 2022. We met up for dinner, and Junaid started talking about this new thing called ChatGPT. He said, "AI is going to be a bigger revolution than the internet." I wasn't sure what to think, but his excitement was contagious. Before I knew it, we were brainstorming how AI, VR, and AR could transform the food and beverage industry—how it could make it easier for producers to share their stories and connect with the people who love their products.
We couldn't stop thinking about it. The way stories currently flow in the wine and beverage world can feel like an old game of telephone—the original meaning gets distorted by the time it reaches the end consumer. We imagined a platform where producers could tell their stories exactly how they wanted, no middlemen, no noise—just the truth.
By July 2024, we made it official and launched Vitis Vera. The idea is simple: to create a space where stories can be shared, trusted, and preserved. Producers can upload their stories and technical details, and anyone in the supply chain—or just someone who loves wine—can access them instantly.
The same values that brought us through the highs and lows of our careers—trust, resilience, adventure, and purpose—are what drive us every day at Vitis Vera. It's about more than building a platform. It's about creating something that connects people to the heart of what they love and ensures those stories endure.
Building Vitis Vera has been one of the wildest adventures we've taken on yet, and we're just getting started. If you ever join our team, we hope you feel the same spark we've felt every step of the way. It won't always be easy, but it will be meaningful, and it will be a story worth telling.
Lets Go!
-Mark