This Napa Cabernet Project Wants to Change Who Gets to Work in Wine

Cana Ranch Wines’ inaugural 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon supports training and employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay

Wine has always had a remarkable ability to gather people around a table. For Tyler and Kelly Mullman, the founders of Cana Ranch Wines, that sense of connection became the starting point for something far more ambitious: a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon project built to support meaningful employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The couple’s inaugural wine, a 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Tournahu Vineyard in St. Helena and made with winemaker Richard Frederick, is now available for pre-release reservation ahead of an October 10 release. But the larger vision reaches well beyond the glass. Through a partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay and its WineBev Services program, Cana Ranch aims to help create training and employment opportunities in the wine and beverage industry for a population too often overlooked in the workforce.

I caught up with the Mullmans about why wine felt like the right vehicle for the mission, how the project became personal, and what success might look like if Cana Ranch can help change not just who drinks wine, but who gets to work in it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The Vintner Project: With Cana Ranch’s inaugural 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon now available ahead of its October 10 release, what made wine — and specifically a Napa Cabernet — feel like the right platform for creating visibility and support around IDD employment?

Tyler and Kelly Mullman: Wine has always been about bringing people together. It creates conversations, builds community, and allows people to connect around a shared experience. We felt that made it a powerful platform for creating awareness around an issue that often goes unseen.

At the same time, wine is deeply personal to us. We fell in love with Napa Valley during a trip celebrating our first wedding anniversary, and wine has been a shared hobby and passion ever since. Over the years, we’ve returned countless times, built friendships in the wine community, and developed a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into producing great wine.

When we began developing Cana Ranch, we looked at a variety of regions and grape varieties. There were certainly options that would have been significantly less expensive to produce. But we kept coming back to one simple truth: we love Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. If we were going to dedicate ourselves to this mission, we wanted to create a wine that we would be proud to pour at our own table and share with family and friends. We weren’t interested in making a wine simply because it was easier or cheaper—we wanted to make a wine we genuinely loved.

By pairing a world-class Napa Cabernet with a meaningful purpose, we hope to engage people who may not have otherwise been exposed to the employment challenges facing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

TVP: Was there a particular moment, relationship, or experience that made this mission feel urgent and personal?

The Mullmans: In the beginning, the idea was actually pretty simple: make a kick-ass Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and do some good in the world at the same time.

As we started developing Cana Ranch, we explored a number of different charitable causes and communities that might benefit from the concept. We knew we wanted the wine to have a purpose beyond what’s in the bottle, but we weren’t yet certain where that purpose would lead us.

Part of that journey led us to volunteer with Belong Kitchen in Houston. Initially, it was an opportunity to gain some real-world exposure to how a mission-driven nonprofit organization operates. We wanted to learn, ask questions, and better understand what it takes to build something sustainable that creates lasting impact.

What we didn’t expect was how deeply we would connect with the adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who worked there.

As we got to know the employees, we saw their talent, their pride in their work, their sense of humor, and their desire to contribute. We saw people who wanted the same things most of us want—a meaningful job, a supportive community, and the opportunity to build a fulfilling life. Those relationships changed us. What began as research quickly became personal.

That experience cemented the IDD community in our hearts as the group Cana Ranch would ultimately serve. We realized that meaningful employment is about far more than a paycheck. It creates confidence, independence, purpose, and belonging.

From that point forward, Cana Ranch was no longer just about making great wine and giving back. It became about creating opportunities for a community that has so much to offer but is too often overlooked.

TVP: How did the partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay come together, and what does hands-on training in the wine and beverage industry actually look like for participants?

The Mullmans: As we began building Cana Ranch, we always had a long-term vision in mind: to one day own and operate a vineyard and winery in Napa Valley that directly employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in meaningful roles throughout the operation.

We knew the ultimate vision would take time to build, so we began looking for organizations that were already creating meaningful employment opportunities and making an impact right now.

As we explored opportunities in Napa Valley, we were introduced to United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay and their WineBev Services program. It immediately felt like a perfect match. Their mission of creating training and employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the wine and beverage industry aligned exactly with what Cana Ranch hopes to build in the future.

WineBev Services provides hands-on training and employment opportunities through real work that supports wineries and beverage companies. Participants gain experience in activities such as packaging, labeling, fulfillment, quality-control processes, and other operational functions that are essential to the industry.

What impressed us most was that this isn’t simulated work—it’s meaningful work that creates tangible value while helping participants develop skills, confidence, and employment experience. In many ways, WineBev Services is already demonstrating the type of opportunities Cana Ranch hopes to create on a larger scale in the future.

That’s why we’re so excited about the partnership. While Cana Ranch works toward its long-term vision, a portion of every bottle sold can support meaningful employment opportunities today through WineBev Services. It allows our supporters to see an immediate impact while helping us build toward something even bigger.

TVP: Beyond the mission, how important was it that the wine itself stand on its own as a serious Napa bottling?

The Mullmans: It was absolutely essential.

We never wanted people to buy a bottle simply because they believed in the mission. We want them to buy multiple bottles because they love the wine.

One of the things that has surprised us throughout this journey is how much of it has felt serendipitous. There have been so many moments where a decision or relationship seemed to connect back to something meaningful in our lives. Choosing Richard Frederick as our winemaker was one of those moments.

We initially connected with Rich because he had experience making Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, but there were other connections that resonated with us as well. Rich is from Kansas, where Tyler grew up, and early in his career he mentored under Heidi Barrett. We immediately recognized her name—not because of her reputation as one of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed winemakers, but because she once made Barbour, the wine that first made us fall in love with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon years ago. It felt like one of many unexpected threads that kept appearing throughout the Cana Ranch story.

Of course, none of that would matter if the wine itself wasn’t exceptional. That’s why we partnered with Rich and sourced fruit from Tournahu Vineyard in St. Helena. Every decision was made with quality as the priority. The mission may introduce people to Cana Ranch, but the wine has to earn its place at the table.

Our hope is that people discover a great Cabernet Sauvignon and then become inspired by the story behind it. Both pieces matter, but neither can succeed without the other.

TVP: There can sometimes be skepticism around cause-based products, especially in luxury categories. How are you thinking about transparency, accountability, and making sure supporters understand where their donation is going?

The Mullmans: That’s a fair question, and one we’ve thought about from the beginning.

Transparency is critical to building trust. Cana Ranch is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and we’re committed to being clear about how funds are used and where donations are directed. We want supporters to understand that they’re not simply buying a bottle of wine—they’re helping create pathways to meaningful employment.

We’ll continue sharing updates on our partnerships, the organizations we support, and the progress being made toward our long-term vision. As Cana Ranch grows, we want people to see the direct connection between their support and the opportunities being created.

Ultimately, accountability comes from demonstrating real impact and being transparent about both our successes and our challenges.

TVP: What would success look like for Cana Ranch — not just in terms of bottles sold, but in terms of lives changed, jobs created, and the model you hope to build?

The Mullmans: Success for Cana Ranch has very little to do with the number of bottles we sell and everything to do with the opportunities we help create.

Our long-term vision is to establish a Napa Valley winery and vineyard that directly employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in meaningful, integrated roles throughout the operation. We want to create a place where individuals can develop skills, earn a living, build confidence, and experience the dignity that comes from meaningful work.

If, ten years from now, we can point to adults whose lives have been changed through employment opportunities created by Cana Ranch—and if our model inspires others in the wine industry and beyond to do the same—that will be the true measure of success.

Building something this ambitious will require partners who believe great wine and meaningful impact can coexist. The wine is the vehicle. The mission is the destination.