In Napa Valley, heritage and innovation often meet in the vineyards. At Hess Persson Estates, that meeting point extends far beyond the vines themselves—into the precision of every bottle leaving their facility. For more than 45 years, the winery has built a reputation for premium wines rooted in quality, legacy, and forward-thinking practices. Recently, Hess Persson partnered with ProMach product brand MBF to bring that same commitment to excellence to its bottling line, a story now captured in a new customer testimonial video.
The video highlights Kristina Tarazoff, Marketing Director for Hess Persson Estates; Andy Stasser, Operations Manager; and Sergio Ciocchetta, General Manager at MBF. Together, they outline how MBF’s filler and capper technology has strengthened the winery’s operations and safeguarded the quality of its wines.
A Legacy Built on Quality
The Hess family’s story in Napa began in the 1970s when Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess established the winery. Decades later, his daughter Sabrina and her husband Timothy Persson carry on the family vision, combining tradition with new technology. “Quality being at the forefront of everything that we do,” said Tarazoff. “It’s so important to take this beautiful wine that came from the vineyards and put it into a bottle that goes out into the world to tell our story.”
That storytelling doesn’t stop with the winemaking itself. The bottling process—the final stage before a product reaches consumers—is equally critical.
Meeting Bottling Challenges Head-On
One of the winery’s biggest challenges was the lack of screw-capping capabilities in-house. Without that functionality, Hess Persson had to outsource some bottling operations. Partnering with MBF changed that dynamic completely.
“Our main hurdle before MBF was we didn’t have our own screw capping capabilities,” Stasser explained. “Once we purchased this fill block, we were able to bottle all our own brands instead of having to outsource to anyone else. And MBF has provided that for us.”
This shift has delivered both operational independence and tighter control over product quality. By reducing reliance on external partners and minimizing human error, the winery now consistently “hits the same numbers every day,” Stasser said, ensuring the winemaking team’s vision is preserved from vineyard to bottle.
Precision in Every Second
Ciocchetta underscored the importance of accuracy at the bottling stage. “Wine making doesn’t finish when the wine is produced, but when the wine is bottled,” he said. “The filling process lasts only eight seconds, and in those eight seconds you have a big chance of ruining all your work.”
To minimize that risk, MBF engineered a layout tailored to Hess Persson’s needs. The system integrates a high degree of automation, with dedicated operator areas to streamline efficiency and reduce labor requirements. For Ciocchetta, this isn’t just about technology—it’s about partnership. “The philosophy inside ProMach is that the customer comes first,” he noted. “Having happy customers is in the end our final dream and result.”
Features that Move Bottling Forward
Hess Persson Estates has already seen measurable benefits from MBF’s advanced features. From real-time corker vacuum tracking to bottle sparging and enhanced traceability, MBF’s technology ensures compliance with stringent SQF standards while protecting the luxury brand’s reputation. The system’s recipe management functionality adds flexibility, allowing the winery to run its entire portfolio with consistency and confidence.
“Now I just have this peace of mind knowing that we have the best-in-class technology that’s making sure every bottle that goes out to the market looks as good as it can,” said Tarazoff.
Partnership Rooted in Trust
Ultimately, the partnership between Hess Persson Estates and MBF reflects the shared values of innovation, quality, and customer care. As the winery continues its legacy in Napa Valley, it does so with the confidence that its bottling line matches the excellence of its wines.
“MBF is that partner,” Stasser concluded. “They’re always looking for new ways to advance the technology and reduce downtime for their clients.”
With MBF’s motto of Moving Bottling Forward, Hess Persson Estates is well-positioned to uphold its reputation for premium wines while embracing the efficiencies of modern packaging technology.
Watch the video below for the full story and learn more about MBF here: https://mbf.it/en/
