Lulu Hartunian - The First Lady of Napa Valley Distillery
The First Lady
of Napa Valley Distillery
Everybody, meet Lusine (or, as we all know her, Lulu) – Co-Owner of Napa Valley Distillery and owner of epicurean boutique Napastäk!
Like her husband and Distillery Co-Owner Arthur, Lulu was born in Armenia. She and her family came to California in 1980. In 1996, she and Arthur met and started a family. She graduated with an Associate of Arts and, coincidentally like Arthur, worked in law for a time before realizing that wasn’t what she wanted to do.
Lulu has always had a passion for the culinary arts (especially with three kids to feed!) She has always enjoyed cooking and the experience it can provide for a family or a social setting. Coinciding with Arthur’s passion for spirits, Lulu believes that food plays an equally important role in the dining experience. She recalls watching Ratatouille with her family once, when the inspiration struck her. “What does Napa need?” she thought, and decided what it needed was a lifestyle brand of quality ingredients and kitchenware to enhance the dining experience in the home.
Arthur began sketching a logo – a rabbit holding a spoon. They enjoyed the idea of the Distillery and its sister company both having animal logos. The word “Napastäk” came to them, which means “the rabbit” in Armenian and was incidentally their daughter Isabella’s second word (after "papa"). From there, in 2014 Napastäk was born. The shop opened in the Oxbow, taking over the Distillery Tasting Room’s original retail space once it moved.
Today, Lulu runs the show at Napastäk and is excited to open its second location soon next to the Archer Hotel on First Street. Napastäk is preparing to release and do tastings of their own wines, a full realization of Lulu’s ideal kitchen experience. In addition to setting the daily game plans for Napastäk, helping attend to Napa Valley Distillery needs and, most importantly, being a mom, Lulu is excited for the future of both companies. She hopes within ten years to establish a Napastäk food club to compliment the Distillery Bar Club. 
Some of Lulu’s favorite places to eat and drink in the Napa Valley include Zuzu, Torc and Bouchon. Her cocktail of choice is an old fashioned or a vesper, but she loves gin, as well. In fact, one of her favorite Napa Valley Distillery items is the Summer Sequel Ginn!