Mitas Hill: A Family Grown Business

McKINNEY (YOUR HOMETOWN) -- The Mitas family moved to Texas from Michigan in the 1990's and brought their software business, Mitas Group, Inc. with them. About 15 years ago, Harold and Sue Mitas bought some land north of McKinney, near New Hope, and started building houses, which became a family estate.

Harold, Sue and their three adult children and their spouses and children all live together on Mitas Hill and work in the family business, which now includes a wine business. The Mitas Hill Winery produces about 2,000 cases a year of wine made from Tempranillo, Cabernet Savignon, Syrah and Venus grapes that grow on the 7,000 vines that make up the picturesque vineyard, surrounding the new Mitas Hill event center.

"Retirement drove us to it," says Harold Mitas. "Once we had the compound built, people started looking at the land around us as a nice place to build. We didn't really want close neighbors, so we started buying the property around us. Once you have the land, you have to do something with it. So, we planted our first grapes. And then, once you have grapes, you might as well make wine. And then one thing led to another."

Mitas Hill is part of the growing Texas wine industry, which according to the state's GoTexan program, has grown into a $1 billion a year business.

"We only sell on premises," says Mitas. "And we have no desires to be really large."

He says they are looking to create a destination. The operation got a big boost a few months ago, with the opening of an event center, which includes a bed and breakfast, a steakhouse, event hall and brick oven pizza restaurant.

The bookings and planning, which mostly include weddings, are handled by Harold's daughter, Lisa, who is a trained chemist and Mitas Hill's wine maker. Some of the wines she creates are made for specific people or families who are a part of Mitas Hill's membership program. As part of the Vineyard Club and Wine Appreciation Society, members can adopt rows of vines.

"We want them to experience having a vineyard growing it. They can come out and trim it, cut the grass," says Harold Mitas. "They can make wine from their row, with their own name on it."

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