Interviewee: Darioush Khaledi

Interviewers: Nicholas Groth and Henry Ray

March 26, 2025

Nicholas Groth: I am pleased to welcome Mr. Darioush Khaledi, whom I am interviewing on behalf of the St. Helena Historical Society's Oral History Program. We're conducting this interview at 5:06 p.m. on March 26, 2025 at 1377 Main Street [St. Helena, Ca]. Welcome, Mr. Khaledi. Could we just start by asking what your early life was like?

Darioush Khaledi: Well, I was born in Shiraz, Iran. It's a historical city with 7,000 years of history. My father was making wine there as a hobby, not as a professional. He was in the military. And I, at very early age of six, I find a way to the cellar, and I climbed the vat that was making wine, fermenting and aging in the same place.

And I smelled something good. I couldn't reach the wine, but I saw a nearby towel hanging. I took the towel, dipped it on the wine, and I start sucking it, and repeat that several times. That was my first experience with wine.

My father was in the military, and we were moving from city to city.

So every three, four years, we would move from Shiraz to Isfahan to Tehran. And I like to study because in Iran, my father was not a wealthy person. He was in the military. The only way I could be successful is to study hard to become an engineer or doctor to make money. So I studied hard. I was in the first top student all the way to 12th grade.

When I graduated from high school, there were 240K applicants for the best engineering school in Iran, which was Tehran Polytechnic, sister polytechnic of Toulouse, France. And they would take only 200 students, and I was number 135. So it took me four years to graduate. I got my master's degree in civil engineering and mechanics engineering.

November 6, 1968, is a very important day in my life.

Because in the morning, I went to the college to get my credential, pay my student debt. They would not release it unless you pay back the student debt. Unlike here, they can have it for many, many years. And then with two of my classmates, we registered our construction company.

I really worked sixteen hours a day and twenty-eight days a month.

And that night was my wedding night with my wife Shapar. And we've been married for fifty six years. Yes. I worked very hard for the eight years from small contract with the government. We grew to become top twenty-five largest construction company in Middle East. And I was working very hard. I had a car, a Range Rover with two drivers.

And I had twenty different contracts with twenty different parts of Iran. And Iran is a big country. I think it's bigger than Texas and Oklahoma together. So I was just sleeping between the construction sites– _while the drivers were driving– _in a sleeping bag in the back of the Range Rover.

So after eight years, And only home two days with my family, we took a year or two sabbatical.

My sister, and my wife's sister, living in Redondo Beach. And my brother was a student at the University in Norman. So we first stopped at my brother's place in Oklahoma. After a couple of days, he said, this is not the place we like to stay. So we moved to Redondo Beach [CA]. And we bought a house next to the Redondo Beach called Palos Verdes Hills.

So we bought a grocery store just to get the green card

And then to get the green card and get the permanent visa, because our visa was tourist visa, would be expired in six months. At that time, if you had a business and you had 20 employees, American employees, it would make it much easier to get the permanent residence or green card. So we bought a grocery store just to get the green card.

A year after, revolution happened in Iran and I lost everything

I received a phone call from my secretary in my office in Tehran. Those mullahs, they came and they're opening the drawer at your table. They took over the company. So I lost everything.

I start working at that grocery store by pushing the basket from the parking lot, because I didn't know anything else to do. And I start learning business from the employees. 24 years later, we were the largest grocery chain in Southern California.

We had 41 locations from San Diego to Santa Barbara, catering to Hispanics

But love of wine was always my dream . . .

All of our location was very needed to be a decent grocery store. I started first collecting wine very early. So I'm a huge collector. Still, I collect wine. And start traveling to wine region of the world, especially in Bordeaux. And start the dream of owning our own winery developed. Just making friends with all the producers in Bordeaux, the first growth and second growth. And we were looking for property to buy to make the winery.

But then 36 years ago, for the first time, we came to Napa.

I'd never been to Napa and never much tasted any California wine. I was always drinking French wine. And we discovered Napa. And on our way back to L.A., I told my wife, why we go that far to Bordeaux? Napa is as nice. And the wines are so good. So we start looking for property. It took us a while. I make good friends with Robert Mondavi, John Schaefer, and they were my good help to find the property. And I met George Altamura. And his son had a winery called Altamura Winery, where now our winery is. 26 years ago, when we were passing, I saw that building, a stone building.

I asked the broker, what is that? He said, this is Altamura Winery. Oh, OK. Is it for sale?

Because I have a couple of vintage Altamura wineries in my cellar, and they are very good wines. Is it for sale? He said, yeah, but you don't want to deal with George Altamura. He's a very tough businessman. Nobody likes him in Napa. Could I meet him? So when I met him, he was a first-generation Italian-American and [I am] first-generation Persian-American. So we clicked very quickly, and we shook hands. And 12 days later, I was proud owner of that 30 acres property.

I replanted that 30 acres and built the winery that's called Darioush

And Darioush is after Darius the King, King Darius, built in Persepolis 2,600 years ago. And since then, we grow to the first vintage we had. We've made only 400 cases, and now we are producing 40,000 cases and selling. That's the story of my life.

NG: All right. Well, if you don't mind, if we go a little bit more in-depth into certain aspects. So are there any projects from your engineering career that really stand out to you?

DK: Yes. It was one of the highway we were building from Shiraz to Bushehr. And our contract was 30 kilometers or 20-some miles. Two kilometers of that highway was tunnel. And we start in both sides excavation. And we didn't have those machines now that are making grind in the ground. It was all by blasting, by dynamite, and hauling by hand, the stone. When we reach both sides in the same place, and the last blast, and we had only two-millimeter mistakes. So that day we closed the site and brought some wine and vodka and celebrated with all this.

And then when we were making the crown of the tunnel, the stone that the last stone that is like crown, my daughter was born, Salomeh, or Sally, her nickname. And the stone maker said, what's the name of your child? I said, Salomeh. And he put S. I said, could you write the first letter? And I write S. And he hacked it on the stone. Now if you travel from Shiraz, Bushehr, and you get to that tunnel, you see that crown and you see S, that's the first letter of my daughter, Salomeh.

NG: Wow. That's amazing. So a little bit more about your trip from the U.S. after the revolution. What would you say?

DK: It was before the revolution. It was two years before the revolution that we came to the U.S.

NG: So your plan was to stay in the U.S. when you came here?

DK: it was dangerous for us to go back there. So yes, that's how we stayed here.

I was not 100%, Because my wife was not. We had so many family. We had so many family there, friends. And I adapt quickly in the environment. I'm like water. Immediately take shape of the container. My wife is more solid. So it took us a while, and especially when the revolution happened and we lost everything, then we had no way to go back anyway because I had contract with the government. Everybody who had a big contract with government. Was Consider bad guy, and it was dangerous for us to go back there. So yes, that's how we stayed here.

NG: What specifically drew you to L.A.?

DK: Well, because she was my sister, and I was living in Redondo Beach, which is part of greater Los Angeles area. And that's what, you know, and if you haven't, have you been to Redondo Beach, California? It's a beautiful city by the ocean, and all the surfer and the beach volleyball people in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach. Very nice area.

NG: And you were talking about the areas where your stores were. It was mostly minorities. How would you describe your relationship with the communities around those areas?

DK: Well, it's amazing when you invest on the poor community, underserved community.

They invest back to you. We mostly took over the stores from the chain that closed, and it was abandoned property. And we invest and built a store.

It was kind of a whole food type of store, but geared for the Hispanic community

And they like it. In fact, in 1991, when it was a riot in Los Angeles, Rodney King riot, we had a store in Compton, majority African American. When the rioter reached the store, you know, I already called all the employees to leave the store. Don't worry about it. No, I don't want anybody get hurt. Neighborhoods stand by the door, and they stop the rioters. This is our store. So we did very well with the community. In fact, many cities, you know, out of our 41 locations, at least 10 or 12 of them was donated by the city to us to build the store. They keep inviting us, you know, different cities that they need, the community needed grocery stores, but nobody would invest.

NG: When you were younger, did you ever expect to own a winery, or were you mostly just a collector?

DK: No, I just wanted to be rich by studying hard. I was every Friday. In Iran, Friday is like a Sunday here. When I was a student, I would go to the shopping mall and window shopping. I said, one day I'll come back and shop.

NG: And your daughter, did she grow up in Iran?

DK: She was four years old, and my son, Kashy, who now owns Ashes and Diamonds, have you been there?

NG: I just know about it from my grandfather.

DK: Oh, okay. He was four months old. So they grew up here, but they are slightly better, but they both communicate Farsi with us. So we teach them Farsi, and then they learn English in school.

NG: What were the differences between your upbringing and theirs, yours being in Iran, theirs being here? Would you say there's major differences?

DK: In Iran, respect to the parents, they were God. Parents and teacher, they were the highest respected. They earned the respect. Like in class, when the teacher walked in, everybody would stand up, and they would stand up until they said, sit down. And when you want to talk, you raise your finger. It may take five minutes before the teacher tells you, but you keep raising until they say, you, talk. No, it was very respectful of the teacher.

Here, unfortunately, you are a student, you know. There's no respect for the teachers. There's no respect for the parents, you know. When our father walked into the room, we had to stand up. You know, that's the first difference in the culture. In the business side, we didn't have, in Iran, maybe we had, at that time, less than 1,000 lawyers.

We didn't need lawyers. We would shake hands, and we delivered.

Because when you have 50 pages of lease or contract, I can read and find 50 different ways to break that contract. But when you look at the eye and shake hands, there is no other way, but you have to deliver. That's another difference in culture. But one thing that I really liked and admired as a freedom in this country, and you could go in front of the White House and curse the president, and nobody would arrest you. In Iran, you did not have this freedom. You couldn't speak publicly against the regime.

NG: So I know you're very well-traveled. What makes the Napa Valley stand out to you, apart from all these other areas you've been to?

We're all trying to bring the Napa name up. So we all think we are partners.

DK: There are many good things about Napa Valley. First of all, it's a small community. We've been in Los Angeles for 48 years. It's a huge city. We seldom even knew our next-door neighbor. Here, it's a much smaller community. Everybody is helpful. All the vintners, there is no competition. We're all trying to bring the Napa name up. So we all think we are partners. We are not against each other. In grocery business in L.A., it was different. It wasn't that way. We tear each other apart for competition. Of course, the Napa, what is not like about Napa, the weather, beautiful, the wineries, sceneries. I don't know if you recently traveled to Highway 29. All the hills are green. It's so beautiful.

NG: What about this community? What have you learned about our community here?

DK: I'm very involved in the community. I'm past chair of Ole Health. Ole Health, we have seven primary care locations from Calistoga to American Canyon. Two major buildings we have in South Napa campus. I don't know if you have been to Ole Health in South Napa or Central Napa, City of Napa. We see patients without asking their insurance, their legal paper. If they have insurance, we'll take it. If they have money, we'll take it. If they don't, we see them anyway. It's a primary care for community. We surprise 80% of our patients are the farmers. Hispanic community of farmers. We cannot find one single Anglo-American in the farm. They're all Mexican. Most of them cannot afford the insurance. Some of them are not working with the company that gives them the health insurance. That's one aspect of my involvement with the community.

I'm a classical music lover and co-founder of Festival Napa Valley.

Next year, we are celebrating our 20th year. It's a 10-day festival. Now, we expanded to educating art for all, educating the students. And we have 25 days of when the performers come to Napa, they teach through instrument to the people or to the students for free. We, some of the instruments in the high schools of Napa, they are all divine new instruments for them.

So, helping art and music in the school. Also, I'm a past board member of the Napa Vintners, that the community of the vintners that get together and raise money for health and need of the community. So far, we have raised, in the past 25, 30 years, we have raised over near $300 million for Ole Health, for Queen of Mary Hospital, you name it, for all the health organizations.

NG: Wow. So, I'm sure you know the American Dream. Would you consider your life to be an example of that?

DK: It could be. I'm not saying that. One thing that I learned very quickly that American is not a layer society. If you go out of America, every country that you go is a layer society. That means you are like, I shouldn't say casting. Do you know what casting is? Yes. There is a level that from there, you cannot grow. In three of our past presidents, they had an alcoholic father, and they were very, from very low end of the life, they raised to become the president of the United States. So, the sky is the limit for here. There is no layer society. That's what I love America for that reason. That's one of the reasons that I love so much this country.

NG: Yes. Do you still hold on to your grocery stores in LA?

DK: No, I sold them five, six years ago. Yes. So, I'm now a full-time vintner. Yes. Wow.

NG: Oh, do you see any similarities between the US, but specifically Napa and Iran?

DK: From the weather-wise, because Iran has a poor season, and I like Napa because LA, you have only one season. The weather-wise, and the people in Iran, even in the big cities, people were more intimate to each other. In LA, it's not, or New York or Chicago, it's not the same way.

But Napa is like, from that reason, it's very similar to culture of Iran. People respect each other, like each other. Yes.

NG: During your time here in the Valley, how have you seen it grow and evolve?

DK: Well, when 26 years ago we started the winery, we become a member of the Napa Vintners, we were number 225. Today, we have 550 wineries. So, it's over doubled the size of the wineries. When I first came here, we had only two or three decent restaurants in Napa. Look today, I think we have at least over 40 or 50 restaurants that are comparable with New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco.

NG:As far as the stores, what made you decide to focus on the Mexican food and the whole foods?

DK: Good question. When I start working, and I saw most of the customers are darker skin and they speak language, because my second language was French. I learned English here when I came to the U.S. And I could understand better, because Spanish and French are close. But then all the employees look like you, white, American, blonde. And I thought, it doesn't match. And then I watched them go across the street, to a very small Papa Mama store, and buy their Mexican item. So I went, asked that shop owner, where do you get the stuff? He wouldn't tell me, of course.

I call the company, and start bringing the Mexican products. And all of a sudden, business start growing.

Next morning, early morning, I stay behind, and I see the truck that delivering, and I got the number from the truck, and as we grow the business, I hire people like the Mexicans from the community. Within six months, our volume, the sales doubled. And more and more, we hire from the community. And we continue the same policy. Every store that we open, we went to unemployment office, and interview people from the community.

NG: Yeah. And then, how, as an immigrant, how are you received in the U.S.? What would you say your experience was?

DK: I think the people who said they are not receiving well, they have chip on their own shoulder. I never, you know, during the 48 years that I'm living here, not even one single discrimination I felt.

NG: And then, as far as your store, do you think that the major factor that brought you so much success was your connection with the community, or what would you say?

And the products that we import from all over, Latinos from Cuba, from Mexico, from Argentina

DK The connection in... to provide a decent, clean shop for them to... And, you know, the Mexican, the kind of event, they just don't go for shopping. They bring in their kids, you know, it's an event for them. And we had, like, in the weekend, we had mascots, and, you know, all kinds of things for them. We have mariachi band. It's kind of festive for them. And the products that we import from all over, Latinos from Cuba, from Mexico, from Argentina, we had all products that was hard, you could not find it somewhere else. So, and they supported, and they brought the business. They were very loyal customers.

NG: Was there any, like, techniques? I know you said the Mexican food, but was there anything else that helped make the business more efficient, or was there anything in that regard? Like, more of the business side, as opposed to, like, the community?

You know, it just, that's the best reward for me, to develop people

DK: You see, we had 2,500 employees. Probably, good 2,200, 2,300 of them were Mexican. At our main headquarter, we had 85 employees. 50 of them had more than 30 years with us. I helped them. I hired them as a box boy. They could not speak a word of English. I sent them to night school. They graduated from high school. I sent them to college. The person, you know, my COO, Miguel Arroyo, I'm sorry, Miguel Alarcon, I hired him when he was 16. And when, 30 years later, when he was speaking in front of 500 people, pure English, I had tears in my eyes.. I always promote with him. So, and that's what brought the loyalty of the employees to the company.

NG: Is that still your policy within your winery?

DK: Yes, The five vice presidents that we have, four of them have 20 years with us. And they were putting wine first, you know, as a host and hostess. And now they are managing $30 million sales company.

NG: That's amazing. And you were talking about how the wineries in the Valley work together. And I know that's not normally the case in an industry. What do you think kind of enables that?

DK: Well, the vintners, as I mentioned, the Napa Vintners Association, the money that we raised through the auction, and then donated for the building of the health organization. For schools, for the big brother, big sister organization, or many, many organizations in different, Saint Helena, Calistoga, City of Napa.

That brought, like, when you go to that big health building in South Napa, you see Vintners name on it, on top of that. You know, if you go to Pear Tree, in the center of the Napa, Pear Tree Avenue, we have our second biggest health organization there. And you see John Schaefer name on it. And we just, we are building a $12 million facility in Calistoga. We raised $8 million so far. We are working to get another $4 million. We just approved yesterday on the board to name it after, I forgot the name, Rick, another Vintners. So, the Vintners, that's how the Vintners get involved in the community. Rick Jones, Jones family winery.

NG: How is the community kind of evolved, I don't know if I asked you this. Goodness.

DK: You know, the community of the Napa, any other businesses are heavily related to the Vintners. So, if the Vintners leave Napa, Napa would die. There is no other way for them. All the tourists that they come, we have 3.5 million tourist visitors a year. They all, they don't come just for the restaurant. They come for the winery. They don't come for the Elyse Walker shop. They come for the winery to taste wine. And that's how community appreciates the Vintners as well.

NG: What achievement of yours would you say you're most proud of about your life?

DK: Having Miguel Alarcón at 16 years old speak no English to become the CEO of the company at 60 years old. That's my biggest achievement. Developing people.

NG: It's amazing. Well, I think that we'll do it. Thank you so much for your time.

DK: Oh, sure, sure.