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Aaliyah Nitoto, owner of Free Range Flower Winery, recently confirmed the closure of her unique flower wine business that had been based in Livermore for roughly four years.
“It’s been a long road filled with adventure. Learning the craft of winemaking and creating flower wine formulations from scratch was no easy feat,” Nitoto wrote in an Instagram post last week. “Every step required care, and building in quality was always at the heart of it.”
Wine sales officially ended on Sept. 30 after a summer clearance sale that started back in June — prior to Nitoto’s official closing announcement.
“This economic climate is really hard and the wine industry is pretty challenging right now, paired with the fact that I’ve worked seven days a week for over eight years with almost no break and family tragedies that I’ve had, it’s been really difficult,” Nitoto shared with the winery’s social media followers Sept. 19, thanking customers for their support over the years.
Days after announcing the business closure, Nitoto returned to social media to share more about what’s next for her. Citing her sister’s recent death, Nitoto said she wanted time to take better care of herself and pour into herself more as she has been working everyday with very little time off for nearly a decade.
Nitoto shared that she is embarking on a new chapter in her personal life and moving to Kenya.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to live on the continent (of Africa) and I picked Kenya a while ago and I figured that it’s better now than never,” Nitoto said. “And also it’s a time where as a Black woman, it would just be great to be somewhere where I don’t have to be concerned over issues because I’m a Black woman. I can just live my life.”
She’s also bringing her senior dog, Fauna, who she’s had for more than two decades and she launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with the pet’s travel expenses.
“Fauna has been with me for over 20 years — she’s my family,” Nitoto wrote in a Sept. 23 Instagram post. “She’s living with kidney disease and needs special care, which makes her medical bills and travel to Kenya very expensive and risky. I can’t leave her behind. We’ve never been apart.”
As of Wednesday morning, the campaign had raised $250 of its $1,500 goal.
Free Range Flower Winery first moved to Livermore in 2021 after Nitoto had been making her wines inside of a 320-square-foot shipping container in West Oakland for about 3-1/2 years.
Nitoto said as part of phasing out the business, she had initially closed her tasting room, which was located at 2111 Research Drive, and went fully online before deciding to close up shop for good.
Free Range Flower Winery had just expanded to the space on Research Drive in 2024 after Nitoto had been sharing a tasting room with the only other Black-owned winery in town, Longevity Wines nearby on South Vasco Road.
Nitoto said she sets off to Kenya on Oct. 20, but not before having a going away celebration with the community this Sunday (Oct. 12) at her old tasting room, which is now occupied by the newly opened Sakura Winery.
“This is a good thing. Please feel happy for me, don’t be sad,” Nitoto said. “Please be happy, because the decision, basically, I made this decision because I feel like it’s the best thing for me.”
