Rising Stars: Meet Alexis Treton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Treton.

Hi Alexis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My wife Alexandra knew people from Denver two decades ago and came several times here to visit them. Then some years after, we decided as a family (with our 2 kids) to travel to Colorado two times where we got the idea to open a wine bar as wine lovers are.

At the same time, we felt it was time to have a new challenge in our professional life. So once they returned home, we kept talking about the possibility. I was bored with my job and Alexandra had also taken note of Denver’s growth since her earlier trips to the city. We started to study that crazy idea we had during the holiday and realized it wasn’t that crazy of an idea. It could be interesting, and something we would love to do.

Then I quit my job with the plan of relocating in May or June of 2020. But then the pandemic hit. Unable to make the move, we continued researching, looking at potential locations remotely and we found our current space, but we couldn’t visit! So we called everyone we knew in Denver to ask for advice. We finally decided to go for it, purchasing the business, a coffee shop, from the previous owner.

After barely securing our visas in time to avoid the year-long pause on travel from France to the U.S. that ran from November 2020 to 2021December 2022, our family finally made it to Denver on December 28, 2020. Then we spent 6 months redesigning the space, hiring our first crew, and getting all of our main providers. La Bouche opened in late September 2021 meaning that we just celebrated our 2nd anniversary.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Facing the pandemic first was tough. Buying a business remotely, and getting our visas in time to catch one of the last planes before another international airline shut down was a huge challenge. Just because to get a visa you need a business and to get a business you need a visa. Then at some point, you have to start working on one of these 2 items. Buying the business without being 110% sure getting a visa on time was quite a risk to take.

Also, living in another country – even if France and the USA don’t have major opposite background cultures – is not easy. Our kids were only 11 and 14 years old at that time with less than a few of English speaking experiences. And for my wife and I, it’s still a daily challenge as you need to renew yourself every day. Like for example the approach to any simple administrative question is much different than what you are used to.

Business talking, you have to quickly understand what would work or not. You start your business with a concept and good ideas but a wine bar remains a niche in Denver. So step by step, you evolve your menu. We think that wine has to have a simple approach. It’s just a really good reason to share a nice moment. Then you add some cheese and good bread, and you have a nice evening.

Last but not least, staffing is also a daily task. We experienced in 2023 a lot of turnover and it’s a very time-consuming thing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are only dedicated to French and American wines. First of all, because our countries share a strong historical background that is often forgotten. Then we also share a common wine culture made out of mutual support and agricultural processes. And last but not least, we work from the same grapes so it’s nice to compare our wines. Our wine bar also serves Parisian French food, like sandwiches, quiches, or Croque-Monsieurs (French grilled cheese sandwiches).

So once inside the bar, we felt (and we have positive feedback about it) that we created a culture-mixed place: we pay a lot of attention to the American culture and we added a strong French touch. Our meat and cheese are highly selected. We ask for classic French high standards from our providers and try to stay local for American ones. We discovered so many great products made in the US we enjoy having on our menu.

And for some other products like bread and pies, we work with great local artisans. We couldn’t have imagined serving cheese and butter without tasty bread. As said, a wine bar is still a niche in Denver, much a more beer-driven place. We are really happy to offer something different with our own French/American vibe. And most of all, no TV in our bar!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
We took a major risk when we purchased remotely the business. No real clue about the neighborhood nor the potential of the location. And the pandemic just changed the odds. As well as leaving your country where everything is set up, where your family and friends are, and where you know the best roads to go on vacation is quite a big risk. Getting out of your comfort zone is a big risk and we embraced it as a family.

Then struggling every day to adapt to your new environment is a daily risk. You feel naked once you have to face your first new US domestic questions. And believe me or not, you are mainly alone in finding good information to get solutions and make decisions. We could have stayed in France and maybe bought a small nice house in the countryside but we just decided to come here to Denver to live our dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://labouche.wine/
• Instagram: @labouchewinebar
• Facebook: La Bouche – Wine Bar