Specialized headhunting
Safer decisions for key positions, considering the business moment, the professional's maturity and the real cost of a bad hire.
- Talent pool
- Technical and behavioral fit
- Matching profiles and timing
Young VinesBuilding value in the brazilian wine market
People for wine business.
Headhunting | Training | Development
What I do
I develop the full people cycle inside wine work
Training for businesses
Programs adapted to the moment of the market, the team and the business.
- Specialized content
- Active methodology
- Results follow-up
Professional development
Clarity, maturity and consistency along the career, for more conscious and less reactive professional decisions.
- Direction and positioning
- Repertoire and vision
- Ongoing support
Workshops and experiences
I bring the Brazilian wine market closer through events and experiences.
- Masterclasses for professionals
- Workshops for sales teams
- Institutional presentations for clients or partners
How I think
People decisions with context and follow-through
1
The cost of the wrong hire
A bad hire is rarely just a hiring problem. A wrong decision can affect leadership, team performance, customers and revenue. I look beyond the CV to understand the real context behind the position.
2
Industry knowledge matters
People decisions need industry context. Wine is a relationship-driven business. I combine knowledge of the wine industry with commercial and operational experience to understand what the role actually demands.
3
Fit goes both ways
The right professional also needs the right business. Selection is not only about finding someone capable. It is about understanding whether the professional, the role, the leadership, the moment and the culture make sense together. A good hire in the wrong context is still a problem.
4
Decisions need follow-through
Finding the right person is only the beginning. Good people decisions need clarity, development and measurable expectations. I connect selection, training and team development to the reality of the operation.
Who leads
Jean Stelmach
Founder & Executive Director
I have worked for more than 15 years in the wine business in Brazil. Experience across the whole chain, from the operations floor to team leadership, through high-pressure context, decision-making and business building. That background sustains a practical read on people, professional behavior and organizational maturity, applied today to developing team and improving people-and-business decision.
Continuous education in management and people development and adult learning, with a focus on impact in behavior, performance and results, supported by a solid technical and commercial foundation in wine and service.
A bit of my journey
Numbers and experience.
- Former Head Sommelier and Import Manager at one of the largest wine retailers in Brazil
- 10+ years in commercial roles in the São Paulo market, with strategic focus on the HORECA sector
- Led teams of more than 50 professionals
- Responsible for operation above R$ 100 million in annual sale and over 4 million bottles per year
- Experience with producers, importers and international partners
- Event production, from exclusive tasting to festival with more than 5,000 attendees
Education
- Professional sommelier by the Brazilian Sommelier Association ABS-SP/ASI
- WSET level 3 certified and DipWSET candidate
- People management | Human resource development (HRD)
- Communicates naturally in English
Honors & awards
- Best Sommelier of Alentejo Wines in Brazil 2019 by Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana CVRA · Feb 2019
- +30 masterclasses and events as a Region ambassador during 2019
Clients and partners
Co-participation
Headhunter partner
Testimonial
What the people say
Beyond being an incredible person, Jean is an extremely complete professional. His background across different fronts of the wine world shaped essential qualities for managing and building teams. He uses his passion for wine to connect people, delivering content, even complex content, with lightness, humor and mastery.
Without a doubt, one of the best managers I have ever had. Someone with above-average business vision, always focused on sales, which directly impacted the team's results. But above all, genuinely concerned with the people he led.
An excellent wine connoisseur, a great professional, an excellent colleague… wine is his passion, and connecting people is what makes him thrive. In a world full of snobbery, he uses the right words so everyone feels comfortable.
I had the pleasure of working with Jean at two major food and wine events in Nova Veneza, Brazil, in 2023 and 2024. His real strength lies in his energy and his ability to share knowledge in an engaging and fun way.
When you are present, you convey mastery and credibility, something extremely important for us in business and in life. The way you choose the right people, organize an event and create the right atmosphere… you do it exceptionally well.
I could mention many qualities as a professional: he is upright, sensitive and transparent, always willing to resolve different situations. Beyond that, he is a great person who always gave me a sense of lightness while also encouraging me to reach places I did not even believe were possible at the time.
People
For wine business.
Choose your path
Structure for those who decide, direction for those who execute
For companies
Person as a strategic asset of the business, the performance tripod.
- Careful selection: the right person, in the right role, considering the real moment of the business, avoiding misalignment, rework and early turnover.
- Training and talks: support and develop commercial teams, helping them improve knowledge about products, sales and the customer experience.
- Continuous development: developing the right team for medium and long-term result, reducing improvisation and increasing operational consistency.
For professionals
Guidance with criteria and market reality, the growth tripod.
- Clarity and direction: understand where you are and which moves make sense in the next cycle.
- Valued skills: build competency that sustains performance, confidence and day-to-day consistency.
- Constant evolution: follow-up and mentoring to sustain growth over time.
Insights
Notes on wine, people and business
Aug 2026
01. How to build a wine sales team
Technique matters, but on its own it does not build a winning team. The difference lies in selection, alignment and continuous development.
Read article →
Sep 2026
03. Why choose specialized headhunting
Hiring the right person is not simply a matter of finding someone with the right experience. The real challenge is understanding what the business actually needs.
Read article →