Much has been written about the demise of Copia in the past few weeks.

Logically, particular attention has been paid here locally in the Napa Valley and in this newspaper. We have all followed the chronicles of business changes, management changes, financial struggles and court battles. As a person who has been intimately familiar with the workings, and shortcomings, of the organization — I offer you a point to consider as you form your own opinions on the last chapter of the story that is Copia.

When Robert and Margrit Mondavi decided to make the founding gift that started the development of Copia, they had an altruistic motive to share. They had personally benefited from the growth, development, and prominence of the California wine industry. The empire of the Robert Mondavi Winery created great wealth and prosperity for many. With wine market leadership, logically came the complement of great food. What better accompaniment to fine wine, and quality food, than the enjoyment of a great concert, or beautiful paintings, or the performing arts? This combination started the dream of giving back that became Copia.

Many people have shared their lack of understanding of the concept of Copia. Is it a museum to food and wine? Is it a large event venue? Is it here for the benefit of locals or of tourists? I have also heard many critics accusing Copia of being too elitist. As someone who served on the volunteer board of Copia for three years, and recently stepped in as an acting CEO, I agree with all of these criticisms. 

Copia, like many young businesses, struggled. In the early years the organization made many mistakes. The primary downfall of Copia in the end was the mountain of debt that the organization borrowed to fund the construction of the campus.

These observations and criticisms are all correct. Copia did however, do many things right. More than one million registered visitors took a class on a food or wine topic and expanded their appreciation. Several million visitors ate a memorable meal in Julia’s Kitchen, and left with a wonderful memory of Napa. Copia hosted more than 500,000 people for annual concerts and festivals that excited locals and tourists alike about the topic of food and wine.

We are a country of great pastimes. If you enjoy baseball, we have the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. If you are a rock and roll fan, we have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. Country music has the Grand Ol’ Opry In Nashville. It is only logical that Napa Valley would be the headquarters for a food and wine center.

The concept and the destination were right for Copia to succeed, but the business model was wrong.

In economic terms, Copia was a commercial failure. The business of Copia never produced a profit to sustain operations, and never built an endowment like most not-for-profits. Each year operating losses were made up from the generosity of the board, winery partners and the members and donors who believed in the concept of Copia. This is clearly not a recipe for long-term success for any organization.

In my short period running the organization, and leading the business towards more broadly consumer-focused activities, I met many Napa leaders who counted on Copia for the success of their development projects. The city of Napa is clearly moving through a period of significant change and development. Just in the last few years we have seen several hundred millions of dollars invested in the Oxbow Market, The Westin Verasa, Channel Properties in the Riverfront project, and the recently approved Ritz-Carlton resort. These investments within blocks of Copia are monumental.

These premier projects didn’t choose to locate themselves — and the hundreds of jobs and the millions of dollars of investment — in St. Helena or Yountville or Sonoma. They chose the city of Napa.

This wave of change, and this new era of prosperity and growth in Napa, are directly attributed to the original investment in Copia. I’ve met with and spoken to the owners and developers of these projects. The general consensus is that the investment in Copia created the wave of change and prosperity that is benefiting Napa today. Will this investment continue now that Copia is gone? Certainly.

The purpose of this letter is not to try and convince readers that Copia was a commercial success. It was not. While the hundreds of dedicated Copia employees and volunteers did work very hard to make the business profitable, the real success of the organization was the purpose it served.

Robert and Margrit Mondavi’s wish when they donated tens of millions of dollars to launch Copia was to give something back to the city of Napa. They not only used their money, but also their reputations and their contacts to generate donations of more than $50 million to launch the concept of Copia. This investment has served its mission well and enriched the community and the city of Napa more than 10 times over. This is not the end, but a new beginning for the community that benefited from this generosity and vision.

(McGuire is the former Interim CEO of Copia. He resigned Dec. 5.)