Stephanie Cuadra, Founder and Principal of Terrestoria Wine Imports was supposed to become a diplomat. At least, that was the plan when she studied political journalism at Georgetown University and imagined herself working for the State Department. She spent her early years in Washington, covering politics and international affairs. Life, however, had other plans.
She and her husband decided to move to Italy with their children. It wasn’t a small decision. They left behind their American routines for a place where centuries-old vineyards and slow conversations over long meals still shape daily life. What she didn’t expect was that this move would lead her into the world of wine.
She was recruited by a winery not because she knew wine, but because she knew how to communicate. They wanted someone who could talk about wine not just as a product, but through history and culture. As she tells it, everything she once wanted to do in diplomacy — connecting people and stories across borders — she now does through wine.
Over time her identity became anchored between two very different places: Italy and Utah. She lives most of the year in Italy, but she still keeps Utah as her American home base. She first came to the state during the 2002 Winter Olympics, when her then-husband worked on the creative team behind the Games. They planned to stay a year. More than 20 years later, she still returns.
“I fell in love with Utah,” she said simply.
Italy offers a lifestyle built around patience. Meals stretch on for hours. People stop to talk in the street. Life isn’t organized around productivity metrics or to-do lists. Utah, by contrast, moves faster. But there’s something she values about Utah too — its community spirit and sense of possibility.
Her perspective as a parent is shaped by this contrast. “I’m the mother of five kids,” she said. “So when I think about my kids coming out of an educational system in Italy that is very rigid, let’s put it that way. And there’s not a lot of opportunity for young people. Coming back here is a breath of fresh air.”
She describes Italy’s educational structure as traditional, with limited flexibility and few options for students who want to carve their own path. Utah, by comparison, feels open and adaptive, a place where her kids can explore opportunities more freely.
She’s often surprised by how Italians perceive Utah. “When I tell people in Italy that I import to Utah, they usually think it’s Amish country,” she said with a laugh. “They don’t expect wine.”
This dual existence — vineyard rows in Puglia and mountain ranges in Utah — has shaped how she sees both places. In Italy, she found a culture that embraces time and tradition. In Utah, she found a community that embraces new ideas once they’re explained clearly.
She remembers what it was like to first arrive in Italy, feeling like an outsider, absorbing new rhythms. She also knows what it’s like to come back to Utah after months in Puglia and notice how structured everything feels. But she doesn’t choose between the two worlds. She builds her life in both.
Her work with wine — importing to Utah and producing in Italy — became the perfect bridge. She didn’t need to let go of either place. Instead, she let the two worlds inform each other. Utah offers a market willing to listen and support once they trust. Italy offers the stories to tell and the wines to savor.
And somewhere between these two places, Stephanie found her purpose.
