Bobby has lived all of his life in West Kelowna, learning all of the different aspects of orchard and vineyard operations from his father. At 15, he was managing the family’s cherry production.

He earned his Bachelors degree in Business Administration at Okanagan College with a specialty in Management, selecting courses that would help him learn to manage a winery. He received his Wine Sales and Winery Assistant certificates. He also took various accounting and equipment-operator courses to help him in the day-to-day operations. One course project was to design a functional winery, including the building with wine shop, tanks, press and pumps, as well as to outline a plan to plant the vineyards.

After receiving his BBA, Bobby, his father, and sister Christina created the design for Volcanic Hills, selecting the site of one of their apple orchards on Boucherie Road for their building, which has one of the largest wine shops in BC.

In 2009, Bobby went to India to marry Harpreet Gidda and returned with her to BC open the winery in 2010. A year later, they traveled to the Napa Valley to tour the local wineries and further develop their wine knowledge.

Being the oldest to two younger brothers has proven to be a blessing and a challenge – as a kid Christina often found herself getting dirty in the orchards fixing irrigation lines with her father and two younger brother’s Amit and Bobby.  Her love of retail therapy vs. farming lead her to curate one of the largest collections of winery nick knacks in the Okanagan.

Now a wife and mother two rambunctious boys – Christina is thankful for the joys family farming life brings while she is able to flex her managing muscles at the winery. 

What’s her favourite hobby one might ask?  Shopping!  It’s a good thing she is able to put her retail skills to work as the main buyer for the winery and gift shop.

Raised on Vancouver Island, Kathryn later moved to Calgary to pursue a degree in Design.  Like many in the wine Industry, Kathryn found her career in wine through an admiration for it.  “I was working in New Home Construction in Calgary and found that many of my customers were building beautiful cellar spaces in their homes.  In order to have better conversations with my clients I decided to educate myself on the subject.”  That education quickly turned into a passion that lead her back home to BC to pursue a career promoting the BC Wine Industry. Most days you can find her living the Okanagan dream while analyzing vino and pursuing her WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine.

“Never take yourself or your wine too seriously.” - K

Random Facts about Kathryn:

If you were a type of wine, what kind of wine would you be and why?

Franciacorta Riserva – bubbly, complex, and great for parties.  It gets better with age but is still not as well known or seemingly stuck up as Champagne.

Favourite Part of your Job? 

Blending days!  I love tasting and analyzing our wines

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Still Happy

Amit Gidda, the youngest of the Gidda siblings, can be found spending most of his days in the wine shop. He most often works in customer service and marketing. He also has evolved into being the winery’s go-to guy for any shipping and inventory questions the rest of the staff may have.

Amit brings youthful enthusiasm to the winery. He’s always quick with a smile for each and every customer and will even carry your case of wine to your vehicle for you.

Amit has gone to the University of British Columbia – Okanagan in the pre-Pharmacy program, and has dabbled in Wine Sales at Okanagan College, but hopes to study business to aid his brother, Bobby, in the office.

He enjoys hiking, computer games and has a great sense of humor.  His favourite day of the year is the day he can start wearing shorts again in the spring... usually around January 2nd.

Born and raised in Kelowna, Winemaker Taylor Partel brings a global perspective and a deep connection to the Okanagan to Volcanic Hills. A trained sommelier and
Brock University graduate, Taylor honed his craft through harvests in California, Australia, Tasmania, Burgundy and Alsace. Guided by a low-intervention philosophy, he creates generous, approachable wines that authentically express their vineyard and sense of place. Away from the cellar, Taylor is happiest outdoors, exploring the Okanagan by bike, camping and spending time in the landscape that continues to inspire his winemaking.

Shelby’s the creative force behind the camera (and the captions) at Volcanic Hills. Through vibrant visuals and behind-the-scenes reels, she brings the winery’s story to life — always with a deep appreciation for the people and craft behind every bottle.

Originally from Ontario, Shelby graduated from the Viticulture and Winemaking Technician program at Niagara College in 2012. After a couple of sun-soaked vintages in Australia, she moved to BC in 2015, dove into photography, and eventually found the perfect mix of passions — wine, creativity, and storytelling — right here at Volcanic Hills.

Random Facts about Shelby:

If you were a type of wine, what kind of wine would you be and why?

A Gewürztraminer — floral, layered, and a little spicy in the best way.

Favourite part of your job?

Growing my creativity, building my wine brain, and sharing the stories that make our bottles more than just wine.