Each year, the Frederick County Office of Economic Development (FCOED) partners with Frederick Magazine for Frederick’s Top 50 publication. The 2022 issue, released in January, features Frederick’s Top 50 Under 40. Homegrown Frederick wanted to take a similar approach and highlight the young entrepreneurs and leaders in the agriculture and craft beverage industries. The Homegrown Frederick magazine, released June 1, announces Frederick County’s Top Young Agricultural Professionals. Each week we will be highlighting these individuals so you can get to know them better.
Adam Fizyta, 36, part owner of Catoctin Breeze Vineyard in Thurmont, is named one of Frederick County’s Top Young Ag Professionals. He has been essential in planning and building the farm vineyard and winery since its inception. In 2016, Adam joined as a partner in the family business and is now spearheading the expansion of the vineyard. Currently, the Catoctin Breeze vineyard consists of five acres of grape vines. Adam wears many hats on the farm from hands-on farming to the overall management of the business. Some of his duties include pruning vines in the winter, assisting with the winemaking process, business plan development and revision and marketing plan execution. You can also find him heavily involved with events for Catoctin Breeze’s wine club members.
Catoctin Breeze has shown substantial growth over the past five years, easily justified by wine club members. From 2017-2022 their wine club grew from 75 members to over 800. Adam signifies the development of the wine club as their largest business accomplishment. You can learn more about Catoctin Breeze and their wine club by visiting their website and following their Facebook and Instagram. He is also incredibly proud to have their Cabernet Franc win “Best in Show” at the annual Maryland Comptroller’s Cup in both 2018 and 2019. The mission of Catoctin Breeze is “to produce to craft world-class wines and offer an exceptional experience to our guests.” Adam said, “It feels great for all of our hard work to get recognized, and to get a nod from industry professionals.”
Adam is committed to helping advance Maryland’s wine industry. He is on his second term as the Vice President of the Maryland Wineries Association (MWA). The MWA “strives to grow a sustainable wine community throughout Maryland, and to grow its impact on agriculture, tourism, preservation and economic development.” Adam implements the MWV vision within Catoctin Breeze saying, “As of 2021, 100% of our wines are made with grapes grown in the state of Maryland, with almost 90% of it sourced within 12 miles of Thurmont.”
Catoctin Breeze is not Adam’s sole business venture. He is the definition of an entrepreneur with two other small industrial equipment businesses. The one person who has influenced Adam the most in his approach to his work is his father. Adam said, “He immigrated to the US in 1981 with practically nothing and went on to build successful businesses from scratch leveraging his knowledge, relationships and ability to overcome adversity.”
We are proud to honor Adam Fizyta as one of Frederick County’s Top Young Ag Professionals. The full list can be found here. It is safe to say the local agricultural industry has a bright future ahead with young leaders like him at the helm. Be sure to congratulate Adam from Catoctin Breeze on this well-deserved accolade!