Where’s Todd?
Todd Anderson is the founder of Ghost Horse Vineyards in Napa Valley, and the question on a lot of his patrons' minds is, where’s Todd? There is a very good reason why they wonder where he is and how they can find him, but it has nothing to do with Todd being inaccessible. On the contrary, Todd Anderson goes out of his way to be accessible to anyone looking for a fun chat about life and the world of wine. With just two weeks notice, he’s happy to host wine tastings and dinners with you and even take you on a personal tour of his winery.
The real reason that everyone is asking where’s Todd? is because of the challenge syndicate. Here at Signature Coins, we’re always looking for new and interesting ways that our clients are using challenge coins, and Anderson’s unique challenge coin club, the challenge syndicate, is definitely one of a kind.
Having Some Fun With Wine and Custom Challenge Coins
Todd Anderson is the pioneer of what he calls the occult wine experience, which defies conventions set in the fine wine community. He said, “If you look up occult in the dictionary, it means hidden or obscure. So it’s the hidden or obscure wine experience.” Anderson says that these days Ghost Horse is not exactly a secret anymore, but he still makes it a point to keep the experience personal and unique.
With last year’s unveiling of Premonition, Ghost Horse’s new high-end wine, Anderson decided that every bottle should come with a custom challenge coin and entrance into the challenge syndicate. “Everybody sees that coin, and they want one before they even hear the story,” said Anderson. “I think everybody likes coins to some extent, but when people see that coin they go, ‘Wow, I want one of those.’”
Members of the challenge syndicate carry these coins along to wine tastings and pop up parties hosted by Anderson and try to catch him off guard with a quick coin check. Coin checks are initiated by simply holding up a challenge coin or dropping it down on the table or bar. It’s a common game played among members of challenge coin clubs and teams of soldiers with their custom unit coins. What makes Anderson’s challenge syndicate different than the rest are the stakes at play with each coin check.
Usually, being caught without a coin means you owe your buds a round of beers, but if Anderson is ever caught without a Ghost Horse challenge coin, he will give the challenger a bottle of Premonition, which is currently the most expensive bottle of wine in the world. Naturally, Anderson makes it a point never to leave home without at least a few of his coins, but there have been a few close calls. When asked if he has ever been caught without his coins, Anderson said, “I have not. I’ve actually been without a coin one time. I forgot it when I left the house and I traveled around one day without my coin, and the whole day I was in a panic.”
Anderson carries at least three or four coins with him just in case he needs to hand a few out. “If somebody hears the story and wants to buy a bottle of Premonition and wants a coin, they always want my coin,” he said. Having a few extra ensures that people can’t turn right around and challenge him with his own coin right after he gives it to them. You’ll definitely be hard pressed to catch Anderson unprepared, but that doesn’t stop everyone in the challenge syndicate from asking where’s Todd? so they can try their luck.
Crafting a Unique Challenge Coin Experience
Similar groups to Ghost Horse like Naughty Oak Brewing Co. create their own unique challenge coins for patrons, but we’ve never seen someone make an experience quite like that of Anderson’s challenge syndicate. The rules are that anyone in the challenge syndicate can coin check Anderson at any time and any place for a chance to win a free bottle of Ghost Horse’s Premonition. Since the bottles come from his own winery, Anderson doesn't coin check anyone.
Members are sometimes allowed to challenge each other as well, but not all the time. During the challenge syndicate parties hosted by Anderson throughout the year, anyone interested in challenging other members of the group first needs to sign into the FindMyFriends iPhone app so everyone can track their whereabouts for the whole weekend. “It’s kind of like that movie Tag,” said Anderson. “You can sneak up on your buddies and try to challenge them and get them to buy you a bottle of wine.”
Anyone who is coin checked during one of these weekend parties and doesn’t have their Ghost Horse coin with them owes the challenger a bottle of Premonition. But as long as you keep your coin on you, there is nothing to worry about. All you need to do is pull it out and you win the coin check. There is nothing to lose when coin checking Anderson or other members of the challenge syndicate because nothing happens if the other person has their coin. This nothing to lose mentality results in the coins being slapped on tables, bars and countertops all weekend long, but Anderson thinks the need for constant vigilance is what makes the game so much fun.
Sharing Stories with Custom Challenge Coins
One of our long-time customers, Heroes in the Rough, is a charity focused on helping disabled veterans. The President of the organization told us a funny story about being coin checked by a complete stranger carrying one of the Heroes in the Rough coins he himself helped design. What made that moment so special for him was seeing how the coins were getting people excited to share the organization’s story.
Anderson’s love of challenge coins stems from that same sort of experience. He has collected all kinds of different coins over the years from his friends in the military and through his work with Homes for Wounded Warriors. He wanted the Ghost Horse coins, and the coin checks they are used for, to give people a chance to share laughs, build friendships and tell their own stories at the winery. “These days, there’s a lot of great wine,” he said, “But what sets everybody apart from each other is ... do you have a story?”
Anderson wanted to create a unique experience unlike anything else in the fine wine community, and the custom challenge coins he hands out have helped make that vision a reality. Each one carries the story of the winery and helps the unique community and camaraderie of the challenge syndicate continue to spread.
