Kim and Andy Busch officially opened Folded Hills Winery in 2016

NEED TO KNOW

• Folded Hills Winery, founded by Kim and Andy Busch, created a nonprofit after a personal experience with glioblastoma
• Andy had a seizure and was diagnosed with the disease in August 2023
• “I never thought that this was going to happen,” Kim told radio station KCLU in an interview published Monday, Oct. 5

A winery in California created a nonprofit after a personal experience with glioblastoma.

Kim Busch, co-founder of Folded Hills Winery in Santa Barbara, Calif., created Grapes for Glioblastoma after her husband Andy was diagnosed with the disease in August 2023. 

Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer that most often occurs in older adults. It is incurable and can cause seizures, as well as changes in thinking, speech and vision, per Mayo Clinic.

Andy had experienced a seizure at the family ranch and was later diagnosed. 

The couple’s lives changed “overnight,” Kim told radio station KCLU in an interview published on Monday, Oct. 5.

“I never thought that this was going to happen,” she said. “Andy’s a strong, solid, unbelievably athletic guy, and that diagnosis was quite the shock — as any cancer diagnosis is.”

Andy, who co-founded the winery, could no longer work, and Kim became his caregiver. After being inspired by their regular hospital trips, she decided to launch the nonprofit to support patients and their caregivers. 

“What I noticed was people who were sitting by themselves with no loved one,” Kim said. “Or maybe they came from five hours away, and they couldn’t afford a hotel room or a flight. We heard stories of people who could no longer manage getting up to their second-floor bedrooms, and they needed a chairlift.”

Kim explained that the Grapes for Glioblastoma is “to help these patients.”

“It’s very difficult for the family. It’s very difficult for the caregiver. It’s really difficult for a caregiver who is trying to maintain their job for their insurance. They’re trying to juggle meals and housekeeping and driving and care. It’s so, so difficult. That’s what we’re trying to do is just help a tiny, tiny bit,” she said, adding that 10% of sales at the winery are now directed to the nonprofit. 

Grapes for Glioblastoma delivers immediate financial relief to patients and families after a glioblastoma diagnosis, according to its website. The funds can be used towards essential costs, such as travel for medical care, home accommodations and caregiver support. 

A message from the couple on the website states that the nonprofit is “deeply personal” to them.

“After Andy’s diagnosis, we came to understand just how many families are carrying not only the emotional weight of this disease, but the financial strain that comes with it,” they wrote. “We also saw how isolating that can be. In waiting rooms, treatment centers, and quiet moments between appointments, we met people trying to navigate impossible decisions with far too little support.”

Kim and Andy said that making wine is their “joy” but the cause “is our purpose.”

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The winery has always supported philanthropic efforts, St. Louis Magazine reported in July. When it opened in 2016, the couple started a once-a-month Philanthropy Fridays, which saw 100% of their sales on the appointed day donated to a local charity. 

In 2025, the winery raised $200,000 for charities, per the news outlet. 

Kim told the magazine about the urgency of the specific diagnosis. 

“Brain cancer is a little different in that most patients quit work the minute they’re diagnosed. Overnight, you’ve got these family members who are not only trying to decipher what to do with this diagnosis, but also take over all of the responsibilities in the home or possibly in the business as well,” she said. 

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