Maryland’s first Black family-owned wine company is expanding! As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Boyd Cru Wines is led by married couple Matthew and Jon’ll Boyd, who pursued separate career paths for over a decade before collaborating on a shared business venture in the wine industry. For over a decade, Jon’ll worked in the event planning industry, while Matthew built his career in the pharmaceutical and chemistry sectors. In the wake of COVID-19 in 2020, Jon’ll’s industry came to a standstill, leading to a greater focus on what became Boyd Cru Wines in April 2023. “I think the pivotal point for us came right about during the pandemic because that, of course for me, brought my event planning business to a very quick and fast halt as you can imagine with people not being able to gather,” Jon’ll told the Washington Business Journal. “It afforded us an opportunity to delve deeper into the wine industry, and simultaneously, I think at that time, I was seeing that there was some shifting...

Pronghorn has invested in a Black-owned company disrupting the event and spirits sector. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Pronghorn aims to pump $2.4 billion in “economic value” into the Black community by cultivating their growth in the spirits industry. With a goal in 2022 to invest in 57 Black-owned spirits brands by 2032, the firm also provides guidance to Black founders as well as employment opportunities. It is already working toward placing individuals in 1,800 roles within the sector. Pronghorn has invested in numerous companies in the spirits industry, including Tequila with Friends, Den of Thieves, Ego Tequila, and singer Ciara’s Ten To One. Joining the lineup is Eventnoire, an event management and online ticketing platform created by Jeff Osuji. According to a press release, Eventnoire has over 10,000 venues and event organizers and a network of 400,000 influencers across North America and Africa, solidifying the company as a leader within the ticketing sector that is...

Seven diverse brands will soon be making their way into Target stores. This push is in part due to Diverse Powered Brands, a B2B global digital catalog that helps buyers connect with diverse suppliers and brands, according to its website. These efforts have led to victories for new business owners. According to a news release, 13 suppliers took part in a pitch competition, moderated by Diverse Powered Brands, in June 2023 at Target headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. Suppliers were able to pitch to Target’s wine team while founders interacted with executives from Women of the Vine & Spirits, Diverse Powered Brands and Johnson Brothers, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, and Republic National Distributing Co. What’s more, involvement in the competition came at no cost for participants but led to great rewards for the seven selected businesses, which are as follows: Boyd Cru Wines Mai Vino Mingle Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cocktails Mom Juice Iron Side Wines Suede Rosé The Urban Wine Co. “We...

Lewis Hamilton and his co-founder are disrupting the spirits industry. On Oct. 25, 2023, the Formula 1 champion joined Casa Lumbre Co-Founder Iván Saldaña to debut Almave, the first-ever distilled non-alcoholic blue agave spirit in the world, according to a press release.

Diageo is on a mission to diversify the spirits industry! According to a press release, the global leader in beverage alcohol has teamed up with industry veterans Dia Simms and Erin Harris in order to build an inclusive and diverse economic initiative with the goal of creating the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs, executive leaders, and founders in both a sustainable and scalable way. Pronghorn is the name of the all-new partnership and it will create a standalone business with a primary focus on expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion within the spirits industry. “Diversifying the industry accelerates innovation and competitiveness, and our strategic approach to recruit, retain and advance the Black community and communities of color within the industry alongside Diageo North America couldn’t be more necessary and timely,” said Pronghorn co-founder, Erin Harris in a statement. “We understand first-hand the importance of being motivated and the critical need for ownership...

When Jay-Z sold 50 percent of the luxury champagne brand Ace of Spades, Billionaires Row officially became the only Black-owned champagne company globally. And that was just fine for Founder and CEO, William Benson and Co-Founder and President, Patrick Ductant — childhood friends-turned-luxury brand owners. “We, perhaps more than anyone else, understand the buying power of Black America,” Benson told AfroTech. “$1.3 trillion in spending power is certainly not small change. And if that’s the kind of power Black America has, I see no reason why Black America shouldn’t be in bigger, wealthier rooms — which is the whole concept behind the brand.” Billing itself as a brand with a unique passion for distinction, exclusivity, and uniqueness, Billionaires Row has come so far in such a short time. Back in 2016, the brand teamed up with HB General Trading Limited of Guangzhou City to get their premier offering — the Champagne Cuvee Billionaires Row Brut Rose Grand Cru (Charles Mignon) — into...

This Black-owned wine shop is making its way to Oakland’s Black Arts Movement District. CoCo Noir Wine Shop & Bar was co-founded by Bay area natives Mari Kemp and Alicia Kidd and will open during the first quarter of 2021 with a focus on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) along with women-owned brands made around the country. They will also work globally to pair them with a curated menu of small bites, reports EURweb . “We founded CoCo Noir to be a disruptor in the wine industry by offering a platform and a space for winemakers of color and women producing amazing wines and also expose those wines to an amazing demographic of people,” said Kidd, wine distributor and founder of The Wine Noire. Both of these women entrepreneurs aim to influence the wine culture that has continuously risen in Oakland’s nationally recognized culinary scene. Located at 13 th and Webster, Kemp and Kidd want CoCo Noir to be a place where all wine lovers (no matter the level) can not only...