This Black-owned wine company is a family affair!

Ebony Wine & Spirits is Charlotte, North Carolina’s only Black-owned wine and spirits company. Owned by Camillya Masunda, the brand is inspired by her Congolese roots and her way of celebrating the history and heritage of vast Black cultures around the globe.

“We are the fresh and free new faces inside the wine industry,” said Masunda in an email interview with AfroTech. “Representation is so important within the wine industry because seeing is believing. A vision or a dream can not be established or realized if something doesn’t trigger a memory or thought that may have been seen.”

Grown from a place of love and true unity, Ebony Wine is a family-based team that includes Masunda’s daughter Lanayha, who she considers her partner and inspiration.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ebony Wine and Spirits

A single, teen mother, Masunda is using her progression in the wine industry as a step toward generational wealth for her daughter.

“Family for me is my safe haven, they are my backbones and they hold me up on each side as to catch me if ever I should fall,” continued Masunda. “The family unit adds so much value to the identity of Ebony Wine. They are the blueprint. We celebrate culture within the family and we thrive on unity. Ebony Wine & Spirits is the unity and cultural celebration that represents cooperative economics, building together, and thriving together.”

As the only Black-owned wine and spirits company in North Carolina, Masunda understands the importance of representation within the industry.

“This is so important, especially to Black women because it gives us the sight of the opportunity that we belong in this space and we are meant to create and take up space in the wine industry in all of its inhabitants from winery owners to producers and distributors,” said Masunda. “Representation is so important because it is equality.”

Currently, Ebony Wine & Spirits can be found online and in local stores, shops, and restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

It’s available in four flavor profiles, Riesling, Moscato, Red Fusion, and a Sparkling Brut Rosé with more on the way.

To shop Ebony Wine & Spirits, click here.

Camillya Masunda

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