Constellation Brands has acquired a minority stake in the wine brand Archer Roose through Constellation’s venture capital group as a part of the company's Focus on Female Founders initiative.
Archer Roose's offering consists of several wines from across the globe, aimed at the next generation of legal drinking age wine drinkers.
Constellation Brands Stake In Archer Roose
Marian Leitner-Waldman and her husband, David, founded Archer Roose in 2015 in a bid to introduce more premium wines to consumers in an approachable format.
To offer wines from the regions around the world, from Provence to Casablanca Valley, they created the 'Traveling Vineyard' by partnering with small winemakers who preserve terroir and approach viticulture with craftsmanship and an eco-conscious mindset.
"Marian, Elizabeth, and the team have created something truly unique in Archer Roose, making luxury wine distinctively fun and accessible for contemporary consumers who are curious about exploring the category," said Mallika Monteiro, executive vice president and chief growth, strategy, and digital officer at Constellation Brands.
"Their focus on planet-friendly, single serving formats resonates not just with the environmentally conscious values of this new generation of LDA drinkers, but also with consumer moderation trends that we are beginning to see take hold. We believe Archer Roose is well-positioned to grow the category by introducing premium wine to this segment through their welcoming, thoughtful, and honest brand," she added.
"We founded Archer Roose for a simple reason, we wanted to have a better glass of wine," added Leitner-Waldman.
"Our consumers can discover wine regions and varietals while knowing what to expect from our products: dry, fruit-forward wines that are sustainably made and exceptionally delicious."
Read More: Constellation Brands Sees Annual Consolidated Net Sales Up 3%
Focus On Female Founders
Constellation Brands acquired the stake as part of its Focus on Female Founders initiative, which makes investments in female-founded and female-led businesses across the beverage alcohol industry.
Since its launch in 2018, the Focus on Female Founders initiative has shifted the Constellation Brands Ventures portfolio mix from approximately 20% female-founded/owned to nearly 50% female-founded/owned.
Female-founded companies accounted for 2% of venture capital investments in 2021, which was, according to data from Pitchbook, an M&A, private equity and VC database, the second consecutive year that the number of female-founded companies receiving funding decreased.
Analysis from 'BCG Why Women-Owned Startups Are a Better Bet' show female-founded startups that get funded are more likely to succeed and deliver higher value than male-founded companies.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest drinks news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
