Black celebrities have in recent years combined their craft with entrepreneurship. They have ventured into multiple businesses like owning record labels, restaurants, venturing into real estate among others.
One of the emerging areas of investment for black entrepreneurs is the wine and spirits industry. They have created, collaborated, and/or invested in wine labels and brands that have taken the industry by storm.
With this, they have ventured into an industry where Blacks have been underrepresented. Blacks represent 12% of the drinkers, 7.8% of the workforce, and 2% of the executives and account for none of the acquisitions in the space, Forbes reported in 2022.
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The Luxury Wines and Spirits Market was valued at $229.44 billion in 2021 and is estimated to reach $414.80 billion by 2031, per research.
Below are some Black celebrities making waves in the industry.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is behind one of the fastest-growing liquor brands in the world. He launched Teremana Tequila at the height of the pandemic in 2020. A year later, he posted record sales, despite launching at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, he aims to create a premium brand that is affordable to everyone. “When we first launched our Teremana brand, many said that I was crazy to deliver such a high-quality tequila at such an affordable price, but to me, the most important ‘P word’ in my business isn’t profit—it’s people. And that’s why Teremana, will always be the tequila of the people,” he said.
In 2023, Forbes noted that the brand was enjoying its status as the fastest-growing tequila category in the United States and could overtake Vodka to become the most-consumed American category of booze before the end of 2025.
Snoop Dogg
The rapper is a wine investor; he recently released his first brand, Snoop Cali Red, and came out with a new Rosé.
Dubbed Snoop Cali Rosé, the wine is a blend of Grenache and Zinfandel, which breaks the rules of typical rosé culture with a touch of Cali-behavior and Snoop’s iconic West Coast Style.
Snoop Cali Rosé, launched in partnership with Australian wine brand 19 Crimes, is the first California Rosé and second collaboration with the hip-hop icon.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba is behind the spirit brand Porte Noire Rosé. It was born out of a shared passion for wine between Elba and wine expert David Farber, according to the Celebrity Drink Collection. The brand started after the two visited the Sanger Viticultural School in Champagne in 2018, which went on to make their Champagnes.
Drake
Drake founded Virginia Black, a whiskey brand, in partnership with DeLeón Tequila founder, Brent Hocking. The brand launched in stores in New York, Nevada, and California in 2016. The brand became the highest-selling liquor in Canada later that same year.
The success of the brand has been attributed to Drake and his father promoting it in ads and also increasing the locations where the whiskey is sold.
Ciara
Ciara is behind Ten To One Rum, a spirit brand she had always dreamt of owning. She gives credit to Marc Farrell, the founder, for his incredible vision and the product. While strategizing on how to compete with the tequilas or the gins of the world, Ciara said her vision is to elevate how one envisages rum.
Steph Curry
Curry’s Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was launched in 2023 and it was his first foray into the spirits industry. “Celebrations take on many different forms, from intimate gatherings to major milestones, and at the center of each memorable moment is a spirit rooted in history and tradition,” Curry shared in a statement at the time. “I’m proud to have helped carefully craft a new signature Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Gentleman’s Cut. This rich, complex, and bold bourbon is the perfect offering to commemorate life’s great occasions and will be part of a raised-glass toasting moment in the lives of my fans, friends, and family.”
Players Exclusive became the first ultra-premium release from the brand.
