Constellation Brands invests in Archer Roose
Archer Roose: A Female-Founded Eco-Friendly Wine Brand Geared Toward New Generation of LDA Wine Consumers
Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it has acquired a minority stake in wine brand Archer Roose – an accessible luxury wine brand focused on offering consciously-crafted, worldly wines to a new generation of legal drinking age (LDA) wine drinkers. This investment was made through Constellation’s venture capital group as a part of Constellation’s Focus on Female Founders initiative, which aims to directly increase female representation and access to funding in the industry by investing $100 million in female-led or female-founded companies by 2028.
Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash
Marian Leitner-Waldman and her husband, David, founded Archer Roose in 2015 on a mission to democratize wine by introducing consumers to luxury wine in an approachable format. To offer wines from the most renowned regions around the world – from Provence to Casablanca Valley – they created the “Traveling Vineyard” by partnering with small, adventurous winemakers who preserve terroir and approach viticulture with craftsmanship and deep respect for the environment. Driven by the idea of connecting to wine consumers through humor, actress and producer Elizabeth Banks joined the team as an investor and chief creative officer.
“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.”
“We founded Archer Roose for a simple reason, we wanted to have a better glass of wine,” said Marian Leitner-Waldman, co-founder of Archer Roose. “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.”
Archer Roose strives to bring consumers high-quality wines in accessible formats that fit their modern lifestyle, helping them celebrate the joy in every day with a single serving of wine that can be enjoyed without opening a full bottle. Their luxury canned wines are offered in a number of crisp, refreshing varietals including Bubbly, Bubbly Rosé, Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Malbec.
Timeless adventurer Archer Roose is a character that was created to take the contemporary wine drinker on a journey of wine, connecting consumers to a global portfolio through the lens of her travels. Each Archer Roose wine is like a postcard, transparently sharing the people, place, practices, and profile of all of their wines. Inspired by embracing fun and humor without sacrificing quality, Archer Roose pairs this memorable icon with comedic force Elizabeth Banks to appeal to a new generation of LDA wine drinkers.
“I joined Archer Roose because I wanted to bring fun to wine,” said Elizabeth Banks. “Wine can take itself so seriously, but at Archer Roose we make seriously good wine accessible through storytelling that resonates with our consumers’ lives.”
Archer Roose comprises an award-winning portfolio of wines that have been highlighted in Wine Spectator. The brand is currently distributed in 46 states, can be found in major retailers like Kroger, Eataly, and Mariano’s, and will be on shelves in Target this fall. You can also enjoy Archer Roose at new heights through their partnership with JetBlue.
Constellation’s Focus on Female Founders initiative is designed to make meaningful investments in female-founded and female-led businesses doing disruptive and innovative work across the beverage alcohol industry. Since its launch in 2018, the Focus on Female Founders initiative has shifted our Ventures portfolio mix from approximately 20% female-founded/owned to nearly 50% female-founded/owned.
Female-founded companies accounted for only 2% of venture capital investments in 2021, which was the second consecutive year that the number of female-founded companies receiving funding decreased1. Analyses show female-founded startups that get funded are more likely to succeed and deliver higher value than male-founded companies2. Female-founded companies also hire more women and help close the pay gap3.
1 According to data from Pitchbook, an M&A, private equity and VC database
2 According to June 2018 BCG Why Women-Owned Startups Are a Better Bet
3 According to Kauffman Fellows
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