By Aria Brent
AFRO Staff Writer
abrent@afro.com
The year was 2019 when Marilyn Van Alstyne decided to co-found Wifey Wines with a friend also toying with the idea of starting a wine business. The decision to strike out into the world of wines and spirits was aimed at creating a brand that would make wine drinking experiences more enjoyable and accessible to Black women.
The company aims to educate people on the many details of wine that are often confusing, all the while providing culturally relevant selections to the Black community and beyond. The AFRO caught up with Alstyne leading up to the fourth annual Black Business Matters Expo to talk about all things related to Wifey Wines.
AFRO: Can you please tell us about Wifey Wines? When did it get started?
Marilyn Van Alstyne: I had a client that I was doing marketing activities for and one day we got into a deep conversation about what we want to do after the evolution of our current chapter. I said, “I’ve always wanted to open a wine company. I’ve actually started to research wineries and different vineyards in Italy to find a producer.” He said, “Oh, I always wanted to do it too,” and I said, “Well, maybe we should do it together.”
This was around January 2019 and literally, it took us all that year to finalize our juice, the packaging and everything and get the product into the U.S. We got the product into the U.S a little bit before Christmas of the same year, so we had a quick production.
AFRO: What wine options do you have and what can we anticipate coming from the company, as Summer 2024 approaches?
MVA: We are actually rebranding. We looked at the brand, we looked at our financials and we decided that we need to pivot a bit again. Prior to our rebranding, we had a wine that was a dry, sparkling Rosé.Then we had a sweet white wine that was also sparkling. Now we’re going into it based on where the market is going, where our consumers are and what they want to drink. We’re going into a more ready- to- drink style.
We have a ready-to-drink mimosa coming out with a softer bubble, a mojito and a margarita. They’re all wine based and we’re so excited to get back on the market mid-summer.
AFRO: As a woman in business, what strategies have you employed to overcome challenges–whether that be underestimation or intimidation. What advice do you have for other women who are looking to get into an entrepreneurship role?
MVA: The wine and spirits industry is a male dominated industry. I’m often the minority in a room. I have two strikes against me: I’m Black and I’m a woman. Those groups are often overlooked no matter what industry you’re in. When I walk in the room, I already know I’m being underestimated and sometimes they may even try to intimidate me. I don’t let that bother me.
There are so many people in the wine business. I’m not a grower. I’ve never said I’m a sommelier and I don’t go around acting like I know what temperature the soil needs to be or how much it needs to rain to grow the grape. I’m not one of those people. I am a marketer though and I am a businesswoman. I do believe a good concept, a good story, good packaging and a good juice will result in success.
What I try to do is I always remind myself there’s two ways you can proceed in life. Sometimes it calls for you to be fair and right, and you get one outcome. And then sometimes the question is “What is your goal?” and “What are you trying to get to?”
Those two things don’t coexist together.
It’s either “Do I want to give him a lesson on how to deal with Black women and women in general?” or do I want to make sure we get shelf presence at these restaurants and get to my goal. At the end of the day, I’m just doing business with this guy–your opinion of me or women in general, does not bother me. My advice to other entrepreneurs– especially women– is sometimes people are going to test you. It’s about whether you want to be right and fair, and you want to stand on a hill and argue about it, or do you want to get what you want? Because those are two different pathways and two different outcomes.
AFRO: What would you say to women looking to pursue this line of work in spite of so much competition?
MVA : I’ve mentored so many women and if I’m out at a panel or doing interviews, that is the number one question I get. I will give you two examples. Y’all know, QVC, the shopping network. QVC has been around since your grandmother was young and it’s been around for our age group– it’s been a generational brand. Tech has changed, the way we shop has changed, the way we consume products has changed– but QVC is still here.They still make revenue. I say that as an example of a business plan that stayed intentional about what they wanted to do and who their consumer base was.
I also always use the eyelash industry as an example. There are so many young ladies and men that start hair lines and extension supply brands. There are so many, and the only difference between your brand and someone else’s brand is your story, your consistency and your need to win. That’s the only difference.
There could be 80 million brands in your space and in your lane, the thing that’s going to make you different is your story and how you tell it and your consistent application to wanting to be successful. Even if you want to go into an industry that you feel is oversaturated with talent, there is a customer out there. There’s a consumer group out there for you– someone that resonates with you or someone who just likes your product.
This story has been edited for brevity and clarity.