In 2015, Archer Roose was founded with a clear ambition: to deliver a better, luxurious glass of wine in a conveniently portable, easily shareable, sensibly portioned, and environmentally conscious package. The brand founders, Marian Leitner-Waldman and her husband, David, have since worked to make Archer Roose a premium wine without pretension, accessibly priced, and made with extreme care.
Archer Roose’s high quality of wines from around the world, dynamic leadership team, alignment with evolving consumer preferences, and commitment to sustainability resonated with Constellation Brands. In 2022, we invested in Archer Roose as part of our Focus on Female Founders initiative, a commitment to invest $100 million in female-led or female-founded businesses within the industry by 2028. Through August 2023, we have reached 85% of our target.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we met with Marian to learn more about her role as a founder and leader in the wine industry and hear about her vision for the future of Archer Roose.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
For too long, women's contributions and stories were deemed unimportant, or were played down. Women's History Month is an opportunity to celebrate those lives that have been overlooked in the past. But I hope that it becomes irrelevant over time as women gain a greater opportunity to be part of the "history writing" and determining what is celebrated in the mainstream.
What has your experience been like as a female leader in the wine space?
The wine industry has traditionally been dominated by men — from winemaking to wine critiquing and distributing, to who decides what’s in the store. Despite women making up a disproportionate amount of daily wine drinkers, they weren't marketed to, or when they were, it was condescending. And I think that disconnect presents a great opportunity.
Being a leader in the category means rectifying this imbalance and recognizing the purchasing power that I can unlock when I treat this group of consumers with respect. I am also lucky to have a fabulous all-female leadership team to back me up. This has meant that even when the traditional doors are closed in our faces, we don't give it up, but find a different way in. They are the perfect category builders!
How has your relationship with Constellation Brands Ventures impacted your business?
The industry is changing, and I believe that in order to win and serve the customer best, we need to understand them. The greatest thing that Constellation Brands has unlocked for us is data and consumer insights. By being smarter than our competition, we can truly win.
What advice do you have for women in (or hoping to enter) the beverage alcohol industry?
Learn to play golf – I'm kidding! Recognize that you have a unique perspective, and you need to play the game differently. This industry is slow to change. But for every closed door, there's an open window to climb through. At Archer Roose, we just focus on "chopping the wood in front of us" and taking it one challenge at a time. Keep your focus and you'll be surprised by what you accomplish.
What are your hopes for the future of Archer Roose? What are you most looking forward to?
I want Archer Roose to be the next billion-dollar brand by owning your everyday glass of wine. We're tackling that “BHAG,” or “Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” that’s clear, compelling, and easy to understand, to expand the occasions for wine drinking, like stadiums, beaches, movie theater concessions, and more.
But really, that’s just to get you to try our wines, so we can wow you with our quality. And show you that we're the perfect individual serving size so that you CAN have just a glass of wine – without worrying about what you'll do with the rest of the bottle.
By doing that and continuing to tell stories about how our brand fits into our consumers’ lives, we hope to build a brand that can be enjoyed by generations to come.