There’s nothing that says Black girl luxury like a glass of rosé.
We have Donae Burston to thank for bringing the first Black-owned rosé label from France’s Saint-Tropez to the United States. La Fête du Rosé, which means “The Rosé Party,” has become one of the go-to rosé wines since it hit the market in 2019 — and now their reach is getting even larger.
Constellation Brands, Inc., through its venture capital arm, has announced it has purchased a minority stake in La Fête, marking the first move in its focus since they announced in June 2020 that they would invest $100 million in Black, Latinx and minority-owned businesses in the alcohol space over the next decade. Well, nearly a year later, the brand is finally making good on their word.
“People like to see themselves in anything, and that’s what we’re trying to do with La Fête du Rosé – create an exceptional liquid and brand that’s focused on reaching a wider audience,” said Donae Burston, founder & CEO of La Fête du Rosé.
The 15-year beverage industry veteran who developed the brand to target millennial and Generation Z consumers continued, “It has taken a lot of hard work to get the brand to where it is today. Constellation Brands is the right partner to allow us to scale the brand in a way that stays true to its ethos.”
The amount and terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The initiative is inspired by the success of Constellation’s Focus on Female Founders program, which is committed to investing $100 million in female-owned and founded companies.
“Minority-owned businesses are under- represented in our industry and there is a real need to make it more equitable for those businesses to receive access to capital,” said Bill Newlands, Constellation’s president and chief executive officer. “This initiative enables us to play a role in creating greater equity within our industry and provides an opportunity for us to work with bold leaders and brands with unique value propositions that align with our premiumization strategy. La Fête du Rosé is certainly that, as Donae has taken a consumer-first approach to building a distinctive rosé brand that authentically reflects today’s multicultural consumer values.”
The Focus on Minority Founders application can be found on cbrands.com/story/ventures, and the evaluation process aligns with Constellation’s ventures strategy of investing in emerging, unique and distinctive brands.
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