Women in Beverage 2025 | Page 18

was struck by how many candidates used language like“ I want,”“ I need,”“ I’ m looking for …” Those statements are fine, but I would’ ve loved meeting someone who ' d done the research and showed up with insight: What does the company need? What kind of person would be a great fit here— and why?

Know your value— not just in terms of your needs, but in terms of what you offer. Be the person a company realizes they must hire because you see what they need, and you’ ve already begun solving for it.

This is not an easy industry, but it is a rewarding one. The good news is that there are more women than ever in executive level roles. Work hard and claim your seat. In doing so, you’ ll find an extraordinary community of likeminded women who will be your champions, allies, cheerleaders and friends.

Founder and CEO, Archer Roose Wines

How did you first get started in the beverage alcohol industry?

I’ ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit – I cleaned out garages as a kid, founded a non-profit in high school, started a print literary magazine in college, all while working as a waitress during that time which was my first intro to hospitality.

That, combined with having always been passionate about wine – I lived in Spain with a winemaking family while studying abroad and always threw dinner parties in my freshman year dorm – led to my husband and I starting a wine company.

We had no industry connections

but threw ourselves into the deep end and had to learn from mistakes and mishaps along the way. We wanted to build something that captured that feeling of sitting around a kitchen table swapping stories, sharing laughs and having time-stopping conversations over a glass of wine. We created Archer Roose Wines so we could enjoy a quality glass of luxury wine without having to open a whole bottle – it’ s the perfect pour.

Did you have a mentor in the industry? Have you been a mentor to others?

I’ ve been lucky enough to have a few different mentors, including an early investor David Lombardo, wine and beverage director of Benchmarc Restaurants by the Food Network’ s Marc Murphy, who I met at CNBC Power Pitch. He taught me to think like an operator, because that’ s the key to reaching consumers. Without the buy in of these gatekeepers, you won’ t get to the end consumer. So I started building a profit and performance case for the brand that positioned Archer Roose Wines as a true value add.

Mallika Montero, executive vice president at Constellation Brands, is another one – she’ s such an extraordinary, dynamic woman in the beverage alcohol business and has been a huge guide for me. The third person is Brad Goldberg. He has built several wine companies and taken them to acquisition. He’ s really passionate about wine and has always encouraged me to think differently, dive in and get to know the industry inside and out and had urged me to innovate in a smart way.

As far as being a mentor, I firmly believe in helping others and I would like to think there are those who would refer to me as a mentor. It’ s important to make time to reach out and offer to help other women, in particular, because we can all learn from each other.

Have you faced challenges as a woman in a leadership position in what’ s still a male-dominated industry?

When I first started with the idea of Archer Roose Wines, I was pitching to older white men who had a very particular idea about what wine was and, despite me showing that wine drinkers are women, they didn’ t understand my product. The ones who got behind me are the ones that took the product home, gave it to their wives or daughters and saw that they loved it. It’ s extremely difficult having to overcome that barrier and mindset. Women shouldn’ t be overlooked in this industry – especially with wine – but they so often are.

That said, I’ ve been in this business for more than 10 years and have seen the industry radically evolving – from buyers to leadership to distributors, women are earning more seats. Slowly but surely, the industry is starting to reflect the consumers it serves, and it will be better off for it.

How has your company benefited from having women at the table making decisions?

Women in wine are a very underserved consumer group. Brands that have existed in this space often talk down to women and not to them. So being able to get into the mind of the consumer by relating to her, because we are her, has been a huge driver for our success.

I have also built a different type of company. Executive coaching has been a part of our DNA since day one for our leadership. Archer Roose Wines has built a remote work culture that allows people to cater to their personal obligations while still delivering for the business at the highest level.

We’ re very collaborative. We view ourselves as partners. Women across the world in various industries are known for their ability to build consensus, and that’ s what we strive to do

18 2025 WOMEN IN BEVERAGE