Yesterday we shared about the beer industry pushing to change inequality issues among beer brewers. What about the wine industry? According to Sunset Magazine, “progress has been plodding within the more conservative corners of the wine industry.” Carlton McCoy, president and CEO of the Napa house Heitz Cellars @heitzcellar , is one of the few BIPOC leaders in the wine business. He started a foundation, The Roots Fund @rootsfund as a way to help Black and Indigenous people in the wine industry with financial support, mentorships and job placement.
“I’m hoping that people are quiet because they don’t know what to do yet—if I put myself in their shoes I would ask: How do I even start?” Carlton tells the magazine. “They should know that The Roots Fund is a place where they can have that conversation.”
McCoy launched The Roots Fund with sommelier Tahiirah Habibi @sippingsocialite and restaurateur Ikimi Dubose. The hope is the group can raise awareness that a career in wine is possible for BIPOC.
“It’s not really marketed to Black people,” says Carlton. “We’re trying to recognize that has been a barrier to entry and rectify it. It’s a challenge to hire someone who doesn’t look like you and comes from a different background.”
Read more (Sunset Magazine)