Ashley Rawlinson

H E R i t a g e
W i n e s

What inspired you to start your journey as a CEO in the wine industry?

I was less inspired to be a CEO or business owner and more inspired to create space in
wine due to lack of diversity, specifically Black men and women, who owned wine brands.  I discovered that out of over 11,000 wine brands in the U.S. less than 1% are Black-owned, with even less being owned by Black women. When I was getting into wine and attending events or attending tastings to learn more, I would often be the only Black person in the room and it deterred me from wanting to speak out, share what I knew, ask questions or even sit and enjoy the opportunity comfortably. I wanted to create a space where I could learn and engage in wine more comfortably and open that space for other people of color to not feel the biases, restrictions, or intimidations that I did. I wanted people of color to not feel ashamed to talk about the type of wine that they enjoyed, or lack thereof, just because it may not be the popular opinion or choice.

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Photo Credit: 

Phylicia Barr of Phylicia Barr Photography