Inside the Magic with Robin McBride

Every once in a while, you meet someone who changes your perspective on an industry and inspires you to see things differently. That’s how I felt when I met Robin McBride , an incredible founder who created McBride Sisters Wine Company with her sister Andréa McBride John , paving the way for Black women who want to enter the winemaking industry.

Robin and Andréa have an unconventional co-founder journey, and that’s part of what makes their story so magical. The sisters were raised on opposite sides of the world in two iconic wine regions – Monterey, California and Aotearoa, New Zealand. Each of the sisters thought they were only children until fate brought them together in 1999 and they discovered and met each other for the first time. After uniting, Robin and Andréa discovered their shared love of wine, food and culture – and entrepreneurial drive – and they decided to take on the world of wine together.

I had the honor of talking to Robin about sisterhood, wine and mentorship in a conversation that highlights trailblazing, grit and dedication.?

Josh: What was your inspiration for starting McBride Sisters Wine?

Robin: Andréa grew up in New Zealand. I grew up in Monterey, California. We didn't know about each other. Once we did know about each other, we realized that we both grew up in wine country. When Andréa came to California, we spent time on the Central Coast in wine country – in tasting rooms and just hanging out and going on day trips together. We realized how different the wine experience could be and should be. At the time, as young women of color, we noticed a discrepancy in our personal experiences versus other people’s experiences, and we felt like we were being called to do something. We didn't know how to make wine, but we felt that we were familiar with what wine – as an experience – was, and we decided to start a business together.

J: When did you realize you were passionate about actually making the wine??

R: We were interested in winemaking, but winemaking isn’t a skill that you pick up overnight. I don’t think that we expected to move into that space. As we became importers of wine, the business was going really well, and we asked the winemakers and winemaking families whose wine we were bringing to California to help us learn the craft. We started out importing wines from New Zealand and ultimately grew to make wine in both New Zealand and California. But it was inspired by our own bonding as sisters and our own experience that we felt we could make better for everybody.?

J: How has your experience as sisters opened doors for other entrepreneurs – specifically Black women – who are interested in this space?

R: I can’t speak from that perspective, but I do know that it was incredibly challenging when we started our business and moved through the different iterations of our business. We started 18 years ago, and being women business owners in the wine space brings its own set of challenges. At that time, we didn’t see anyone who was Black, brown or otherwise, and women were in the industry, but definitely not regularly in leadership roles or any kind of impactful roles. As business owners, we were questioned. We were challenged. People didn’t want to work with us. They believed that we didn’t know what we were talking about and our goals were unattainable and unachievable, but we had sister power. Even though our initial interest was in the wine and the places where the wine was from, and how we could see those wines fitting into culture and cuisine, it very quickly turned into us understanding that we had more work to do because the industry needed it.?

J: Let’s talk about why this work is so important.

R: If wine was going to continue to be a beverage of choice in commerce, it wasn't going to last with the same mentality and the same old school philosophy that had been driving it for so long. We really respect and love and appreciate the art of winemaking, and the skill of grape growing, and we don't want to see that go away. Our true purpose really is to help shift this industry and help bring the changes that we know need to happen and also showcase wine as a business that people want to be in. We didn't want to, but that's why we also put ourselves out there in front of the brand. Over time, it became obvious to us that women in our position need to be seen in the industry and in the business. Once we did that, it opened up the doors.

J: How have you translated your experience into mentorship?

R: We can't talk to people 20 hours a day, but we're happy to share our experiences and the things we have learned along the way – pitfalls, roadblocks and opportunities. That's what we've been doing from the beginning, and we made it a little bit more official. We launched the SHE CAN Fund, where we have mentorships, offer scholar professional development scholarships, do networking – all of the things. And again, it was not our initial purpose for being in this business, but it's a very big reason for why we're still here today. The wine business is a hard business, but what really keeps us going is how we're able to connect with women and people of color who are already in the industry, want to be in the industry and can help change the narrative around who can be successful in wine.

In each newsletter, I’ll share a link to something I can’t stop thinking about. Here’s what I’m fascinated by this week.

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