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It’s not every day you sit across from two sisters who defied the odds — not just in business, but in life itself. Andrea and Robin McBride didn’t grow up together. They were raised on opposite sides of the globe, unaware of each other’s existence for half their lives. When they finally met in their early twenties, a bond formed quickly, as did a shared vision: to challenge the traditions of the wine industry and do it in a way that reflected their heritage, their voice and their values.
What struck me in this conversation was their clarity — not just in who they are, but in why they do what they do. They never set out to be “disruptors” in the buzzy tech-world sense of the word. But in many ways, that’s exactly what they’ve become. The McBride Sisters Wine Company is now the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States. That fact alone carries weight in an industry where representation is severely lacking. But they don’t wear that as a badge — they see it as a responsibility.
Their insights into the wine business were refreshingly unfiltered. This is a space that’s often filled with legacy language — Old World vs. New World, vineyard pedigrees, exclusivity. The McBride sisters took a different approach: Speak plainly, make great wine and build a brand that’s both accessible and aspirational. That kind of clarity has served them well. They’re building more than a wine company; they’re building a platform for cultural relevance, storytelling and ownership.
There was a lot of ground we covered — from supply chain frustrations and inflation pressures to how they approach product innovation. What stood out was their bias for action. “You can’t wait for permission,” Robin said at one point. “You’ve got to move.” That mindset has powered their growth, from direct-to-consumer roots to national distribution. They’ve had to be scrappy, but they’ve also had to be strategic, especially when making the jump into big-box retail and celebrity-level recognition.
One particularly poignant part of our conversation came when we touched on legacy. They’re not just thinking about wine — they’re thinking about building something lasting. That includes mentoring other minority-owned businesses, creating platforms for underrepresented founders and ensuring the doors they kicked open stay open for others. As Andrea said, “It’s about ownership. Not just participation.”
Their story is, in part, a reflection of what it means to build something personal in an industry that hasn’t historically made space for voices like theirs. The wine business — steeped in heritage, often slow to evolve — wasn’t exactly clamoring for disruption. But the sisters entered with an approach shaped by their upbringing, their geographic and cultural diversity, and their belief that wine could feel more accessible, less exclusive. It’s not a revolution — they’re not trying to burn anything down — but rather a recalibration of what the industry could look like when seen through a different lens.
What I took from the conversation wasn’t just the arc of their growth, but the mindset they bring to navigating it: patient, values-driven and intentional. Their experience isn’t universal, but it’s instructive — especially for leaders operating at the intersection of legacy and change. You don’t need to agree with every approach or initiative to find value in the questions they’re asking: Who gets to participate in the market? Who gets to define taste? And how do you grow something meaningful without losing the story that made it possible in the first place?
Also, big fan of their wine 😉
It’s not every day you sit across from two sisters who defied the odds — not just in business, but in life itself. Andrea and Robin McBride didn’t grow up together. They were raised on opposite sides of the globe, unaware of each other’s existence for half their lives. When they finally met in their early twenties, a bond formed quickly, as did a shared vision: to challenge the traditions of the wine industry and do it in a way that reflected their heritage, their voice and their values.
What struck me in this conversation was their clarity — not just in who they are, but in why they do what they do. They never set out to be “disruptors” in the buzzy tech-world sense of the word. But in many ways, that’s exactly what they’ve become. The McBride Sisters Wine Company is now the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States. That fact alone carries weight in an industry where representation is severely lacking. But they don’t wear that as a badge — they see it as a responsibility.
