RedHead Wine Expands Walmart Distribution
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – RedHead Brands LLC will expand its distribution through the Walmart retail chain to 100 stores in Ohio and most of its West Virginia stores.
In addition to expanding distribution of the RedHead Red brand, the retail giant will add RedHead Rosé and L’uva Bella Winery’s Purple Rain Concord wines to those locations as well, says Marisa Sergi, chief financial officer at L’uva Bella and CEO/winemaker for her Redhead Brands wines.
RedHead Rosé and Purple Rain Concord will be shipped as soon as next week to the 60 Ohio Walmarts where RedHead is already sold, Sergi says. The three brands will begin entering the new locations over the next two to six weeks.
The deal will put the wines on the shelves of more than 150 Walmart stores, according to a Walmart news release. Overall, RedHead is in 600 locations, Sergi says.
RedHead is a sister company to Lowellville-based L’uva Bella Winery, where Purple Rain and the RedHead brands are manufactured.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity because we have been able to create a brand name and business here in Youngstown, Ohio, that has been problem to not only get a chance to sell in Walmart but to have longevity and to expand into other states,” she says.
RedHead entered Walmart in October 2017 though the Open Call program of its Investing in American Jobs initiative.
“Walmart’s investment in U.S.-manufactured products goes beyond the shelf. The investment is also in the entrepreneurs’ dream and that can be an emotional experience for everyone involved,” says Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart Inc.’s vice president of merchandise services and U.S. manufacturing. “By investing in products that support American jobs, we’re able to bring new products to our shelves and new jobs to our communities.”
So far in 2019, RedHead’s sales have grown 130% over last year’s figures, Sergi says, with Purple Rain Concord sales up 200%. The increase is due in part to the launch of sales in Pennsylvania, she adds.
L’uva Bella plans to add to its current building, hire more people and expand its production capacity to accommodate the increasing demand, she continued. The plan is to add six to 10 more people in the next eight to 16 months, she reported. About 50 people now work at L’uva Bella’s winery and bistro.
“I’m really proud to say that I’m an entrepreneur from Youngstown and that I’ve have had the opportunities to grow the business and supply more jobs to the people here,” she added.
Applications for Walmart’s 2019 Open Call are due at the end of the month. The program provides American entrepreneurs with the opportunity to pitch their products to Walmart buyers at the company’s home office in Bentonville, Ark.
Companies can register here.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
