WomenEmpowerment

Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation Announces Call for 2020 Scholarship Applications

Foundation dedicated to cultivating leaders and feeding the talent pipeline in the alcohol beverage industry to award deserving scholars with thousands in financial aid

February 10, 2020 (New York, NY) – Today, Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS), the leading membership organization dedicated to advancing and empowering women in the wine, beer and spirits industry worldwide, announced that its charitable arm, Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, Ltd. has opened the application window for 2020 scholarship opportunities.

Created to help further Women of the Vine & Spirits’ larger mission of helping women advance their careers within the traditionally male-dominated alcohol beverage industry, the Foundation provides annual scholarships and awards to deserving applicants interested in continuing their professional development and education for careers within the food, wine/spirits, and hospitality sectors. This year, the nonprofit will award scholarships to qualified applicants across four categories, which include Professional & Leadership Development, Student Educational, Continuing Education and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Scholarships.

An additional four scholarships are being made possible through the “Women Behind the Wine Educational Fund” supported by Patron Donor, E. & J. Gallo Winery. Those scholarship categories include Master Sommelier, Masters of Wine, Elizabeth Smyth Student and Fuel Your Dreams.

“Education is instrumental to creating change within any industry, which is why our organization is committed to providing qualified applicants with the funds needed to continue learning and, ultimately, help advance their careers,” said Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, Deborah Brenner. “We are thrilled to be joining forces with our generous donors to help continue our larger mission of not only advancing women in the industry, but diversifying the talent pipeline across the board.”

In 2019, the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation awarded a combined total of over $134,000 to forty-four recipients. This year’s scholarship amounts will range in amounts between $300 to $10,000 and the number of recipients within each category will be determined based on the total of qualified applicants.

Applications are now being accepted online and the deadline for submission is June 30, 2020. Scholarship recipients will be awarded on September 10, 2020.

The Foundation is also seeking donations to award more recipients in 2020.

“Your tax-deductible donation to the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation can be a life-changing opportunity with far-reaching impact beyond financial assistance,” said Executive Director of the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, Tara Davey. “Your donation, large or small, makes an impact; for as little as $300, your contribution can help a woman earn an industry certification.”

Further information about Foundation scholarship opportunities for 2020, including how to donate to the Foundation, as well as additional details about previous recipients is available here: womenofthevine.com/foundation

To learn more about Women of the Vine & Spirits, please visit: womenofthevine.com

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About the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation

The Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, Ltd. 501(c)(3) is the charitable arm of Women of the Vine & Spirits. The Foundation provides scholarships and awards for the purpose of helping women advance in the alcohol beverage industry through education, leadership, and professional development. For more information, please visit womenofthevine.com/foundation.

Women of the Vine & Spirits Launches New Benefits to
Create Pathways for Supplier Diversity and Market Share for Women-Owned Businesses

April 1, 2019 (New York, NY) – Women of the Vine & Spirits, the world’s leading organization dedicated to empowering and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry, announced today the launch of new Corporate Membership benefits that support women-owned businesses and supplier diversity programs.

Women of the Vine & Spirits is committed to raising awareness for why, where and how to buy women-owned products and services to further women’s economic growth and gender equality on a global scale. The Certified Women Owned Logo and Database is a game-changer for buyers, wholesalers, and consumers to easily identify certified women-owned brands in the alcohol beverage industry.

In the U.S., 71 percent of wine retail purchases are made by women. A study conducted by Walmart, America’s largest retailer, found that 90 percent of female customers in the U.S. would go out of their way to purchase products from women. A recent study by Wine Intelligence and Women of the Vine & Spirits showed that women are more likely to purchase wines made by female winemakers when this fact is consciously point out to them in an explicit way.

“Women control over $20 trillion of annual consumer spending globally and trillions of dollars are spent worldwide annually on diverse suppliers, yet less than one percent goes to women-owned companies,” said Deborah Brenner, Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits. “Certification is key to getting visible. It is our goal to create a movement of support in the three-tier system for women-owned businesses and be the go-to resource in the alcohol beverage industry.”

In time for the launch, Women of the Vine & Spirits is proud to announce that three of their Corporate Members, Opici Family Distributing, GAP Promo and BuzzBallz, LLC, are the first to be approved and take advantage of the new benefits. All three companies will join Women of the Vine & Spirits at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) Convention & Exhibition, April 1 – 3, 2019, in Orlando, FL.

“BuzzBallz, LLC is thrilled to be part of Women of the Vine & Spirits,” said Tracy Frisbie, Vice President of Marketing of Buzzballz, LLC. “We will gain the attention of wholesalers and retailers for our unique brands and nimble capabilities. BuzzBallz has been a registered NWBOC organization since 2015, and WBENC since 2016.  Both organizations have been helpful in growing our business, but having a specific alcohol industry women-owned certification through Women of the Vine & Spirits will assist BuzzBallz to compete with larger suppliers.”

Corporate Members of Women of the Vine & Spirits who are at least 51 percent owned, managed, and controlled by a woman and become certified by WBENC or WEConnect International as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), have the ability to apply for the Women of the Vine & Spirits Certified Women Owned Logo and will be featured in the Certified Women Owned Database.

Who is eligible to use the Women of the Vine & Spirits Certified Women Owned Logo?

Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members in good standing with current WBENC or WEConnect International certification; Corporate Members must apply, showing proof of certification, and receive permission, with signed licensing agreement in place (licensing fee waived for 2019 and 2020) to be approved to use the logo. To become a Corporate Member, contact Elizabeth Campbell Boyd at elizabeth@womenofthevine.com.

For more information, visit the Certified Women Owned page at womenofthevine.com and meet Women of the Vine & Spirits in their Lower Level Suite, Cordova 6, at the WSWA Convention, April 1 – 3, 2019.

Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members include Founding Member, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Diamond Members: Bronco Wine Company; Brown-Forman; E. & J. Gallo Winery; Moët Hennessy USA; and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Platinum Members: Caesars Entertainment; J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines; Pernod Ricard; Shaw Ross; and William Grant & Sons. For a full list of Corporate Members including those at the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Associate level, visit the Corporate Members tab at womenofthevine.com.

About Women of the Vine & Spirits
Women of the Vine & Spirits is the world’s leading organization dedicated to empowering and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry. Women of the Vine & Spirits is an organization for members to connect through our global and diverse network and collaborate across all industry sectors. Providing members with resources and opportunities to thrive is the cornerstone of our organization and success. We offer steadfast support for women at every position in the field with membership benefits that include: education, training, mentorship, entrepreneurship and networking as well as tools, services and resources for personal and business development. Together, we are a committed community taking action and making a positive impact on the alcohol beverage industry, worldwide. For more information, please visit womenofthevine.com.

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CONTACT:

Kyndal Korsgaden   

Kyndal@womenofthevine.com

805-779-0301