Wine nights with the girls might be popular among us Gen Z, but 70% of the wine industry right now is still consumed by people 60 and older. Why?
Well, think about it. Have you ever felt utterly intimidated by the wine aisle at the grocery store? Dumbstruck by the ominously high price tags? Considered yourself not posh enough to tell the difference between “good” and “bad” wine? The reality is that there’s a lot of mysticism (if not snobbery) attached to the wine industry that turns Gen Z off, even if they actually enjoy consuming wine.
Younger Americans are buying less wine than at any time since 1991. Millennials, even the oldest millennials, and Gen Z are simply not reaching for the wine shelves. The truth is the wine industry needs young consumers. But wine is notoriously unapproachable. So what’s the solution?
Well, just consider the characteristics of the products that Gen Z value: environmentally friendly, sustainable, healthy, approachable, and, of course, aesthetic. Take a canned seltzer, for instance. It’s no question Gen Z loves a canned seltzer. They’re typically lower-calorie, have high alcohol content, are easily transportable, approachable and typcially come in cute packaging. Younger people don’t want “pish posh”; they want fun and accessibility. They want to know what they’re drinking without feeling like they’re getting completely ripped off.
That’s where Besa Mi Vino comes in. As a mostly female, Gen Z/Millenial-run, canned wine company, Besa Mi Vino acknowledges the timeless value of wine but revamps it to reflect the values of the younger generations. Between CEO Tori Brodsky, entrepreneur and alumni of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and Head of Events Jessie Goodall, recipient of the prestigious LA’s Finest award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and former member of UCLA’s D1 Women’s Rowing Team, Besa Mi Vino’s leadership team knows how to girlboss. And they’re doing it in a traditionally male-dominated industry. The company understands Gen Z because most of its employees are Gen Z.
With that understanding, of course, it means changes to the product itself. Besa is made sustainably with organic grapes, has a full nutrition facts panel with ingredients listed (there are only 5!), has high alcohol content (12.5% abv per can), is vegan, has 0g of sugar, and is moderately priced. The low sugar content means you can get your party on without getting those nasty hangover headaches that other seltzer malt liquours might give you. Basically, full transparency. Unlike most wine brands, which don’t label the “residual sugar” (sugar left after the wine-making process) on their products.
So, there’s no doubt that Besa is better for your body. Not to mention, the packaging is hands-down the most aesthetic in the industry. Gen Z, this one’s for you: here’s your sign to snap cute pics with Besa at your next concert or beach outing.
But it’s not just about the product itself. Besa knows experiential marketing is key among the younger generations. From the Besa mi Vino x Warner Bro’s Women Empowerment Barbie Fashion Show, which was notably praised by the LA Tribune, to their most recent partnership with the dating app Blush to host a concert for breakout artist Dasha (the singer of the viral TikTok hit song “Austin”), Besa knows that wine is best shared, and they host awesome events to prove it. They’re even the first alcohol company to create a drinking card game: Spin the Besa. So not only is Besa providing the delicious drinks, they’re providing entertainment to accompany them.
That’s how Besa Mi Vino, a female-run wine startup, is changing the game: they’re reinventing wine by making it not only approachable, but irresistible to their Gen Z customers.