“Terroir Noir: 2023 Study of Black Wine Entrepreneurs” highlights Black wine business owners’ perceptions of limited access to financial and social capital despite promises of 2020
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 – Terroir Noir: 2023 Study of Black Wine Entrepreneurs, published by business professor and researcher Dr. Monique Bell, succeeds the inaugural report published in 2020, which is known as the first trade analysis of Black wine business owners. In addition to questions about respondents’ entrepreneurial motivations, business challenges, and profile data, the 2023 survey captured post-pandemic recovery and perceptions of the wine industry’s inclusion and equity efforts since the 2020 social justice movement. The majority (47 percent) of survey respondents produce wine.
The 2023 Terroir Noir report reveals:
- Limited capital remains the #1 barrier to business success and is cited by 50 percent of respondents, followed by distribution challenges.
- Only 50% of respondents were profitable in the most recent fiscal year.
- About half of respondents are neutral or disagree that the wine industry is taking meaningful action to increase inclusion for Black wine entrepreneurs (50 percent), Black consumers (51 percent) and Black wine professionals (55 percent), respectively.
- Notably, 65 percent of respondents somewhat or strongly agree that their businesses have directly benefited from industry diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
- Nearly 80 percent were motivated to start their businesses “to change the current situation for the better.”
Additionally, the 2023 Terroir Noir report includes sample anonymized quotes from more than 40 in-depth interviews conducted with Black wine business owners in 2020. Through more than 60 hours of one-on-one interviews, which yielded more than 2,000 pages of transcripts, the research provides a striking time capsule of the heartbreak and hope that Black wine entrepreneurs experienced. A scholarly analysis of some of this data was recently published as “Examining Motivations and Challenges of Black Wine Entrepreneurs using the Push–Pull Theory of Entrepreneurship” in the International Journal of Wine Business Research.
“The survey responses highlight some progress, yet as targeted funding for women, who represent more three quarters of survey respondents, and people of color entrepreneurs comes under threat, it’s more important than ever for the wine industry, lenders, trade and government organizations and consumers to bolster these businesses,” says Bell.
The report also illuminates the buying power and potential of Black wine consumers. Bell adds, “Overall, particularly in the U.S., the industry is seeking growth areas; partnerships with and investments in these entrepreneurs can yield win-win results and competently serve diverse audiences.”
Both the 2023 and 2020 studies of Black wine entrepreneurs can be purchased at https://payhip.com/b/1FcJ2. Additional insights on Black wine producers and consumers are available at Dr. Bell’s website https://www.wynebelle.com and Instagram @thewynebelle. Explore many of the survey participants in the Uncorked & Cultured Sip Consciously directory at www.uncorkedandcultured.com/sipconsciously.
About Monique Bell, Ph.D.
Dr. Bell is a graduate of Morgan State University, University of Baltimore, and Drexel University. She is a tenured Fresno State business professor who provides engaging learning experiences and researches the intersections of business and culture. In 2020, she conducted groundbreaking studies that surveyed 100 Black wine entrepreneurs and included in-depth interviews with more than 40 participants. She published the inaugural Terroir Noir: A Study of Black Wine Entrepreneurs report in 2021. Her research on diversity, equity and inclusion within the wine industry has earned Dr. Bell recognition as an Institute of Masters of Wine Symposium panelist, Wine Enthusiast Social Visionary of the Year nominee, Professional Wine Writers’ Symposium fellowship, Association of African American Vintners Educator of the Year, Unified Wine & Grape Symposium panelist, and Association of Wine Business Research presenter. Through Wyne Belle, Dr. Bell provides educational experiences and consulting expertise to wine enthusiasts and organizations. She also contributes to media platform Uncorked & Cultured, which is home to the Sip Consciously directory of wine businesses.