For many, siblings can be a touchy subject and a special kind of headache. When you consider that about 80% of people around the world have siblings, it makes sense that individuals so close could find any number of reasons to argue. Spending a lot of time with another person provides more opportunities for disagreements and miscommunication. And when that door’s open, it can be tempting to shut it, lock it, and throw away the key.
But this April 10th is Siblings Day, and I invite you to keep the door wide open. It’s a time for honoring these relationships, and this blog post is for highlighting two siblings who not only found each other against all odds but created the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States.
I’m of course talking about Robin and Andréa McBride, co-founders of the McBride Sisters Collection. As a Black sister and someone who enjoys wine myself, I couldn’t be more amazed by their story: siblings raised on opposite sides of the globe—Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand—and unaware of the other’s existence, but connected through their mutual love of wine. They met in 1999, and it wasn’t long before the seeds were planted. The dream came to fruition in 2010, where they became the first Black sisters in the business with the McBride Sisters Wine Company.
To date, the McBride Sisters Wine Collection also prides itself on being “one of the most inclusive, accessible, socially aware and sustainable” in the industry. In 2019, they launched “The McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund.” The purpose: “to promote the professional advancement of women in the wine industry in a concerted effort to help close the gender and race gap.”
Then, along came the beast known as 2020, which landed a devastating blow against tons of businesses around the world, especially small Black-owned companies. So, what were two strong Black women to do but everything in their power to lift their community up while the world’s keeping them down? They know just how difficult it can be to get a business idea off the ground and/or manage one even under normal circumstances. It was time to wine about it.
#YESSHECAN2021 is their answer to the white- and male-dominated world of wine during the global pandemic. With the help of their own proceeds from 2021 sales of the McBride Sisters Collection, SHE CAN wine and corporate financial sponsors, up to $100,000 in grants will go to women as they seek continued education, coaching, and certifications in wine & spirits, hospitality, and finance. Applications open May 3, 2021, and close July 2, 2021, at 11:59 PM PST. More information can be found at their website: https://www.mcbridesisters.com/Our-Story/SHE-CAN.
Like ladies after my own heart, they also have a monthly wine & book club. Thanks to their partnership with publishing house Simon & Schuster, they can send two bottles of wine and a book by a Black woman, and the membership includes a live Q&A with the author. So, whether you’re a bookworm or a wine connoisseur, maybe it’ll bring you and a sibling together.
I couldn’t be happier that the McBride sisters are using their talents and familial bond to pave the way for Black women looking to enter the business as well. I can only imagine what it must have been like to meet for the first time, and shortly after that start a company together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they faced challenges internally as well as externally. And yet, they’ve stamped their name on the face of the world and shown they have nothing to prove as the largest Black-owned wine company in the country.
For me personally, some days it’s easier to be an older sibling than others. They can know exactly what to say to push you over the edge and try your patience in a way that no one else can. You may see the world differently as individuals, a hurdle when it’s time to relate to one another. However, as long as there’s an effort to meet each other in the middle, it’s not impossible. And you can choose your family, which is why I have friends I’m proud to say are like siblings to me.
In general, I can’t help but find myself inspired by the story of the McBride sisters. If two strangers connected only by blood could come together to make the world a better place over something as simple as a bottle of wine, what reason do I have not to nurture the relationships I have with the people in my life?
I wish everyone with that special kind of headache a Happy Siblings Day.
penned by Diva Ferrell
