Member Spotlight: Robin McBride
What is your industry or area of expertise?
My sister Andrea and I are entrepreneurs, wine makers, and wine lifestyle connoisseurs, and we incorporate that into McBride Sisters Wine Company and the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund.
Why do you believe in the mission of BlackFemaleProject?
I love it. The mission definitely resonates with me. One of the most important things we can do as business women, no matter what stage we are at in our business, is to uplift each other and become a resource for each other. That’s been our experience since we started McBride Sisters 18 years ago. We didn’t really find Black women in our business, and as we grew we realized how much we needed that, how important it was for other women entrepreneurs, and how hard it was to find those connections while uplifting yourself.
What initially inspired you to connect with BlackFemaleProject?
We were connected with BlackFemaleProject through Fern Stroud, who was building Black Vines. Once we met, we became a resource for each other, and she was doing amazing with Black Vines at the time and we were just getting into the space. And of course we are always here to support and be a resource to businesses that have a focus on Black women.
How has BlackFemaleProject impacted you personally?
I appreciate all that BlackFemaleProject does and the importance of the existence of BlackFemaleProject. It’s really game changing for Black women professionally to have these relationships and these platforms and networks to be able to build and communicate. When we started it didn’t exist, so I’m so happy to see that the world is changing to accommodate for us to connect in these ways and to validate each other and uplift each other.
What BlackFemaleProject content have you found most resonant?
I’m excited to receive the newsletter in my inbox. Sometimes I see familiar faces or familiar stories and learn about milestones for organizations I know. I love seeing the updates and knowing that the organization is active.
Bio:
Robin serves as the Board Chair and President of McBride Sisters Wine Company, a multinational organization headquartered in Oakland, California. It is in the top 1% of volume, largest Black-owned wine company in the United States, as well as one of the most inclusive, accessible, and socially aware. Robin and her sister began importing wines from New Zealand in 2005 and started making their own wine together in 2009. By spring 2017, the pair were producing wine from their hometowns in Monterey, California and Aotearoa, New Zealand under one label, McBride Sisters Collection. In 2018, they launched Black Girl Magic Wines, a celebratory wine brand paying homage to women in their family and community, and in 2019 the sisters debuted SHE CAN Wines.
Robin serves as a Board Chair for the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Professional Development Fund. Since its inception, the fund has awarded over $3M in scholarships, grants, and technical training to 3,000 professional women in wine & spirits, hospitality and finance. In 2021, the fund partnered with Southern University of Louisiana to create a career pipeline for diverse students into the wine industry. Robin and Andréa were the first Black women winery owners on the cover of Wine Enthusiast magazine and were nominated for the Wine Star Award for the US Winery of the Year in 2021. Robin resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and has three children, Daneia, Domenic, and Angelo, who all have pursuits in the wine and food industries.
CONNECT WITH ROBIN:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcbridesisters/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/McBrideSisters
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcbridesisters/
