Dallas-based Wondry Wine has announced it has expanded its distribution deal with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in Florida.

The announcement comes as the company has expanded in retail stores in Arkansas and Georgia and recently agreed to deals with Sam’s and H-E-B to carry its products in select stores. Wondry Wine makes organic fruit extract- and cocktail-infused wines, including watermelon rosé, mango passion spritz, and cocktail creams like vanilla caramel and sweet hazelnut.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our ever-evolving relationship with Southern Glazer’s, especially as it pertains to our strategic expansion into such a critical market for us,” Whitney Gates, co-founder of Wondry Wine, said in a statement. “Their support and strategic counsel in Florida, one of the most competitive beverage regions in the country, will be monumentally important in order for us to win in the state.”

Run by Gates and her husband, Chaz, this is the latest achievement for the Black-owned wine brand, which launched in 2021 with $100,000 after the couple sold multiple rental properties. In 2022, the couple appeared on Season 14 of ABC’s Shark Tank and struck a deal with entrepreneur Mark Cuban. The valuation was $225,000 for a 15 per cent stake.

Following the appearance, sales skyrocketed by 1,000 per cent. And Wondry Wine, which operates out of a 9,000-square-foot facility in Carrollton, Texas, recently signed a 10-year distribution agreement with Southern Glazer’s. Customers can also find it on Kroger, Target, Total Wine, Goody Goody, Costco, and Spec’s shelves.

To start, Whitney’s career began in consumer-packaged products. She formerly worked in marketing and brand management for General Mills, Kimberly Clark, Nestlé, Purina, Coca-Cola, and Keurig Dr Pepper. Once ready, she took classes at Grayson College in viticulture, enology, and the science of winemaking to create a premium wine. Meanwhile, Chaz continued his corporate position as a legal counsel at Texas Instruments, a $20 billion tech behemoth.

With less than one per cent of American winemakers identifying as Black, the couple represents a growing number of Black entrepreneurs breaking into the industry.

“When we started making wine, we wanted to start a business and we wanted to make money,” Chaz told D Magazine. “So our decision to found Wondry was purely capitalistic—initially. What we started to realize, particularly when we got into retail, was the response from customers. They saw our faces and that we were local, which had a huge impact on the community. We think part of the recipe to success, especially with a new business, is consumers identifying with your story.”