E. & J. Gallo Winery will distribute Bev’s portfolio of premium canned wines in the U.S., the companies said. The first ever TTB-approved “zero sugar” canned wine on the market, Bev just received $14 million in fresh funding. Bev wines are only three carbs, 100 calories per serving, 11.9% ABV, and are all gluten free.
Bev has been backed by investors including 30 Under 30 honoree Catharine Dockery, the founder of Vice Ventures, and Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, which led Bev’s seed round of $7 million in 2019. It was the venture firm’s first investment in an alcohol company.
“I founded Bev out of a passion for changing not only the drinks in our hands, but the culture surrounding drinking,” said Alix Peabody, Bev’s CEO. Peabody’s story is interesting in its own right. In 2014, when she was just 24, Peabody found herself in organ failure and lost her ovaries and ability to naturally have children. She decided to freeze her eggs.
To pay for that, she hosted parties aimed at helping women unwind. She made enough to cover her medical bills. That led her to make her own wines in 2017, paying for the first production run with $20,000 from a retirement account.
“For us, breaking the glass is about empowering communities and inspiring people to celebrate themselves and own their fun. When I met Stephanie Gallo, it became immediately clear that Gallo’s values and commitment to women and diversity in the industry is exemplary of the exact change we aim to create. We could not be more excited for this partnership and can’t wait to expand the reach of our products and our community.”
“After meeting Alix, I knew we had to find a way to work together,” said Stephanie, Gallo’s CMO. “At Gallo, we are on a mission to win new friends to wine, which means ensuring consumers have access to products that understand them and make them feel welcome. As an industry we must adapt and evolve in order to remain relevant to the next generation of alcohol beverage consumers. Alix and the Bev portfolio are paving the way and doing just that.”
Bev is a digitally native brand that has changed the way products are brought to market as the majority of their business has been conducted through their online store. While that won’t be changing anytime soon, Bev will look to expand with targeted national distribution by partnering with Gallo.
The portfolio Gallo will distribute includes Bev Rosé, Bev Blanc, Bev Gris, Bev Noir and their most recently launched sparkling white wine, Bev Glitz. All varietals are from California and are available in 4-packs of 250ml cans and retail between $14.99 and $16.99.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.