Denver, CO, June 1, 2022 – Disruptor wine brand Wander + Ivy, announces its largest-ever, seven-digit round of funding. The Series A capital raise, which was oversubscribed, closed in early May 2022. This funding will support Wander + Ivy’s exponential growth, primarily in marketing, production and new key team members. With this raise, the company proudly expanded its Board to include Rita Valois and Dale Katechis.
In her new role as Wander + Ivy Board Director, Rita Valois brings with her deep wine knowledge and experience in strategic planning, global business transformation, consumer products, and information systems. She explains:
“As a professional woman with many years in the wine and spirits sector, I believe it is time for women to take an even larger leadership role in the industry. Wander + Ivy has identified a unique, unaddressed opportunity in the single-serve wine market and has enormous potential to be the leader in this segment of premium, luxury organic wine. I am honored and delighted to be able to invest in and support this woman-owned wine business in addressing a unique market opportunity, with premium products ideal for women (and all) consumers.”
Rita joins Dale Katechis, one of craft beer’s pioneers and perhaps the space’s greatest innovator and disruptor. Having built a career out of unconventional thinking and creative business choices, Dale is an ideal talent to advise Wander + Ivy in their continued growth. As Dale shares:
“I have always been attracted to and inspired by disruptive, innovative entrepreneurs. Dana and team have successfully built the foundation of a future powerhouse in the single serve, organic wine space. Wander + Ivy has the opportunity to change the way that all wine drinkers think about their purchases. I am more than excited to be an investor and advisor and look forward to being a part of their continued success.”
“It’s an absolute honor to have Rita and Dale on our Board,” says Wander + Ivy Founder and CEO, Dana Spaulding. “Their industry insights are invaluable as we continue to innovate and expand our distribution across the country. Raising significant funds (at a time when women still only receive ~3% of all venture funding) and scaling a brand is incredibly challenging. Having industry veterans like Rita and Dale to advise along the way is critical.”
A certified woman- and disability-owned business, Wander + Ivy is a disruptor wine brand specializing in elevated single-serve wines from award-winning, family-owned vineyards around the world. Wander + Ivy continues to deliver on its core values and commitment to give back, donating 1-percent of sales to charitable organizations feeding those in need.
For more information on Wander + Ivy, visit www.wanderandivy.com and follow the brand at @WanderandIvy on social media.
About Wander + Ivy
Denver and Napa-based Wander + Ivy is a certified women- and disability-owned company providing premium wine in upscale single-serve packaging. All Wander + Ivy wines are produced by award-winning, family-owned vineyards around the world. Each year, Wander + Ivy donates 1-percent of total wine sales to nonprofits providing healthy food to those in need. All varietals are made with certified organic grapes and are available for purchase at select retail stores in stores in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington including Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, HEB and Walmart (https://wanderandivy.com/pages/store-locator), as well as online at https://wanderandivy.com/collections/all-wines.
About Rita Valois
Rita is an experienced Board Director and senior advisor to executive teams, with significant experience in strategic planning, global business transformation, consumer products and retail, and information systems. She is best known as a mentor, diversity champion and strategic leader of high-performing global teams delivering exceptional results. Rita’s 35+ year consulting and corporate executive career includes working as an ex-pat Global Chief Information Officer (CIO) for a publicly traded wine company driving their spin-off from a global beer and wine entity with $6B in revenue. She is an active angel and venture investor, an Independent Board Director and was recently accepted as a member of the Colorado Women’s Leadership Foundation’s 2022 Corporate BoardBound program.
About Dale Katechis
Serial entrepreneur, innovative thinker, irreverent leader, self-made success. Dale Katechis is in the pantheon of craft beer pioneers and perhaps the space’s greatest innovator and disruptor. He has spent his entire career uncovering opportunities and capitalizing on them with often unconventional, purely creative solutions. In 1997 Katechis opened Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in the sleepy town of Lyons, CO. His passion for craft beer and homebrewing led him to launch his first beer Dale’s Pale Ale, in 1999. His innovative thinking led to the craft-beer-in-a-can movement in 2002. Since then, Dale has grown and developed a number of successful companies including Canarchy, the 7th largest independent brewery in the country as of 2021, and Oskar Blues Fooderies. He has begun playing an active role in strategic growth and development as a board member and advisor for Veritas Fine Cannabis, Weller CBD Water & Sparking Immunity Beverages, and Wander + Ivy Wines. His focus, as always, is on finding creative and innovative ways to drive value and growth for the emerging brands.
