O’Neill Vintners & Distillers buys ‘wellness’ wine brand
US-based O’Neill Vintners & Distillers has announced the acquisition of FitVine Wine for an undisclosed sum, a “wellness” brand which markets its wines as low in sugar, tannins and sulfites, in the hopes of “appealing to the modern wine drinker”.
Co-founders Tom Beaton and Mark Warren launched FitVine in 2015 “to disrupt perceptions of wine not fitting into active consumer lifestyles”, its new owner has said. The range is made up of a selection of single varietal wines marketed on a message of low sugar, low tannins and low sulfites.
The acquisition of FitVine is intended to extend O’Neill Vintners & Distillers’ portfolio of brands in the premium-and-above wine segment. The company gained B Corp certification in July 2022.
“Our focus for the last seven years has been to build a portfolio of great brands appealing to the modern wine drinker,” said Jeff O’Neill, founder and CEO, of O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. “We see a tremendous opportunity to continue to strengthen and expand FitVine nationally driven by our commercial team, distributors, and trade partners.”
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FitVine produces California varietal wines in the range of RRP US$16 to $20 including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Prosecco from Italy.
Eric Bradley, executive vice-president at Berks Group, the majority owner of FitVine, called the O’Neill portfolio “a natural fit and evolution for FitVine, where the brand will accelerate its expansion and recruit more passionate consumers throughout the country”.
He added: “We are incredibly proud of the wellness brand we have built in partnership with Tom and Mark and are confident FitVine wines will continue to deliver exceptional quality and transparency to consumers under the leadership of the talented team at O’Neill.”
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