Brand Launch & Media Relations for Latina-Owned Wine Company

Challenge

Mary Anna Ossa, founder of Partners and Grapes, had built a boutique wine company importing 100% CCPAE-certified organic wines from Spain and generated early traction on her own. But handling PR, media outreach, and pitching on top of running the business had limited her reach. She needed broader visibility across the Carolinas to support a larger goal: attracting distributors to carry her wines in new markets.

Approach

I developed a media relations strategy targeting Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, and Charleston. Mary Anna's story had natural appeal for hospitality, food, and wine journalists — an award-worthy organic product, a Latina founder with a compelling origin story, and a new Rosé launch on the horizon. I built press materials around those angles, pitched local and regional media directly, and ran a parallel outreach effort to food bloggers and influencers to extend reach on social channels.

Result

Within six weeks, the campaign secured coverage in 6+ major outlets including the Charlotte Observer, Post and Courier, and Charleston Regional Business Journal, generating approximately 2.55 million impressions and 17,700+ in social media reach. Within a year, Partners and Grapes secured a distribution agreement with B&B Distributors in South Carolina and expanded into the Charlotte metro area through Onyx Zealot Distributor. The company's Red Blend and Rosé also won Gold and Silver medals at the 2023 Sommelier Choice Awards.