– New program designed to increase diverse representation of diverse- and women-owned wine, spirits, CBD and beverage brands in the marketplace –

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's)—the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol—today announced the launch of its Incubator Academy, a virtual platform to provide diverse- and women-owned brands in the wine, spirits, CBD and non-alcohol beverage industry unprecedented free access to foundational business learning to increase their potential for commercial success. The proprietary eLearning modules offer diverse- and women-owned brands, and their employees, educational coursework in critical topics, starting with creating a sales pitch, and the fundamentals of on and off premise math. Additional courses will continue to be launched over the coming months.

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Diverse-owned distillers and wine producers are underrepresented in the industry because of historically lacking access to networks, representation, and industry tools and resources. With the launch of Incubator Academy, Southern Glazer’s continues to put action behind its commitment to increase distribution opportunities for a more diverse group of beverage brands. This is the first and only beverage alcohol distributor-led education program targeted at delivering important industry business learning to diverse- and women-owned brands.

The self-paced coursework has been developed by Southern Glazer’s internal brand building experts in partnership with several of the Company’s departmental leadership. Initial course topics offered include:

• Creating a Sales Pitch & Budgeting for Distribution
• Understanding On and Off Premise/Retail Math

To ensure participants are prepared to successfully complete the courses, certain prerequisites are required. Qualified candidates can review these requirements and register for Incubator Academy here.

“Southern Glazer’s values the contributions and innovations that diverse- and women-owned brands bring to the wine and spirits industry and is committed to investing in their growth potential,” said Gene Sullivan, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Southern Glazer’s. “By participating in the Southern Glazer’s Incubator Academy, participants will acquire valuable knowledge necessary for them to gain or expand distribution of their brands. The long-term goal is to position more diverse- and women-owned brands for success, resulting in an increased selection of diverse brands in the marketplace.”

Southern Glazer’s has implemented several programs to support the commercial success and growth of diverse- and women-owned brands. Southern Glazer’s also launched a new content section on its SGProof.com eCommerce platform featuring no-cost editorial content highlighting diverse- and women-owned supplier partners. Customers can also search for wine and spirits products on the platform using a diverse-owned brands filter to find women, veteran, minority, and LGBTQIA+ owned products. In 2022, 56 percent of all new brands onboarded into Southern Glazer’s portfolio were diverse-owned.

Looking ahead, in 2023, Southern Glazer’s will activate five corporate commercial programs – Black Excellence, Spirited Women, Share the Love, Salud to Celebrations, and Honoring Veterans – to help raise awareness and drive sales for diverse- and women-owned brands. For more information about how the Company promotes diversity among its suppliers visit https://www.southernglazers.com/become-a-supplier/supplier-diversity.

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. In 2022, Southern Glazer’s was listed as one of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity. In 2021, Southern Glazer’s was selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, as well as named by Newsweek as a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits.

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