Meet The Woman Who Wants To Change The Way You Sip Rosé

Kavita Channe’s entry into the world of wine was hardly a conventional one. The London native has a background in broadcast journalism. She’s reported live from NHL rinks and along NFL sidelines across the country. During more than a decade in the field, however, a passion was percolating for the grape game—spurned on by the graceful allure of rosé. The only problem was that at her favorite bars and restaurants, Channe was often greeted by sweeter offerings, made with less than optimal ingredients.

So the broadcaster decided to crush things herself. What started as joking wordplay with friends (since her last name rhymes with rośe) blossomed into a very serious brand after a trip to the south of France in 2016. A particularly dry offering with hints of stone fruit and lavender, the flagship bottling didn’t take long to resonate with a wide audience. It was awarded a silver medal at the prestigious Concours Général Agricole in Cannes just three years after its debut.

In an exclusive interview with Forbes, the entertainer-turned-entrepreneur explains how she’s found separation in a crowded category. She also serves up some insight into the challenges of launching a brand and persevering through a pandemic.

Why did you decide you wanted to launch your own wine line?

I had been traveling for games for so many years and I just truly wanted to do something outside of sports and television that was all mine. In the summer of 2016 I traveled to France and I instantly became a fan of French rosé. The dryness and smoothness of this chilled varietal along with the beautiful pale copper color and hints of fruits without being sweet just had me hooked. Upon returning, I would order a glass at my favorite restaurants only to be shocked at the lack of quality and choices offered. 

So you decided to go back to the source?

Yes, I flew to Cannes, France to meet with over 100 winemakers from all over the world to learn as much as I could. In the end, I fell in love with one rosé during the whole week. And this one happened to take home the gold medal at this rosé conference. From there I knew I was on to something and thus Channé Rosé was born.

What happened next?

Shortly after I launched, I became pregnant. And then had another baby soon after. It was just a perfect and crazy coincidence that I decided to run a new business in a new industry in the midst of my broadcasting career while becoming a new mama…But, hey…why not [laughs].

What differentiates Channé Rosé from other rosés on the market?

I am super hands-on and very selective of what I put in my body. Thus, if I won’t drink or order it myself, then I won’t put my name on it. One of the aspects that sets it apart is that all of my fellow mommy rosé lovers proudly message me about how they don’t feel any hangover the next day like they do with other wines on the market. It’s a nice compliment to hear from our customers. Now I cannot factually say why this is, however we do make our wine blend with less sulfites. On those nights when I drink a little too much, I pop up early in the morning with my kids ready to rock ‘n’ roll.

Tell us more about the significance of that medal at Concours Général Agricole.

This competition is held by the Department of Agriculture in France and is widely respected across the globe for its impartiality and rigorous judging processes so you can imagine how special this was for our brand. Out of 16,000+ wines tasted only 334 from the Provence region were selected for this award-and we were one of them! It is truly one of the most prestigious and sought-after wine award competitions in the world. When you win this award it’s solely based on your wine. So when our shipment arrived and I opened the first case and saw the beautiful medal on every bottle, I almost fell off my chair! And in this particular year, I insisted on mixing two different blends together which became the winner. This was extremely exciting for us all and made me feel so good about all the work we had done in creating the perfect rosé.

How has your business shifted throughout the Covid era?

I live in Florida and during the pandemic all of my restaurants and retailers stopped ordering. We were at a halt in business. I didn’t panic because I knew there was a global pandemic going on which was a lot more important than what I was facing in my business. What I did do is pivot just like so many others. Since I have a great following on Instagram, I decided to take my talents there. I started posting “Channé Rosé delivered to your door” content daily and many people started ordering online. The problem was that I was pushing the customers to a retailer’s website that sold my wine versus my own website. Of course, I am so happy to support any retailer or restaurants that carry us, however it was frustrating to not be able to sell direct. 

What are the most challenging hurdles there?

There are so many different avenues to go and not always easy ways to get there. It’s not like you can just sell direct-to-consumer like in most other industries when you start a business. We have the three-tier system and everything is very regulated: I sell to a distributor. The distributor then sells to a retailer or a restaurant and from there it goes to the consumer. It is very complex and this truly cuts into profits for brand owners. Also, every state has different laws. I truly believe these laws need to be amended and perhaps we need more uniformity across-the-board but that’s a whole other topic that needs its own stage.

What are some regions of the country where people have been particularly receptive to your wine?

After quarantining in Florida for many months I decided to head up north to Long Island for a change in scenery last year. It was my first time in the area and I didn’t know anyone so I decided to get to work. Rather than spend my days relaxing I was out and about at different restaurants that were open and I started meeting and networking with people in the business. I actually ended up with more customers in the Hamptons and throughout Long Island than Florida and Georgia [where we launched]. I have to say people on Long Island are very savvy rosé drinkers and know the good stuff! I was extremely impressed with the people I met. Very entrepreneurial and genuine, too. 

What’s next for the brand?

Many people message me every day and ask how they can order our wine direct so I’ve decided to focus more on social selling this year to our customers. Thanks to a retailer of ours, we were able to build out our site to be able to offer this, which is so exciting that our customers can now get Channé Rosé delivered right to their homes instead of only at restaurants and retailers. We are also launching a dry, white, delicious traditional French blend this summer: Channé Blanc, which we only have limited cases of. I’m so psyched to entertain in my home with this wine this summer! I can’t wait.