Alicia Towns Franken, executive director of Wine Unify, is taking action to amplify diversity in the industry.
The sommelier and her team are addressing an ongoing conversation and welcoming people of color into the industry. “It was time,” she told Food & Wine. “If we were going to see change, we had to design it ourselves.” That’s exactly what the entrepreneur did in 2020 when she launched Wine Unify alongside sommelier and winery executive DLynn Proctor and Masters of Wine Mary Margaret McCamic and Martin Reyes.
The Chicago native is on a mission to open doors and elevate minorities both financially and intellectually in the profession. According to its official website, Wine Unify’s initiatives are built to welcome aspiring professionals to the industry, elevate and support existing industry professionals, and amplify their diverse voices.
“Wine Unify was born in a time that felt dark,” the nonprofit shared on Instagram in 2024.
“It was built upon the belief that access and opportunity in the world of wine can change a life, a career, and ultimately an industry.”
In its first year of operation, the organization surpassed its founding goal of awarding ten recipients for its Welcome Awards. After garnering an outpouring of support from several organizations, Wine Unify was able to grant 20 awards. The Welcome Awards are the nonprofit’s gesture to provide minorities with exposure through educational classes, group mentorship, and gift certificates to purchase wines for study and leisure.
The nonprofit’s “Welcome” initiative offers its Welcome Awards through the Napa Valley Wine Academy. Award recipients are officially granted access to the community through virtual meetings, happy hours and mentorship opportunities. The organization’s mentorship team consists of several members, led by Towns Franken.
Professionals of color who have already established themselves in the industry are invited to apply for an “Elevate” Initiative Award. Recipients are supported with funding to participate in advanced-level classes, one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals of color, and higher learning tools, such as the Coravin system.
“If we don’t know something, we know someone who does,” Towns Franken says. “Whether it’s a heads-up on a job opportunity or an internship, this network and community that we have created is amazing. It’s joyous work.”
Wine Unify emphasizes its “Amplify” initiative to celebrate the successes of its minority community actively. Towns Franken and her team promote the work of its recipients while extending opportunities to network with others with like-minded missions. Towns Franken said their initiatives are “a win-win for recipients and the industry.” Wine Unify remains committed to its mission to elevate professionals of color despite recent attacks on DEI.
“We definitively declared that we believe in diversity and equity and inclusion, and we were not going to change those words,” said Towns Franken.
The Wine Unify team has distributed over $350,000 in awards to 165 recipients across 37 states. Sponsors include Total Wine & More, Coravin, Gabriel-Glas, and the Napa Valley Wine Academy.
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