In this episode, we sit down with Erica Small and Nikki Huganir, the co-founders of Yes Way Rosé — a wine brand that started as a $200 tote bag and an Instagram account in 2013 and has since grown into one of the top rosé brands in the US, with over 13 million bottles sold and retail placement at Target, Publix, Total Wine, Walmart, and beyond. What makes their story so compelling for marketers: they built an entirely formed lifestyle brand — rooted in humor, female friendship, and culture — before they ever made a single bottle of wine. Erica and Nikki open up about how their fashion, media, and design backgrounds shaped the brand's voice and visual identity from day one, why they chose to grow without outside capital, how they're navigating marketing to both their original millennial audience and a growing Gen Z consumer base, and what led them to finally launch a non-alcoholic rosé in 2026.
Key Takeaways:
// Build the brand before you build the product. Yes Way Rosé launched as a lifestyle brand and Instagram community in 2013 — five years before the wine hit shelves in 2018. By the time the product launched, the brand DNA was fully formed: the voice, the aesthetic, the community, the point of view. The wine had a home to come into.
// Your creative background is a competitive advantage — even in an unexpected industry. Erica's years as a fashion editor shaped how Yes Way Rosé tells stories and spots cultural moments. Nikki's graphic design background meant the brand had a distinct, immediately recognizable visual identity from the very first tote bag. Neither had a wine background — and that turned out to be the point.
// Community built before a product is the most durable kind. The Yes Way Rosé audience was already engaged, loyal, and bought in before there was ever anything to buy. That foundation is a big part of why the brand is up 20% in a category that's down 4%.
// IRL marketing is back — and rosé is built for it. The "Bottle the Feeling" campaign — New York billboards, boats in Miami — is rooted in the belief that a brand like Yes Way Rosé needs to show up where people are actually living the moments the brand represents. Liquid to lips, in the right places, remains the most important marketing lever they have.
// The Gen Z and millennial sweet spot is relatability, not segmentation. Rather than building separate strategies for each audience, Yes Way Rosé looks for the overlap — content that's relatable, culturally relevant, and speaks the language of both groups. TikTok is a current priority, with the understanding that millennials are there too.
Connect with the Founders: Nikki + Erica
Learn More: Website
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