ELKINS PARK, Pa. – Frank Mitchell, the owner and founder of Mitchell and Mitchell Wines, is on a mission to promote inclusivity and unity in the industry.
Friday is National Drink Wine Day and many across the country use it as an opportunity to dabble in new flavors for their pallette.
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For Mitchell, his business is the only Black-owned winery in the area and just one of the 47 operating in the country. “I want to change the concept that wine is a white man’s game,” he said.
His business started with dinner parties. “Then we found it was impossible to get quality wine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, so we started making our own just for the parties. This was supposed to just be something fun, a hobby, for the parties,” he said.
Instead, it’s turned into a successful business and now he’s ready to shake up the industry.
“We don’t want people to buy our wines solely because we’re Black,” he said. “We want you to buy it because it’s good.”
The focus on the wine being good pays off for Mitchell. He told FOX 29 he sells out of every bottle produced, adding that he pays attention to his ingredients which he believes are more important than fancy labels.
“We import our fruit. Better grapes make better wines. That’s the rationale behind what we do,” Mitchell said.
He said his grapes are imported from Chile, South Africa, Italy, and California’s Sonoma Valley.
Mitchell, who has a background in education, wants to inspire the younger generation to dream big and conquer no matter the color of their skin.
“Put your dream up here. Then use education as a stair step to get you to your dream,” Mitchell said.
For Mitchell and Mitchell Wines, it’s not about sales or status but rather about bringing people together.
“Our vision statement is to unite the world over a glass of wine,” he said. “I believe if we all sat down, regardless of our differences, over a glass or two of wine, we would walk away, friends.”
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