Colangelo & Partners buys Napa’s WineGlass Marketing
Colangelo & Partners’ purchase of a major stake in the Napa-based digital marketing agency is the beverage alcohol and food public relations firm’s first expansion by acquisition.
A San Francisco-based beverage alcohol and food public relations agency has acquired a major stake Napa-based WineGlass Marketing.
WineGlass founder Susan DeMatei will continue to manage it as a separate entity, but clients under the arrangement will be able to tap into Colangelo & Partners’ team of public and trade communications and branding professionals. Terms of the deal, Colangelo’s first expansion by acquisition, weren’t disclosed.
“This partnership frees me and my team from the operational hurdles facing a boutique agency,” said founder Susan DeMatei in the announcement. “It provides us the opportunity to focus all of our energy and passion on creative and strategic campaigns to help our clients achieve sales and branding success in a very challenging business environment.”
Coming from a background in advertising and strategic planning, DeMatei started WineGlass in 2011 originally to help wineries with digital and direct-to-consumer marketing via email, social media and brand websites. That mission has expanded to include spirits brands.
The firm now has 17 employees working from the Napa office at 531 Jefferson St., one in Salem, Oregon, and two in Austin, Texas. WineGlass qualified in 2020 and 2021 for Inc. magazine’s lists of fast-growing private companies.
Colangelo & Partners has grown from a team of 15 when Gino Colangelo started it 18 years ago to 75 today in San Francisco, New York and Miami offices. Now the firm can meet with Wine Country clients at the WineGlass office, tap the firm’s talent with digital communications and use its photo studio for West Coast projects, according to the company.
These will help Colangelo’s clients with short- and long-term needs, according to Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon, Colangelo partner and chief operating officer.
“For example, brands that are finding a difficult fit in the traditional three-tier distribution model need marketing programs with tangible (return on investment),“ said Gonzalez-Gordon. ”Our combined service offering can help deliver that.“
Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at [email protected] or 707-521-4256.
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