We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ingrid Best. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ingrid below.

Ingrid , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

The legacy I hope to build with IBest Wines is one of empowerment, representation, and meaningful impact. I want to be remembered not just as a successful entrepreneur but as someone who created opportunities for others—especially Black and Brown women—in an industry where our voices and stories have often been underrepresented. Through IBest Wines, we are showing that luxury, art, and culture are interconnected and often come from untapped places, like the vineyards of South Africa, and can be led by someone who looks like me. It has always been my goal to build a life and legacy that creates pathways for others and reimagines what is possible, especially in this industry.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Ingrid, the founder of IBest Wines—a brand born from my deep passion for wine, art, and culture, combined with a desire to create something truly special. I was raised in a diverse Bay Area community with Napa Valley as her backyard. It was here where I developed my life-long love for wine. During my almost two-decade career working for the largest suppliers in the business, I took a life-changing business trip to South Africa; it was on the coast of Cape Town where I came to realize my life purpose: launching myvown wine brand. Energized and clear, I returned to the States and combined my marketing prowess, business acumen, love of wine and yearning to tell the story of Black and Brown businesspeople to found IBest Wines.
IBest Wines is rooted in South Africa, a country with a rich but underappreciated wine heritage, particularly in the U.S. market. Our mission is to highlight South African wine to a global stage, introducing blends traditional craftsmanship with modern vibrancy. We offer award-winning wines, including our signature Red Blend and White Blend, each of which shows the breadth of stellar wines coming out of the reaching.

What sets IBest Wines apart is our focus on creating not just a product, but an experience. We integrate art and community into everything we do, our incredible events that bring together wine lovers, creatives, and culture enthusiasts. Our aim is to break down the barriers of a historically exclusive industry and to make luxury wine accessible, relatable, and meaningful.

I am most proud of the impact IBest Wines is making beyond the bottle. We are one of the few Black woman-owned wine brands that have gained significant recognition, including my most recent nomination for the Ebony Power 100. I believe it’s essential for potential clients, followers, and fans to know that IBest Wines is not just a brand—it’s a movement. It’s about supporting diversity, representation, and innovation within an industry that’s evolving but still has a long way to go.

Ultimately, I want people to remember IBest Wines for being a trailblazer in creating a luxury wine brand that champions inclusion and celebrates the beauty of the world’s diverse cultures. We’re not just here to sell wine; we’re here to make an impact that resonates, inspires, and uplifts.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

After spending decades in corporate leadership roles, transitioning to entrepreneurship was both exciting and challenging. One story that stands out was when I was preparing to launch IBest Wines. Despite my experience managing teams and scaling businesses, starting from scratch was a whole different ball game. I had to quickly adapt to a startup mindset, where every decision carried immediate weight and resources were limited.

In the early stages, there was a moment when a critical component of our product launch fell through just weeks before our launch. Instead of letting this setback derail us, I immediately pivoted, tapping into my network and leveraging my corporate negotiation skills to secure a new partnership within days.. It was a test of resilience and adaptability, but it reminded me that entrepreneurship, much like corporate leadership, is about staying focused and finding solutions—no matter how steep the challenge.

This experience reinforced my belief that IBest Wines isn’t just a product of passion; it’s a powerful business concept built on grit, determination, and a clear vision for changing how consumers engage with wine.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

There are several marketing and sales stories throughout my career that are fond memories, but I have to highlight the launch of IBest Wines – this was by far the favorite marketing, sales and launch moment of my career. We launched IBest Wines on October 10 of last year and I could not have done it without my team of brilliant businesswomen, investors and community. We did not launch with big budgets or flashy lights, but we absolutely made, and are continuing to make, a huge impact in the wine and art communities. A testament to this support is in the initial response at launch – we originally developed a two-week plan and ended up selling out on our partner online retailer, ReserveBar! I am sure there will be many other marketing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ibestwines.com
• Instagram: @ibestwines
• Facebook: IBest Wines
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibest-wines/

Image Credits

Grace Bukunmi