Wine & Spirits

Bronco Wine Company Board Appoints Leonard as President/CEO

Published September 22, 2022

Fred Franzia (Photo: Bronco Wine Company)

Following the recent death of founder and longtime CEO Fred Franzia, Bronco Wine Company’s board of directors has appointed Daniel J. Leonard as Bronco’s new president/CEO.

Leonard was the clear choice to helm the family-owned business given his long-standing relationship with Fred Franzia and the Franzia family, according to the company.

“As we look to the future, we’re confident Dan is the right person to lead Bronco Wine Company and carry on the long legacy that Fred built,” said Mark Couchman, vice chairman of the board of directors.

Leonard has been part of the Bronco family for the past 35 years, most recently in the role of senior vice president, chief financial officer. He and his wife, Bonnie, have lived in the San Joaquin Valley for 35 years and have six children, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. In addition, he has served on the board of directors for the Wine Institute, a voice for the California wine industry, for the past 30 years, and the boards of directors of Oak Valley Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiary, Oak Valley Community Bank, for 10 years . Dan holds a bachelor’s degree of business administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Leonard ’s connection to the Franzia family, decision-making experience and strong leadership will add to Bronco’s storied success, according to the company. Specifically, Leonard will oversee the development of multiple business units that comprise the Franzia Family Enterprises to allow the Enterprise to leverage its agricultural, wine production, transportation and distribution assets to drive growth. Leonard also will be tasked with implementing the 2023 strategic plan announced earlier this year by the Enterprise Leadership Team.

“I humbly accept the position as President/CEO and my focus will be to ensure Bronco will continue to be a leader in the wine industry,” Leonard said. “During the past 50 years, a solid foundation has been built by Fred T., his brother Joseph S. and Cousin John, and I intend to continue the growth of the company with the help of the exceptional management team we have in place today.”

Leonard assumed the role of president/CEO immediately.

Founded in 1973 by Franzia brothers Fred T. and Joseph S., along with their cousin, John F, Bronco Wine Company has grown to become a force in the US wine industry while remaining family-owned. Although producing a diverse range of wines over 100 unique brands, neither Bronco Wine Company nor the Franzia family are affiliated with the Franzia bag-in-a-box wine product.

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Franzia Wines, BARK Deliver ‘Boos’ This Halloween

Published September 21, 2022

Franzia Wines and BARK have teamed up to create a limited-time Franzia Halloween costumes: “BARK Red Blend” dog costume — named after fan favorite Franzia wine, Dark Red Blend — and Franzia dog toy inspired by the iconic boxed wine. Humans also looking to get in on the boos-filled fun can opt for the adult-sized Franzia Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon wine box costume to complement their pups. Each adult-sized costume comes with an internal bag that straps around your waist allowing a Franzia wine pouch (not included with the costume) to fit perfectly for easy pouring and a cupholder designed to hold a stack of cups for your Franz.

“Franzia is all about bonding with friends – whom we affectionately call ’Franz’ – over a box of wine,” said Katie Hoefs, brand manager, The Wine Group. “Our Halloween costumes have been a fan-favorite for years, so it only made sense to extend the fun to our favorite furry Franz with a four-legged costume and BarkBoxed Wine Toy.”

The “BARK Red Blend” dog costume, BarkBoxed Wine Toy, and Franzia adult-sized wine box costume will be available on the Franzia Wines and BARKShop for purchase now.

Franzia “BARK Red Blend” Dog Costume (MSRP: $20)
The perfect match for our Human Franzia Halloween Costume! This Franzia “BARK Red Blend” costume has plush, pillow-like sides and adjustable Velcro straps to ensure your furry Franz are comfortable while looking adorable in their favorite boxed wine costume. Sizing available in S, M, or L. Available on barkshop.com and shop.franzia.com.

Franzia “Cabernet Slobbernon” BarkBoxed Wine Dog Toy (MSRP: $15)
Treat your pup to this Franzia wine box toy for a strong pour of fun at the dog park. This multi-part toy includes an outer box, a grunt squeaker inside and a t-shirt rope. Available on barkshop.com and shop.franzia.com.

Franzia Wine Box Costume: (MSRP: $40)
Live your best life this Halloween when you dress up as a Franzia box! Featuring our Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, these costumes are fully functional with an internal bag that straps around your waist and allows a Franzia wine pouch to fit perfectly for easy pouring. PLUS, this year there is an added cup holder that fits a stack of multiple cups for you to distribute and share Franzia with your Franz! (Cups not included.) Available at shop.franzia.com.

Franzia has over 100 years of winemaking history. The winery was founded by Teresa Franzia, who took out a loan to start Franzia Brothers Wine Company in 1930. In 1985, Franzia became the first wine brand in America to package its wine in a box. Today Franzia continues to strive to uphold Teresa’s legacy of quality, freshness, and value, winning over 150 awards from competitions and reviewers. The brand is celebrating its 26th year as the World’s Most Popular Wine by sales volume. For more information on Franzia, visit www.Franzia.com, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats, great food for your dog’s breed, effective and easy to use dental care, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target and Amazon; its high-quality, nutritious meals made for your breed with BARK Food; and products that meet dogs’ dental needs with BARK Bright. At BARK, we want to make dogs as happy as they make us because dogs and humans are better together. Sniff around at bark.co for more information.

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Opopop, 10 Barrel Brewing Collaborate on Summer Snack Bundle

Published July 30, 2022

Denver-based Opopop, creator of Flavor Wrapped Popcorn Kernels, and Bend, Ore.-based 10 Barrel Brewing have produced Poppin’ on Cloud Wine, an exclusive brand collaboration that offers customers a delicious and thirst-quenching limited edition summer snack bundle.

The Pop & Bubbles Bundle will be sold exclusively at 10Barrel.com and can only ship to Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho (21+ signature required). The summer snack bundle includes one 320g bag of Opopop’s limited edition Pickle Monster, an eco-friendly Opopop silicone popcorn popper, and two cans of 10 Barrel’s new Sparkling Rosé. MSRP $35.

“The moment we paired 10 Barrel’s newly released Sparkling Rose with Opopop’s Pickle Monster, we knew we had created something special for our customers. These two flavors go so well together. Like any good Summer hit, they just taste like Summer 2022,” said Sarah McDowell, Opopop president.

Opopop’s Pickle Monster delivers a bold taste and is the perfect blend of tartness, salt and dill. This pairs perfectly with 10 Barrel’s Sparkling Rosé (13.5% ABV) which includes a blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot grapes with a nice dry finish.

“Our new sparkling wines helped us kick off everyone’s favorite season, and then we took it one step further by adding a light and zesty popcorn to pair,” said Emily Koziel, merchandising & sourcing manager at 10 Barrel Brewing. “We couldn’t be more excited than to team up with Opopop, to help us elevate our summer slogan, Seriously Casual.”

For more information, follow @opopopco @10barrelbrewing on all social platforms.

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