Marian Leitner-Waldman
“Imagination, whether that be used for storytelling and all these different facets of the human experience, are ultimately about creating a sense of empathy, so that you can understand other people’s experience. At the end of the day, we’re trying to find these ways to connect with one another. And so, it’s super important that we instill that in our children and hopefully create a better world because of that. Ultimately, it's an ancient desire that has been around since as long as humans have been sharing a fermented drink over a fire." —Marian Leitner-Waldman
Marian Leitner-Waldman (@MarianKLeitner) is the Cofounder and CEO of Archer Roose (@archerroosewines), a wine company dedicated to uniting world class winemaking with sustainable packaging.
When Marian, the cofounder and publisher of the literary magazine Explosion-Proof, met David, the cofounder of award-winning winery Pheasant’s Tears, they knew the combination of wine and storytelling was simply simpatico. Partners in life and in business, they built Archer Roose to reflect their shared passions and values: lively conversations, craftsmanship and a belief that we must all do our part to build a better world.
Archer Roose wines are served at James Beard Award Winning Restaurants, on JetBlue airlines, and are now being distributed directly to consumers in 44 states in the U.S. Archer Roose has been recognized by Wine Enthusiast, SevenFifty, CNBC, Forbes and the Washington Post for their quality and sustainable formats.
Marian holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in International Relations. She is a MassChallenge Finalist and a Babson Breakaway Challenge Finalist. While Archer Roose has operations in four countries: Argentina, Chile, France and Italy, Marian lives in Boston’s South End with her family.
Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Marian Leitner-Waldman (@MarianKLeitner) and Founded By Women host, Margie Chuang (@margiechuang)!
Subscribe to the show & listen to Episode #007 on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the transcript for Episode #007 here (coming soon!). Transcripts for all episodes can be found here.
Show Notes
The origin story of Archer Roose [2:55]
The perfect pour—building a sustainable and transparent brand that resonates with consumers [5:28]
Democratizing fine wine [9:08]
Innovating Archer Roose across four verticals [11:30]
Thinking differently [14:22]
What goes into creating lasting partnerships [16:34]
From the winemakers to the fermentation process to the final product [19:19]
A brief history about wine and its commercialization [21:41]
The reception people have had to drinking wine from a can [23:23]
Creating a memorable brand and icon—a story of whimsy and adventure [26:25]
Making a wine product: the single, elegant pour [28:06]
A changing industry and the explosive, future growth of sustainable canned wine [30:53]
How the global pandemic challenged Marian and the Archer Roose team to think differently [32:30]
How do you get people to believe in your idea? [34:03]
Marian’s experience as a female founder and leader in the wine industry [35:36]
How Archer Roose and Marian approach building a diverse and inclusive team [37:04]
Imagination is the key to empathy [39:39]
Marian shares lessons she’s learned as a founder and entrepreneur [40:45]
Build your company now for the company you want to be [42:05]
Fundraising and finding ways to recharge yourself [45:20]
Margie and Marian speak candidly about their life, hopes, and dreams as entrepreneurial moms [47:53]
Work-life optimization [53:24]
How Marian prepares for speaking engagements and pitches [54:38]
What’s next for Archer Roose? [56:13]
Rapid Fire Questions [57:35]
What have other women said or done to empower you? [59:10]
Parting thoughts and encouraging words [1:00:27]
What was your favorite takeaway or quote from this episode? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Marian Leitner-Waldman:
Archer Roose:
David Waldman | Cofounder of Archer Roose
This Millenial Couple Reinvented a Tired Product to Disrupt the $37 Billion Wine Industry | by Maisie Devine | INC
JetBlue Brings Canned Wine to the Skies with New Archer Roose Partnership | by Emily Cappiello | Forbes
The Tastemaker: Breaking the Bottle with Archer Roose | Boston Magazine
Originals | by Adam Grant
Pandemic Reflections: From the Founder | by Marian Leitner-Waldman
Archer Roose | Discount Code: MERRYMAKER15
Subscribe to the show & listen to Episode #007 on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Notable Quotes— with Marian Leitner-Waldman
“Imagination, whether that be used for storytelling and all these different facets of the human experience, are ultimately about creating a sense of empathy, so that you can understand other people’s experience. And that’s really, at the end of the day, we’re trying to find these ways to connect with one another.”
“We wanted to build a craft wine brand that stood for what we really value, which was transparency and sustainability, but to put it in eco-friendly packaging that fit our lifestyles.”
“You have to ask for help. You need to give help. Why not? There’s more than enough for everybody.”
“Building dreams is really hard. A family is a dream and requires a ton of work. And we don’t give it the respect that it deserves.”
“One of the things that we kept coming back to was, ‘How do we really create an enduring relationship with our consumers?’ Here we are, bringing wines from around the world. We decided that we really wanted to create a character or an avatar that was traveling to all of these different places and that these were really postcards or love letters back to the consumer.”
“I’m looking for people who want to think differently. It is going to be the hardest thing professionally you’ll ever have to do, because we’re gonna have to run through so many different doors. And we are going to have a lot of really painful lessons. But we want to task you with approaching these problems totally differently. And people respond to that challenge.”
“Wine should be about a sense of whimsy and adventure. And that is really at our core—we wanted to make sure that no matter where you are or where you were introduced to us for the first time, we could reconnect with you again.”
“I firmly believe that servant leadership is one of our core values. I hope that we leave every employee better off than they once were and that they’ve given what they can to us. We’ve also invested in them that when they find a job that’s even cooler and better that we’ll wish them well on their way, just as much as we’re looking for great people to help us get to that next level.”
“Don’t try to master every area of your business. Come in with a level of self awareness. And even before you feel like you can afford to hire people that compliment and fulfill those skill sets where you’re lacking, because that will accelerate your growth in a major way, don’t hire for the company you are today, hire for the company that you want to be. And go out and really connect to those people.”