As the industry quickly grows, The Hue Society is at the forefront by raising representative voices and providing an inclusive experience for Black, brown, and Indigenous people.
Founded in 2017 by the award-winning sommelier, entrepreneur, and wine industry disruptor Tahiirah Habibi, this membership-based organization fosters greater inclusivity in the wine industry by not only providing wine professionals of color greater access to educational and income-boosting opportunities but also by giving consumers more immersive exposure to the world of wine - especially through brands founded or helmed by the BIPOC community.
The Hue Society currently has chapters in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, Miami, California, the Washington D.C. area, Detroit, and South Africa. In 2024, the organization aims to expand to New Orleans, Texas, North and South Carolina, and Italy. Members enjoy blind tastings, education sessions, professional development opportunities, exclusive discounts, and other perks. Additionally, The Hue Society hosts events that don’t require attendees to be members, and its annual Wine & Culture Festival is one people look forward to year after year.
Positioned as the most inclusive wine festival in the U.S., the Wine & Culture Festival features tastings, panel discussions, interactive sessions, concerts, parties, and other cultural experiences. It’s an intentionally safe space where people are invited to show up as their full selves with no code-switching or assimilative behaviors required. To Habibi, this festival offers BIPOC the opportunity to fully embrace aspects of themselves that are often exchanged for access to fine-wine and dining experiences, whether in language, mannerism, hairstyle, or other means.
Each year, the festival is given a different theme that pays homage to Black people’s impact on both wine culture and the collective culture in general. This year’s festival takes place in Atlanta from July 23 to July 30 and bears the theme “Kingdom Come: Celebrating the Tables that We Have Built.”
What ‘Kingdom Come’ means
This year’s brand partners exemplify the ethos of building “new tables” by creating more equitable spaces for collective participation instead of striving for inclusion in spaces that have historically excluded or ignored communities of color.
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