Lydia Richards
Lydia is a Certified Sommelier from the Sommelier Society of America, and currently a WSET Level 4 Diploma candidate. Originally from Panama and currently living in New York, she has worked in various areas of the wine industry, including retail, marketing, PR and events. In 2017, she founded her private wine education, consulting, and tasting events company, Vino Concierge and as of January 2021, she is the PR Manager for Taub Family Companies: Palm Bay International & Taub Family Selections. In September 2020, Lydia co-launched an exciting passion project called Hispanics in Wine, a nonprofit dedicated to showcasing Hispanic/LatinX roots in the beverage and hospitality industries.
Her expertise is frequently featured in renowned national, and international wine trade and consumer-oriented publications; most recently, Lydia was included in the renowned “40 under 40” Tastemaker’s List by Wine Enthusiast, Wine Business Monthly’s Wine Industry Leaders, and Imbibe’s “75 People to Watch”. A proud Afro-Latina living and working in the United States, she is passionate about inspiring and mentoring the next generation of BIPOC, Hispanic, and LatinX interested in working in the wine industry.
In recent years, there’s been an industry effort to increase diversity in wine by creating pipelines for professional development and opportunities for BIPOC wine workers and entrepreneurs through community-driven organizations.
Within the BIPOC population, the Hispanic and LatinX community represent an ever-growing segment of society, with US census research showing it is the largest ethnic or racial minority group with a total population of 62.1 million. Brand alignment with Hispanic and LatinX wine trade professionals and consumers has never been more critical.
While wine consumption trends have recorded significant growth over the past decade, there are still plenty of untapped opportunities for wine brands to effectively sell their products and create long-lasting brand loyalty in this quickly-growing community.