Whether you’ve seen it sipped on a glamorous Instagram carousel, heard about it from colleagues in a Monday morning debrief, or the wine studio sits on your summer to-do list, it’s safe to say that amie wine, the wine created for friends, by friends, is something of a current cultural phenomenon.

But who is the woman behind the sensation?

We had the pleasure of getting to know amie’s co-founder, Abbie Roden, and getting to the heart of how she carved amie into the success it is today.

Tell us about amie and how the business came to be.

My husband, Will, and I were living with his parents in Oxfordshire during lockdown. I usually worked upstairs and he usually worked downstairs; he texted me one day in April 2020: 'Come downstairs, I have an idea.’ Being it was lockdown, I assumed he had a new walk or recipe that he wanted to try. I went downstairs and he told me 'I want to start a rosé brand.' At first, I thought he was nuts, but the more we discussed it, the more I realised what an opportunity we had; at the time, there were no DTC wine brands in England, and I realised that he was onto something. Will is very business oriented, loves numbers and comes from a wine background - he is a Director of his family's wine shops which are based in Oxford; I am a marketer and a photographer, so together, we were the perfect match for creating the brand.

How did you turn the wine company into the lifestyle brand it's known as today?

When building out the brand plan for amie, I knew that I wanted the brand to be a few things: beautiful, aspirational, elevated, and something for everyone - we wanted everyone to feel like they could drink amie. The name 'amie' is 'female friend' in French - we're 'a wine for friends' and want to feel like a community of friends. Elevated photography and visuals have been a huge part of our brand, and connecting with our customers has been a real way for us to create more of a lifestyle vs purely just a wine brand. Influencer Marketing and Brand Partnerships have been a huge part of building amie, and from the beginning, we have focused on partnering with fashion and lifestyle people and brands, instead of purely the wine world. We had an opportunity to open a wine bar, amie wine studio, in June 2022, and this has been a huge step for us in terms of creating a lifestyle brand; we're able to collaborate with other brands in the space, host community events for our customers, and connect with people in a way that we never would have been able to if it weren't for amie wine studio.

What has been your biggest learning to date as a founder?

A few things: 1) don't ask, don't get, if you want something to happen, go for it and ask whoever you need to ask to make it happen 2) you can't do it all, you need a team around you who can help support 3) you can't rely on your friends and people you know to be your customers.

What is the best part about being a business owner?

There are so many things that I love about owning my own business, but I think my favourite thing is being able to take creative ideas and run with them, without having to ask anyone else for permission or their opinion. I truly get a high off of new launches and exciting announcements.

How do you deal with the challenges of owning a business?

I feel like I've gotten better over the past few years; I've learned not to take on too much at once. I used to do this and it would cause so much stress and anxiety. I try to switch my phone off in the evenings, and make time to read a chapter before bed; I also love doing a workout at least 2 times a week if I can, although sometimes with my schedule it isn't possible! Finding 'me time' is really important, which I don't think I knew a few years ago. When it comes to actual business challenges, I do find that connecting with other people is great, and hearing other Founders' stories is always really inspiring. 

Do you have any advice for other founders?

Network! Networking has gotten me everything, not just in business, but in life! I have so many friends (and a husband now!) because I have always been good at connecting with people, and staying in touch with them. You never know how someone you meet today will affect your life 10 years down the line. If you feel a connection with someone, grab their Instagram handle and connect, because you never know what might come of it! Also, don't skimp on marketing or visuals.

Founder footnote!

Our sister company is RODEN; we do social media, photography, video content and influencer marketing for brands. We've been very lucky that we haven't had to outsource these things for amie, as we've been able to do it all ourselves. We also have a talent division of RODEN -- RODEN Talent -- representing 6 London-based fashion influencers.