Two tough years in the making, there were days when Longevity founder Phil Long, 60, wasn’t sure the marriage of his small business, one of the nation’s few certified black-owned wineries, with Bronco Wine Co., one of the largest wine producers in the U.S., would happen.

But in early March, Long found himself in Texas, launching two new Longevity wines bottled by Bronco in quantities way beyond anything Long could have produced on his own, all earmarked for distribution in major outlets most small winemakers don’t even dream about.

“I’d been making 150 cases of Longevity’s white label chardonnay here a year,” says Long, sitting in his boutique northern California winery, surrounded by wine barrels and awards, including one for 2018 Livermore Valley Winery of the Year.

Longevity’s being a certified minority-owned business heightened its appeal for Bronco along with the love story at the heart of the brand, according to Joey Franzia, Bronco’s national sales and marketing director, who told Wine Business Monthly that Long’s passion for the business was also a draw: “He has developed an exceptional brand, with a great pedigree, and we saw an opportunity to share in his vision and grow in the distribution channel.”

Phil and Debra Long of Longevity Wines (Image courtesy of Phil Long)

“From the beginning, I’ve had my hand in every detail,” says Long who created the company name and logo—a heart of interwoven grapevines made for Debra which graces every Longevity bottle and is also tattooed on Long’s arm.