‘Inclusive’ California wine company calls out Gen Z’s reading skills — says they ‘don’t read cursive’

Detailed summary

Wonderwerk says it’ll never use cursive on any of its branding — because its audience can’t read it.

A hip California wine company that caters to Gen Z imbibers is on a mission to break the stereotype that Zoomers don’t drink. But there’s one thing they say the generation refuses to do: Read cursive.

Wonderwerk, a natural wine brand that sells affordable bottles geared toward younger generations, says it’ll never use cursive on any of its branding — because its audience can’t read it.

Founded in 2017 by millennials Andrew Lardy and Issamu Kamide, Wonderwerk prides itself on its inclusive approach to wine.

“We make natural wine for anyone with a mouth and a cup,” the company’s website reads.

The company’s branding, with its bright colors and bold fonts, is a big departure from typical wine packaging.

“The vast majority of Gen Z and Gen Alpha don’t read cursive,” Kamide told the San Francisco Chronicle. “They’ve told us that they just block it out and don’t even attempt to read it.”

While the wine industry suffers from plummeting sales, Wonderwerk’s business is booming.

The company doubled its production to 26,000 cases annually last year. This year, the brand produced 30,000 cases of wine. Most of their wines are sold wholesale at trendy grocers that young people frequent including Whole Foods and Erewhon.

“People say young people don’t like wine, but that is not our experience at all,” Kamide told The Chronicle. “There’s a weird disconnect between our reality and what people are reporting.”

Opening of the article, excerpted from New York Post. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.