Coco Noir will open at 360 13th St. on the ground floor of the luxury Atlas apartment building in Oakland. A successful Wefunder campaign has so far raised over $220k in preparation for a full buildout of the 1,400 square-foot space. Founder Alicia Kidd confirms that a soft opening is scheduled for early 2022.
Coco Noir Wine Shop and Bar is an offshoot of Kidd’s larger company, The Wine Noire, a multi-license wine brokerage that uplifts the business pursuits of women-, BIPOC-, and POC-owned wine brands. Contrary to previous reports, Kidd is now the sole owner of Coco Noir and has been working tirelessly to get the wheels turning on her shop.
Coco Noir began as an e-commerce site through which customers can currently shop for wine online. At the upcoming brick-and-mortar location, which will be both a shop and a pseudo-bistro, customers will be able to experience the wines first-hand.
The bistro aspect of Coco Noir will feature a wine bar, as well as small bites made on-site or delivered fresh daily from local vendors. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the space can also be converted to host private events, tastings, and other happenings in the community.
Perhaps the biggest development so far is the Coco Noir mobile app, which will be both a B2B and B2C service connecting customers with the business’s wine partners. Customers can attend local and virtual wine tastings, find a personal wine consultant, and browse the wine-seller directory or “wine-ology” index for information about wine types, pairings, and more. On the business side, wine makers can create profiles and sell their wine directly through Coco Noir.
Kidd is one of the few Black females leading this type of business in the wine industry. It is through her work that she hopes to make the world of wine more accessible to BIPOC communities. Coco Noir plans to be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
