Meghan Markle is gearing up to launch a new lifestyle brand.
A source told People magazine that the Duchess of Sussex has been busy working behind the scenes preparing for the launch of American Riviera Orchard later this year.
The source also denied claims that Meghan, 42, is struggling to find a CEO for her brand, which has led to delays in the brand's launch, saying the reports are untrue.
A source previously told People magazine that Meghan's new business “will reflect all the things she loves: family, cooking, entertaining and home décor.”
The source added that the Duchess of Sussex is “thrilled about her latest personal adventure.”
“This is something she's wanted to do for a long time and she's excited to share her style and the things she loves,” they added.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Bogota, Colombia, on August 15, 2024.
Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty
Meghan launched the new brand in March along with a website and Instagram page.
American Riviera Orchard's trademark filing makes clear the brand's reach is broad, revealing plans to sell tableware, drinkware, kitchen linens, edibles such as jellies, jams, marmalades and spreads, cookbooks and a variety of other items. Meghan is also no stranger to the lifestyle sector, having launched a lifestyle blog, “The Tig,” in 2014 but shut it down in 2017, ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry the following year.
The Duchess of Sussex is also growing her investment portfolio. In an interview with The New York Times on August 28, Meghan said that the latest addition to her small portfolio of women-owned businesses she supports is handbag brand Cesta Collective, which she came across while shopping online.
“I spend a lot of time Googling brands,” says Meghan, who began investing in women-led businesses in 2020. “As people search and read things online, I try to find great new designers, especially in different regions.”
Earlier this year, Tracy Robbins and Delfina Braquier publicly introduced what was believed to be American Riviera Orchard's first product: strawberry jam. The two women posted photos of the product, which came in small numbered jars with the American Riviera Orchard logo, and other celebrities, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, and Mindy Kaling, have since followed suit.
In June, Nacho Figueras, Braquier's husband and a longtime friend of Prince Harry, introduced a new raspberry jam flavor and containers labeled “Dog Biscuits.” Dog biscuits, along with other pet products, are the subject of a trademark application seeking exclusivity for the American Riviera Orchard brand.
Meghan Markle arrives at Variety's “Power of Women” event on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Lisa O'Connor/AFP via Getty
In July, Meghan attended a networking event in the Hamptons at the G9 Ventures Summer Summit, a one-day business summit hosted by powerhouse Amy Griffin that featured notable speakers like Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon, Mariska Hargitay, and Julianne Hough, as well as speeches from female business owners and representatives from brands like Spanx, Bumble, Flow, Hello Sunshine, and Supergoop.
American Riviera Orchard could potentially expand Meghan's lifestyle empire with a cooking show she created and executive produced for Netflix. The series, which “celebrates the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship,” will be directed by Michael Steed, who worked on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The as-yet-untitled series will be run by Leah Harriton, who served as producer on Selena Gomez's HBO cooking show, Selena + Chef.
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Meghan Markle visits the Hub Community Kitchen in London on November 21, 2018. Chris Jackson/Pool/AFP via Getty
American Riviera Orchards is named after the town of Santa Barbara, California, where Meghan, 43, and her husband, Prince Harry, 39, live with their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibeth, 3. Santa Barbara has been nicknamed the “American Riviera” for more than a century, and Meghan thought the brand name was a perfect fit, People magazine previously reported.
“Meghan thinks the name American Riviera Orchard is perfect,” a source told People magazine. “It feels authentic to her and she can't wait for the website to launch.”
