Building a commercial wine label without formal corporate training means paying tuition in hard knocks, and Brie Bella learned that lesson when summer heat doubled her freight bills. The WWE Hall of Famer has spent nearly a decade navigating production costs, inventory cycles, and distributor demands alongside her twin sister, Nikki Bella. Today, the Brie Bella wine business stands on much firmer ground, turning early financial missteps into steady growth with their label, Bonita Bonita.
Bella outlined those early blunders during an interview with OutKick Dropkick, explaining how the transition from professional wrestling to agriculture and beverage sales blindsided her with day-to-day realities. Selling bottles requires far more than putting a recognizable celebrity name on a foil label. It demands a working grasp of seasonal shipping rates, supply logistics, and payroll expectations.
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She is bringing that vintage to Nevada this week, hosting an appearance on Friday at JP Brasserie and Sports Den in Las Vegas to help toast the new venue’s debut.
Ten years inside the Brie Bella wine business
Stepping out of the ring and into retail shelves forced Bella to rethink how organizations actually function. Early on, she assumed anyone hired by the company would share the founders’ around-the-clock intensity. Reality quickly corrected her.
“I mean, hiring employees and expecting people to have the same passion and vision you have for your company, it’s like, no, they’re employees, they’re just showing up to work and they do a great job.”
Unexpected operational charges proved just as punishing. Temperature-controlled freight during scorching summer months carries a much higher price tag than autumn delivery, a detail nobody warned the sisters about when they launched. Balancing margins and cash flow took years of trial and error.
“All these different things with budgeting and just the numbers was really hard on Nikki and I at first, but we’ve been in the wine industry almost 10 years now,” Bella said. She acknowledged making plenty of financial mistakes along the way, but noted that she now understands the mechanics of running the brand.
Targeting millennial drinkers and shifting strategy
Surviving in retail beverage distribution means reacting quickly when cases sit on warehouse pallets. Every month, the twin sisters examine their sales sheets to determine why certain bottles missed revenue benchmarks. If numbers fall flat, they evaluate whether poor promotional marketing caused the dip or whether consumers simply disliked that particular blend.
That regular audit keeps Bonita Bonita solvent in an unforgiving consumer market. While younger Gen Z consumers buy bottles, Bella credited millennial drinkers with keeping cash flow healthy, noting that demographic’s steady appetite for social wine culture.
The company is already planning adjustments for future release calendars. Bella revealed they are mapping out changes for 2027 compared to 2026 to push the label to its next stage of distribution. For the former WWE Divas champion, adaptation is the only way to avoid becoming an afterthought on liquor store shelves.
Trading nightclub chaos for cold plunges in Las Vegas
Bella’s appearance at JP Brasserie and Sports Den highlights a very different relationship with Las Vegas than she had during her twenties. The venue features a cozy, speakeasy-style lounge setting, which suits her current routine far better than noisy dance floors.
When asked what an ideal 24 hours in town looks like now, Bella pointed straight toward recovery and quiet dining rather than casino tables:
- Morning recovery: A visit to a top Las Vegas spa, specifically the Wynn Hotel for a cold plunge and hydration IV therapy.
- Atmospheric dinner: An evening meal at Delilah for live music, distinctive room ambiance, and high-end food.
- Entertainment and early rest: Catching a classic stage show before getting to bed by 11 p.m.
“I don’t like clubs. That’s why Nikki and I love JP’s because we like a lounge. I can’t have chaos,” Bella said, adding that she normally turns the lights out by 9 p.m. when she is home.
Where Bonita Bonita heads next
Bella will pour glasses of Bonita Bonita for fans and patrons at JP Brasserie and Sports Den on Friday night in Las Vegas, showing off the brand she spent ten years stabilizing.
Source: Fox News
