Bronco Wine Co. CEO Fred Franzia Dies At 79

In case you missed yesterday’s news alert, Bronco Wine Company cofounder and CEO Fred T. Franzia has passed away at the age of 79. Franzia founded Bronco with his brother Joseph S. Franzia alongside their first cousin John G. Franzia on Christmas Day 1973.

The company became perhaps best known for its 2002 launch, Charles Shaw, or “Two Buck Chuck,” which sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $1.99 a bottle and moved nearly 2 million cases in its first year, reaching 5 million cases a year later. According to Impact Databank, Bronco Wine Co. today remains the 13th largest wine marketer in the U.S., with 2021 volume of 3.4 million cases. Here’s the full story.

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