If You Want to Buy Jellies and Jams, Napkin Rings, and Recipe Books from Meghan Markle, You're In Luck
Here’s what we know about Meghan’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard—including the poignant reason why she likely chose to hard launch it yesterday.
Okay, so American Riviera Orchard—super intrigued. Yesterday, Meghan Markle launched what appears to be a full-scale lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, complete with a new website and a new Instagram page. The bio for the Instagram page reads, simply, “By Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Established 2024.” The brand’s first Instagram Story shows Meghan cooking in a kitchen and picking flowers set to the Nancy Wilson song “I Wish You Love,” and its logo also includes Montecito, the neighborhood where Meghan resides with Prince Harry and their kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
People reports that the name American Riviera Orchard seems to be a nod to Santa Barbara, the town where the Sussexes reside. According to Travel & Leisure, Santa Barbara has been known as the “American Riviera” for more than 100 years “because of its temperate climate and lush landscapes, as well as its robust food and wine culture.” A robust food and wine culture immediately brings us back to Meghan’s shuttered lifestyle blog, “The Tig,” which focused on food and wine, as well as travel, fashion, and personal inspiration. Back to wine for a moment: the name “The Tig” comes from Tignanello, a full-bodied red wine; Meghan told Tory Daily that trying that specific wine was her first time understanding why people develop an affinity for a certain wine, and developed “the Tig” into her own vernacular for “getting it” about “not just wine, but everything,” she said.
American Riviera Orchard’s trademark application—which is currently awaiting examination—revealed that the brand plans to “sell tableware, drinkware including decanters, kitchen linens, and edible treats such as jellies, jams, marmalade, and spreads,” People reports. Fruit preserves, edible oils and fats, and nut butters and fruit butters also made the cut, and the trademark application is also seeking approval for both downloadable and printable cookbooks and recipe books.
The trademark application was filed on February 2 and is still pending review by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additional items listed outside of the above include table cutlery, coffee and tea services in the nature of tableware, servingware, dinnerware, chargers, napkin rings, table place card holders, beverageware, textile tablecloths, placemats and napkins, kitchen and table linens, and gift wrap of fabric. The application also asks for “retail store services” featuring foods, books, tableware and tablescape goods, table linens, and servingware; additionally, it asks for online retail store services featuring food and beverages, books, tableware and tablescape goods, table linens, and servingware. This hints that items could be sold not just online but in possible brick-and-mortar stores, as well. The document lists the owner as Mama Knows Best, LLC, based in Beverly Hills.
Sources told Page Six that American Riviera Orchard—launched six years after Meghan shut down “The Tig” to marry into the royal family in May 2018—will focus on home, garden, food, and general lifestyle. Meghan has apparently been “working on this for over a year,” and that it represents “all the things that are close to her heart—all the things she’s passionate about,” they said.
And, according to The Daily Mail, American Riviera Orchard will eventually dovetail with her ongoing Netflix deal (which she shares with Harry): “The brand is meant to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show for Netflix,” a source told the outlet. “Meghan will be making, and selling, products such as jams. And at some point, there will be a book and blog.”
“This link to Netflix is very important and clearly, of course, they’ve released this [American Riviera Orchard] to point out that they, the Sussexes, are still going strong,” said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, per The Sun.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Interestingly—and who knows whether one has anything to do with the other—yesterday’s launch date of American Riviera Orchard is four years exactly since Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, boarded the so-called “freedom flight” from Vancouver, Canada to California, where they began to build their life in Santa Barbara, the so-called “American Riviera,” on March 14, 2020. The Sussexes went to Canada first after leaving the U.K. following their decision to step back as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020.
“I’ve never been the type of person to do only one thing,” Meghan said in the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. “I guess that’s how my website [“The Tig”] was born. There was fashion, there was tons of food, and travel, so it was all of the things that I loved. And 'The Tig' wasn’t just a hobby. It became a really successful business.”
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
The Cast of 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' Proved Just How Quickly They Bonded This Season
Alyah Chanelle Scott, Pauline Chalamet, Gracie Lawrence, and Mia Rodgers play 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
Why Kate Middleton and Prince William's Decision to "Take the Lead" Is a "Relief" For King Charles, Royal Expert Explains
"We have had a glimpse of the future..."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Buckingham Palace Responds After Royal Family Maid Is Arrested at "Out of Control" Christmas Party
"I've never seen one person get that crazy during a night out," a source claimed.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Masters Baby Shower Dressing in the Perfect Pink Posse Dress
Spring party inspo, delivered.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Every Time the Royal Family Broke Protocol in 2024, From Minor Rule Changes to Huge Mistakes
Meet the usual suspects: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Prince William Is Allegedly Still "Very, Very Angry" About Royal Rift, But Kate Middleton Is Pushing For "Reconciliation"
"Never give up hope, there's always a chance."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Prince Harry's "Despair" at Online Trolls "Trying to Make Trouble" For His Family Is Understandable, Says Royal Expert
"He says he is happy. I believe him."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Reveals Impressive Hidden Skill in New Netflix Documentary With Prince Harry
What can't she do?
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Princess Eugenie Could Spend Christmas With Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in California
"She has also been invited to Sandringham."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle's Fresh Manicure Says White Nails Aren't Just a Summer Trend
White nails—they're not just a summer manicure trend anymore.
By Hanna Lustig Published
-
Tyler Perry Makes Rare Comments About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's "Beautiful Family"
"They love each other... I just want the best for them."
By Amy Mackelden Published