Charleston Wine + Food

What Charleston Wine + Food does

Charleston Wine + Food (CHSWF) is a Charleston, South Carolina-based nonprofit organization founded in 2005 that produces and funds an annual multi-day wine and food festival. The organization celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025 and positions itself as a platform to elevate Charleston's culinary community, supporting 300+ local businesses, providing 1,300+ grants to festival talent, and raising $551,808+ for local scholarships and causes through its Culinary and Hospitality Investment Fund. Its core product is the flagship March festival (next edition March 3-7, 2027), which drew 26,000+ annual attendees and is reported to generate $191M+ in annual economic impact on the Charleston economy.

The product portfolio centers on the annual festival and includes ticketed sub-experiences (Culinary Village, Signature Brunch/Lunch/Dinner events, Opening Night), seasonal programming (Summer Sizzle wine lunches), a recurring membership tier (Friends of the Festival), a Test Kitchen training program, limited-edition merchandise via a Shopify storefront, editorial content via the Tasting Notes blog, and an international culinary travel experience (CHSWF Goes Global, debuting in Spain in 2027). The technology stack is intentionally light: a WordPress-based website (chswf.org), a Shopify e-commerce storefront, email marketing, and standard social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn). There is no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML systems, or app product.

The business model is a mix of direct-to-consumer ticket sales (with presale tiers and payment plans), brand sponsorship and co-marketing revenue (Disaronno flagship, Saratoga Water 2026 official water), recurring membership fees, merchandise sales, and charitable donations (Toast to 20 campaign). The organization declares that its annual economic impact is more than quadruple its annual budget, implying an operating budget well under $50M with a small (11-50) employee base. Geographic focus remains Charleston, SC, with the Spain trip representing the first international extension.

Name

Charleston Wine + Food

Legal name

Charleston Wine + Food

Website

https://charlestonwineandfood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Charleston Wine + Food is a Charleston, SC-based nonprofit that produces an annual multi-day culinary festival, supporting 300+ local businesses, 1,300+ festival talent grants, and 1,000+ culinary students through its 20-year-old community platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Festival Events

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Wine and food festival
• Culinary events
• Food festival programming
• Wine tasting experiences
• Festival sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to the annual festival events including Culinary Village, Signature Brunch/Lunch/Dinner events, and Opening Night. Tickets sold directly through the website with presale pricing and payment plan options.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of limited edition festival merchandise including apparel and accessories through their Shopify storefront (chswf.myshopify.com).
3. Sponsorship & Partnerships: Brand partnerships and sponsorships with companies like Disaronno and Saratoga Water, providing marketing exposure in exchange for financial support.
4. Friends of the Festival Membership: Annual membership program offering benefits including early access to ticket purchases, special events, and festival merchandise discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Charleston Wine + Food is a non-profit organization that produces a multi-day wine and food festival in Charleston, South Carolina. The festival features wine tastings, curated dinners, and culinary experiences for attendees, supported by event ticket sales, merchandise, sponsorships, and a Friends of the Festival membership program.

Product overview

Charleston Wine + Food is a single-platform festival organization offering an annual culinary event as its core product, supplemented by ticketed experiences (Culinary Village), seasonal events (Summer Sizzle), membership tiers (Friends of the Festival), merchandise, and educational resources (Test Kitchen). The portfolio centers on the main festival (March 3-7, 2027, celebrating 20 years) alongside signature events, blog content, and international travel experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culinary Village: Main festival venue featuring culinary experiences, chef demonstrations, and tastings.
• Summer Sizzle
• Signature Events
• Friends of the Festival
• Toast to 20

Products and services

• Charleston Wine + Food Festival Multi-day wine and food festival in Charleston, SC featuring tastings, dinners, and curated culinary experiences for 26,000+ annual attendees.
• Friends of the Festival Membership Annual membership program for festival patrons and supporters that provides member benefits and sustains the non-profit organization.
• Festival Merchandise
• Festival Sponsorship & Partnership Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• $191M+ annual economic impact on Charleston
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• DisaronnoflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDisaronno is a prominent brand partner hosting activations at the festival, including 'Disaronno invites you to join us in experiencing The Dolce Side of Life' campaign featured on the website homepage. The partnership involves co-marketing initiatives and brand presence during festival events.
• Saratoga WatercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSaratoga Water is the Official Water partner for 2026, featured with branding on the partnerships page. Provides water products for festival events and attendees.
• Bistronomy by NicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant venue partner hosting Summer Sizzle Wine Lunch event featuring French-inspired cuisine with wine pairings. Chef Nico hosts the multi-course experience with Flaneur Wines.
• Flaneur WinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWine partner for Summer Sizzle events at Bistronomy by Nico, with founder Marty Doerschlag pouring wine pairings during the Wine Lunch event.
• The Gourmet VacationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner for the inaugural 'CHSWF Goes Global' international culinary journey through Spain, partnering with Chef Michelle Weaver to offer a culinary vacation experience combining Southern charm with global flavors.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Cochon555: Traveling heritage-food event series focused on whole-hog and chef competitions. Smaller and more niche than CHSWF, but overlapping in the chef-driven, ticketed tasting-event category.

Regional players

• Atlanta Food & Wine Festival: Regional U.S. food and wine festival with similar mid-sized market focus and chef-driven programming. Comparable scale and model but operating in a different Southeast metro, limiting direct competitive overlap.
• Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival: Multi-day food and wine festival held in Los Angeles with similar ticketed signature-event format. Comparable production scale but operates on the West Coast, serving a different geographic audience.
• Wine & Food Foundation of Texas: Texas-based nonprofit producing wine and food events for charitable causes. Similar nonprofit-event-with-impact model but operating in a different geography and at a smaller scale.

Direct peers

• South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF): Long-running annual food and wine festival held in Miami Beach, with comparable ticketed tastings, chef-driven events, and brand sponsorship model. Most direct head-to-head comparable to CHSWF in format, scale, and audience.
• Pebble Beach Food & Wine: Premium destination culinary festival featuring celebrity chef dinners, wine tastings, and cooking demos. Comparable premium ticketing format and brand-partnership revenue model, with a higher price-point positioning.
• New York City Wine & Food Festival: Multi-day food and wine festival in NYC with comparable format of signature dinners, tastings, and culinary village programming. Operates a similar nonprofit/community-impact orientation tied to the hunger-relief charity No Kid Hungry.

Others

• Charleston Restaurant Foundation: Local nonprofit supporting the Charleston hospitality community through events and grants. Directly adjacent in mission to CHSWF's Culinary and Hospitality Investment Fund, with overlapping beneficiary base in Charleston.
• Taste of the Nation (Share Our Strength / No Kid Hungry): National culinary tasting event series benefiting No Kid Hungry. Closely comparable to CHSWF in mission-driven nonprofit culinary event model, though broader in scope and city footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Food & Wine Classic in Aspen: The flagship American culinary festival produced by Food & Wine magazine. Operates a similar ticketed-tastings-plus-signature-events format but with a larger national sponsor portfolio and stronger celebrity-chef draw, making it the category leader CHSWF benchmarks against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0EzHcMrsxIqmc4W63wsfOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChsWineandFood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chswineandfood
• Instagraminstagram.com/chswineandfood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Charleston Wine + Food