American Riviera Orchard, sometimes abbreviated as ARO,[1] is an American lifestyle brand created in 2024 by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with a planned focus on preserves and homeware.
History
Creation
In September 2023, tabloid news site TMZ wrote Meghan was planning on founding a lifestyle brand.[2] Meghan filed for the patent for American Riviera Orchard in March 2024, followed by a soft launch of the company on social media channels the same month.[3] The social media profiles included a link that sent social media users to the company's website, where they could sign up for the announcements waitlist.[2]The New Zealand Herald said the creation of the brand likely coincides with Meghan's upcoming Netflix specials.[4] In an op-ed for The Guardian, columnist Arwa Mahdawi said the brand is likely Meghan's attempt to try to come back from what Rolling Stone called a "flop era" for the couple in mid-2023, a period of stagnation in their careers.[5]
In February 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected a trademark request for the brand because of "...a number of inconsistencies in her trademarking documents to do with the categorisations of her products."[7] In September the same year, the USPTO again rejected a trademark request for the brand, stating common names for geographic locations cannot be trademarked and the O in Orchard did not match the description in the application documents and it was not apparent it was a letter.[7]
In October 2024, the food company Harry & David filed a protest with the USPTO, claiming that American Riviera Orchard is too similar to their own Royal Riviera trademark.[8] According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the letter of protest was reviewed at the end of October. The attorney assigned to examine the letter concluded that no further action needed to be taken.
UK domain name cybersquatting
In April 2024, an anonymous cybersquatter purchased the UK domain name for the brand and directed the URL to a JustGiving fundraiser for The Trussell Trust, a non-profit focusing on alleviating food insecurity. A message on the fundraiser voiced support for Catherine, Princess of Wales. The campaign had a goal of reaching £1,000 and far outpaced that by quickly raising over £8,300 by April 19.[9][10] By April 29, the amount had grown to £21,000.[11] The Trust told The Independent that they "...are grateful to people who put their time and energy into supporting our work to end the need for food banks in the UK. The charity is not connected with this website domain and have no knowledge of who set it up."[12] Due to regulatory guidance in the UK, The Trussell Trust could not decline the donations.[13]
Alleged staff exits and search for CEO
In August 2024, British tabloid Closer reported 18 staff members had exited the business.[14] As of November 2024, seven months into the brand's announcement, a CEO had allegedly not been found to lead the business. American commentator and royal reporter Kinsey Schofield said:
"I do think that they're going to continue to have a hard time finding people that want to work underneath them. I'm intimidated just thinking about it. There are rumors that Netflix has said 'allow us to manage the retail strategy' if she can't manage to find a CEO or somebody willing to work with her. Netflix sees an opportunity there."[1]
According to US Weekly, Closer's claims are untrue. Similarly, The Cut confirmed that there are no other verified reports of a staff exodus and difficulty finding a CEO.[15][16]
Products
Strawberry jam
After the company's soft launch in March 2024, Meghan sent 50 jars of strawberry jam to select friends and public figures. Some of the recipients then posted the jam on their social media channels. Among them were Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras; American actresses Tracee Ellis Ross, Abigail Spencer, Garcelle Beauvais, and Mindy Kaling; American media personality Kris Jenner; and American married couple singer John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen.[17][18][19] After the release of the limited edition jam, an unknown source claimed on Sky News that sales of Meghan's father-in-law Charles III's unrelated strawberry jam, which is sold through The Highgrove Shop and through Waitrose Duchy Organic at Waitrose supermarkets, increased substantially.[20] Some news outlets and tabloids speculated American Riviera Orchard engaged in purposeful competition with Charles, with Marie Claire calling it "the battle of the strawberry jams" and OK! calling it "royal jam rivalries".[21] Conversely, Marie Claire also pointed out Buckingham Palace's decision to promote its own strawberry jam on social media just days after Meghan sent out samples of American Riviera Orchard's jam.[22]
Other products
Along with strawberry jam, Meghan released announcements the brand would be working on raspberry jam, dog treats, and homeware items, including tableware and drinkware.[23][4] By July 2024, no further announcements or products under the brand had been released.[24] In late June 2024 Marie Claire speculated the next product will likely be a rosé wine.[25]
Reception
In a since-deleted[16] yet widely cited article, royal author Tom Quinn claimed the launch of the brand was greeted with intense scrutiny and "mockery" online, while conservative news channel Sky News Australia said the launch was "ridiculed".[26][27] In October 2024, British-American journalist Tina Brown claimed that Meghan's unprofessionalism had impacted the brand's ability to release any product and called her ideas "total crap".[28]The Cut called these reports "dubious" and "flimsy".[16]
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