Meet Nevena Rousseva | Founder of wine brand Ladies of Leisure

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nevena Rousseva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nevena, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Ladies of Leisure because there wasn’t many women-centric wine brands that really appealed to me. Wine is a $72 billion dollar industry, that does not cater to women and what we like. I never really found a brand that speaks directly to women. I wanted to create wine with fun, vibrant labels that captured an emotion, but I also wanted the wine to taste good. Every time I bought wine with a label that was a little more girly and fun, the wine didn’t taste that good. I realized the wine industry has never valued the customer who buys wine based on labels. So I decided to start Ladies of Leisure and create wine that looks good and tastes good.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The idea for Ladies of Leisure came about when my friends and I were sipping wine at our favorite Long Island vineyard and coming up with fun, funny, and provocative wine names we wanted to see and buy, instead of the traditional ones we encountered on shelves. We wanted something more exciting, bold, and alive, and Ladies of Leisure is just that. Ladies of Leisure is about.

I also wanted to give back and an integral part of the brand is supporting organizations working to create a better society. A portion of each purchase is donated to one of three organizations, working across women’s rights, the environment, and education. The customer selects where their purchase donation goes, giving them more opportunity to make their voices heard and dollars work for what they care about the most.

With Ladies of Leisure I really want to provide a fun and meaningful wine experience and give back so together with our customers we can work toward creating a better world for all of us.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in New York City and there’s so much to do and see. I Citibike everywhere and I’d take my friend around the city on a bike, It’s a great way to explore all the different neighborhoods and stop anywhere. We’d go to The Little Island and bike down the Hudson River Greeway. Have a picnic at Robert Wagner Jr. Park watching the sunset overlooking the Statue of Liberty.

I love New York from the top, it’s always breath taking to be so high up and see the whole city. We’d go to the Freedom Tower or The Edge in Hudson Yards. We’d get bagels from pretty much anywhere, all the bagel places are great, and you can’t go wrong with a slice of pizza from Joes or Rays. We’d share a steak from Gallaghers Steakhouse on W 52nd Street, get a burger at The Corner Bistro on W 4th Street and have breakfast at La Bonbonniere on 8th Ave.

We’d get a freshly baked cookie from Levain Bakery on Lafayette Street, really good frozen yoghurt from Culture on 8th Street, drink wine at Bar Veloce on 7th Ave and get cocktails at The Happiest Hour on W 10th Street or Jungle Bird on 8th Ave, For a casual, but always unpredictable night we’d go to Park Bar on E 15th Street.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people in my life deserve a shoutout, from my parents who put me through college, to my friends with whom I’ve had so many adventures and who encouraged me to start Ladies of Leisure.

Website: www.lolwines.com

Instagram: @ladiesofleisurewine

Other: tiktok: @ladiesofleisurewine

Image Credits
Photographer: Karen Epstein