Since her split from the monarchy with Prince Harry in 2020, Meghan Markle has embarked on a new career as a global philanthropist, author, podcaster, producer and lifestyle curator, but she has also added investor to this already impressive list.
Meghan has invested both time and money into a number of businesses outside of the joint organizations she holds with Harry. Though the exact number is not known, the duchess is believed to hold minority stakes in between five and 10 companies.
The latest of these to be made public is her involvement with handbag brand, Cesta Collective.
Here, Newsweek takes a look at the three businesses which Meghan Markle has announced her involvement with, from fashion to coffee.
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Cesta Collective
In an article for The New York Times published on August 28, Meghan was revealed to be a minority stakeholder in the handbag brand, Cesta Collective.
Founded in 2018 by Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano, Meghan became an investor in 2023 after they wrote her a thank-you note when photos of the royal wearing a Cesta bag to a celebrity lunch fueled a surge in website traffic and sales.
Meghan has worn Cesta bags on a number of occasions, including to the Invictus Games in 2023 and during her recent tour of Colombia with Harry.
Cesta Collective’s designs begin with a woven basket base crafted by female artisans in Rwanda in Africa. The baskets are shipped to Italy where they are made into handbags with leather elements and are sold in limited batches.
In her interview for The New York Times, Meghan said she spends a lot of time “Googling” little known fashion brands and that she learned the power that she can bring to a business after becoming the subject of international interest when she became engaged to Harry.
“Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting,” she said.
“That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.”
Meghan became Cesta Collective’s first outside investor. Ryder and Weinblatt Fasciano remain the company’s only two full-time employees.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)
Clevr Blends
In December 2020, just nine months after fulfilling her final duties in Britain as a member of the monarchy, it was announced that Meghan had made her debut investment as a startup venture capitalist.
The duchess was announced as an investor in Clevr Blends, the instant latte coffee company, headed by CEO Hannah Mendoza.
“This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business,” Meghan told Fortune upon the announcement of her involvement.
“I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and [that] has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her, and I believe in her company.”
Meghan has maintained her public connection with the brand. In 2020 she sent bags of their products to Oprah Winfrey who promoted it on her social media accounts and most recently, in 2023, she appeared in the background of a social media promotional video released by the company.
American Riviera Orchard
In March 2024, Meghan soft-launched her own lifestyle brand named American Riviera Orchard (ARO).
The brand was launched with an Instagram account featuring branding imagery and a short video montage shot in soft-focus with a figure appearing to be Meghan featuring throughout.
No news releases or further official information have been released about the brand or Meghan’s plans for it. In April, Meghan made headlines with an ARO PR stunt in which she made and distributed 50 jars of homemade jam to her celebrity friends who then posted them on social media.
These friends included Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, and former model Chrissy Teigen.
No product line for American Riviera Orchard has yet been announced, though trademark applications filed in connection with the business seek to protect the name against a range of homeware and lifestyle products.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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