Butterfly Appoints New CEO to Recently Acquired Duckhorn Wines Business

Jan. 7, 2025

Former Constellation Brands executive Robert Hanson will take the reins from Deirdre Mahlan effective Feb. 1, 2025.

The Duckhorn Portfolio wine company, recently acquired by Butterfly Equity, will have a new CEO effective Feb. 1, 2025, according to a release from Butterfly.

Robert Hanson, former Constellation Brands executive and consumer brands industry veteran, will lead the North American wine company, with the announcement coming less than a week after Butterfly completed its $1.95 billion acquisition of the business.

Outgoing Duckhorn president and CEO Deirdre Mahlan will work with Hanson and the Duckhorn senior leadership team through the transition and will continue to serve as an advisor to Hanson after Feb. 1.

Hanson most recently served as head of Constellation Brands’ Wine and Spirits Global Portfolio from 2019 to 2024, and as a director on the board from 2013 to 2019. Prior to his position atop Constellation’s global wine and spirits business, he was CEO of John Hardy, a sustainable luxury jewelry brand backed by L Catterton, from 2014 to 2019, and CEO of American Eagle Outfitters from 2012 to 2014.

Previous to that, Hanson spent 23 years at Levi Strauss & Co., where he served in various roles including global president of the Levi’s brand.

Duckhorn, which is headquartered in St. Helena, Calif., includes such brands in its portfolio as Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy, Sonoma-Cutter and Kosta Browne. Butterfly announced the acquisition in October 2024, and the transaction closed just before the holidays, on Dec. 24, 2024.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.