Straight
Up Brands, Inc. has announced various deals to produce wines and branded spirits
in conjunction with Hip-Hop stars and nationally known celebrities.The
three-year old company, headed by CEO David McCallen and president Vincent Viola,
will produce five branded products that are developed by various celebrities along
with leading vineyards, master blenders and world-class distillers.The
new brands include a sparkling wine (Black Rose) produced with Foxy Brown and
Jay-Z; a vodka (Storm) produced with DJ Clue; a Long Island iced tea (Gravity
Blue) produced with Don "Magic" Juan and a Mohito (MoMo) produced with
Ja Rule.Each
celebrity was intimately involved in the production of their beverage, choosing
the ingredients, valor, name, and glass packaging.Ten
different distributors, including Southern Wine and Spirits, Opici and Stoller,
will disperse the new spirits in over 17 different states.Straight
Up Brands is set to begin producing and adding the new product lines with additional
celebrity endorsements prior to the end of 2006, and continuing through 2007.