The launch was rather low-key, as the Instagram post showed nothing more than a logo, but the news still caused a lot of buzz at the start of the year. We saw it as a sign that Meghan Markle had chosen to join the very crowded ranks of lifestyle gurus, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Martha Stewart.
Over the next few months, the Duchess of Sussex handed out around fifty jars of jam bearing her stamp as well as bags of delicately wrapped dog treats to hand-picked friends, including Kris Jenner, actress Mindy Kaling and the model Chrissy Teigen – who all posted a photo of the goodies on Instagram, to happily announce that they were part of the little club set up by Meghan. Soon, Netflix was planning a cooking show in partnership with the Duchess, and people in the know suggested that the Duchess might also launch her own rosé.
The luxury jam Meghan gave her famous friends was a taste of American Riviera Orchard products
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According to Us Weekly, American Riviera Orchard “should be like Meghan, who loves to organize events, and likes to entertain her friends with lots of little touches.” Another source revealed to the same newspaper that Meghan's next Netflix series should focus “on her personality and highlight well-being and joy of living”, which is more or less the marketing pitch for her brand, whose aim is to introduce the general public to all the little secrets of a modern housewife.
Produced by “The Intellectual Property Corporation” owned by Sony Pictures Television Studios, the show, whose name has not yet been revealed, will revolve around Meghan's passions, including cooking, gardening and the art of hosting, and is part of the couple's $100 million deal with Netflix. Filming took place in several locations: from a $5 million home on a five-acre avocado and lemon grove in Florabundance to a well-known florist in the coastal town of Carpinteria. “Everything went well, and the program is in the box,” a source told Daily Beast in July, which means the series is ready for launch.
Late fees
Netflix may be ready to stream, but where exactly is the lifestyle brand the production is expected to advertise? Last month, sources close to Meghan revealed to MailOnline that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had issued negative opinions regarding American Riviera Orchard's trademark applications – noting that several situations must first be “corrected” before the full-scale launch planned for this year next. The source, however, confirmed that such requests for clarification are usual and entirely expected due to the differences between product classification in the US and the UK. She clarified that all costs linked to the delays (estimated at nearly 11,000 euros) have been paid.
Today, the same media outlet claims that Meghan could face a new problem of a much more worrying scale: a protest has been filed with the Patent and Trademark Office by a company that owns the brand “Royal Riviera “. The owner of this name, Harry & David, is an American company founded in 1934, which boasts an annual turnover of 2 billion euros and employs some 3,300 people. MailOnline indicates that this referral was deemed “relevant” due to the risk of confusion between the two brands, and that it was transmitted to Marco Wright, responsible for compliance at the Trademark Office.
