Co-creator of Seagram's Escapes Peach Bellini, reality TV star and entrepreneur Cynthia Bailey is teaming up with the brand on its newest program — Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace: Featuring Black-Owned Businesses — to help support these small businesses and drive sales during the important holiday shopping season, it says.

Seagram's Escapes, a brand of the Seagram Beverage Co., Rochester, N.Y., is inviting Black-owned businesses to apply (www.seagramsescapes.com/holiday-shop) for its new Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace: Featuring Black-Owned Businesses program through Oct. 15. The program will highlight Black-owned businesses online during the holiday shopping season from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. Each participating business will have their website featured on Seagram's Escapes virtual marketplace and the marketplace will be promoted to fans of the brand and its celebrity partners. In addition to being highlighted online, three participating businesses will be selected by Seagram's Escapes and the reality TV stars to receive grants of $10,000 each.

Celebrity spokesperson Cynthia Bailey, who helped create Seagram's Escapes Peach Bellini flavor, along with reality TV star and businesswoman Eva Marcille, are teaming up for the program. Seagram's Escapes and the reality TV powerhouses will leverage their wide online audiences to promote the Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace: Featuring Black-Owned Businesses through social media, publicity campaigns and more.

"This is a tough time to be in business in general, but COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black-owned businesses. It's important that Seagram's Escapes and our partners use our platforms to help these incredible businesses during this tough time," said Jennifer McCauley, Seagram's Escapes brand director, in a statement. "We are thrilled to celebrate Black-owned businesses and bring attention to their great products and services through our Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace."

Bailey added: "As a Black businesswoman myself, I know how important it is to support Black-owned businesses. A lot of us took a major hit during the Coronavirus shut down and are struggling to stay afloat. By supporting Black-owned businesses you enable communities to become stronger by investing in small businesses that help to sustain them. Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace: Featuring Black-Owned Businesses is a great opportunity to support Black-owned businesses and I'm thrilled to launch this program with Seagram's Escapes.”

Black-owned businesses interested in applying to participate in Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace: Featuring Black-Owned Businesses program can apply through Oct. 15 through this URL: www.seagramsescapes.com/holiday-shop.

"Seagram's Escapes Holiday Marketplace is a way for Black-owned businesses to drive sales and receive the attention they deserve but don't always receive," said Eva Marcille. "I can't wait to see the participating businesses and support their dreams through this program."