Naked Wines picks Denver over Seattle for second headquarters

Naked Wines, a direct-to-consumer wine subscription service, has chosen Denver for its second U.S. headquarters, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the governor’s office announced on Wednesday.

Naked Wines, based in Napa, Calif., was looking to expand into a lower-cost market and had zeroed in on Denver and Seattle. Last May the Colorado Economic Development Commission approved $4.3 million in state job growth incentive tax credits for the company. The tax credits are linked to the creation of 251 jobs in the state over an eight-year period.

The company has 150 employees in the U.S. and plans to start hiring software engineers, product managers and marketers to staff a new office near 19th and Lawrence streets. Job openings for an email developer and a senior internal auditor in Denver are currently posted on the company’s website.

The new jobs will have an estimated average annual wage of $121,016, which is 161% of the average annual wage in Denver County.

South African entrepreneur Rowan Gormley founded Naked Wines in 2008 as an alternative to traditional wine clubs, one where participants could support independent winemakers through crowdfunding while saving up to 60% per bottle by eliminating overhead costs in distribution. The company has helped dozens of winemakers launch on their own or connect more directly with customers.