Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard is on track to launch later this year.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, first unveiled plans for the lifestyle brand with a website and Instagram account in March, and PEOPLE understands that the venture is officially set to launch later this year.
The clarification comes after the Daily Mail published a report on Aug. 8 claiming that American Riviera Orchard had a “trademark setback” regarding irregularities that had to be corrected. The outlet alleged that the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office flagged issues including “incorrect classification of yoga blankets, picnic baskets and recipe books” — some of the diverse merchandise PEOPLE confirmed earlier this year that the Duchess of Sussex is pursuing trademarks for.
PEOPLE understands that American Riviera Orchard has received several notices of irregularity around clarifications for goods and services, as well as the reclassification of certain products. Such inquiries are typical while pursuing international applications due to the differences between international and U.S. standards, and all fees around such notices have been paid and no further action is required.
In late July, Meghan was photographed in the Hamptons at the G9 Ventures Summer Summit with two longtime friends, fashion designer Misha Nonoo and makeup mogul Bobbi Brown. The one-day event hosted by power broker Amy Griffin was also attended by Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon, Mariska Hargitay and Julianne Hough, and featured representation from brands such as Spanx, Bumble, Flow, Hello Sunshine, Supergoop and more.
The summer summit presented the perfect opportunity for the Duchess of Sussex to connect with other female business entrepreneurs as she moves forward with American Riviera Orchard.
The brand’s name is seemingly inspired by the roots Meghan and Prince Harry have established since stepping back from their royal roles in the U.K. and relocating to her home state of California in 2020. The “American Riviera” is a nickname for Santa Barbara, which is the larger town enveloping their Montecito neighborhood, where they live with their children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
Though the American Riviera Orchard website and Instagram page has not changed since it went live on March 14, with the brand name in gold script below a monogram and above “Montecito” mirrored across both sites, its first product was revealed to be strawberry jam. In April, Tracy Robbins and Delfina Blaquier gave the first glimpse of the sweet treat on social media, posting photos of the preserves in small, numbered jars labeled with the American Riviera Orchard logo that debuted online.
Other celebrities including Mindy Kaling, Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner would follow by posting pictures of their American Riviera Orchard-branded jam.
In June, Meghan and Harry’s friend, polo player Nacho Figueras, revealed a new raspberry jam flavor in an Instagram Story. Alongside the jam, Nacho shared a photo of his dog next to a container of treats. Although the jar didn’t feature the American Riviera Orchard logo, “Dog Biscuits” appeared to be written in Meghan’s signature calligraphy. Dog treats and other pet supplies were listed in trademark applications for exclusive rights under the American Riviera Orchard brand. Meghan and Harry are proud dog parents of three: Guy, Pula, and Mia.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard venture “will reflect everything that she loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor.”
“She is excited about her latest, personal venture,” the source said. “This is something she’s been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves.”AMERICAN RIVIERA ORCHARD/INSTAGRAM
The themes are reminiscent of the content the Duchess of Sussex spotlighted on her former lifestyle blog spotlighted on her lifestyle blog The Tig, which she shuttered in 2017 during her courtship with Prince Harry. American Riviera Orchard’s first Instagram Stories showed her arranging flowers and cooking in a kitchen, set to the song “I Wish You Love” by Nancy Wilson.
Trademark applications previously obtained by PEOPLE showed that Meghan was seeking permission to sell a slew of home decor, tableware, jarred food products, cookbooks, cosmetics,yoga equipment, gardening gear, pet accessories and much, much more under the American Riviera Orchard name.
It might align with Meghan’s cooking show in the works with Netflix (along with word of a polo-focused show, tying into Prince Harry’s passion). The series curated by the Duchess of Sussex, who is also serving as an executive producer, will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining and friendship.”
The series is set to be directed by Michael Steed, who worked on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The showrunner is Leah Hariton, who was a producer on Selena Gomez’s Selena + Chef cooking show on HBO. A title and release date is expected to be announced in the coming months.
ROLF VENNENBERND/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY
Meghan’s longtime love of cooking has been well-documented, from brining a Thanksgiving turkey on her former Instagram to partnering with the Hubb Community for a fundraising cookbook as one of her first projects as a working royal after marrying Harry in 2018.
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