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SIMON OWEN BACARDI-MARTINI AUSTRALIA

TALKS TRENDS, COCKTAILS AND COMING OUT OF COVID

SIMON OWEN IS THE FRESH NEW FACE AT THE HELM OF BACARDI-MARTINI AUSTRALIA IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. RECENTLY APPOINTED AS THE REGION’S MANAGING DIRECTOR, HE BRINGS MORE THAN A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN THE DRINKS INDUSTRY AND FIVE YEARS’ EXPERIENCE AS BACARDI’S DIRECTOR OF GROCERY, UK. WITH OVER 150 YEARS OF HISTORY, BACARDI LIMITED IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LIQUOR DISTRIBUTORS AND PRODUCERS GLOBALLY, HANDLING OVER 200 LABELS, INCLUDING BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN, GREY GOOSE VODKA AND PATRON TEQUILA. SIMON OWEN STARTED IN HIS NEW ROLE IN APRIL 2021 AND SPOKE TO DRINKS TRADE ABOUT THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.

Tell us about the culture at Bacardi.

Bacardi is a family run business. There is a warmth that comes through it; it has great creativity, entrepreneurship and agility. What is great about the Bacardi way is there is no bureaucracy; we can do things quicker, which kept the momentum throughout lockdown. It is a creative and flexible working environment, and Bacardi makes it an easy transition. That creativity and different thinking meant it was effortless to come into this business and say, 'right, you've got the momentum; I need to maintain it and give the room for our people to be natural and creative.'

Covid has impacted heavily on the hospitality industry. What is the most important step for Bacardi after easing Covid restrictions?

Bacardi is known for its strong, on-premise focus, with all levels of the corporate ladder involved in forging relationships and interactions with venues. We have a saying at Bacardi that our brand was built-in bars, and it's about getting back out into the on-trade, going out and talking to the trade, seeing what they want from us, what would be useful for them and see what the changes are. I think the really big thing is [we] are out there helping them, and the one thing Covid has done is that you don't need to go to every bar because of our virtual masterclasses with tasting packs. The more expertise you get behind the bar, the better the industry.

Tell us about the App Bacardi has also developed to assist and educate bartenders.

It’s called Freepour. It easily teaches the basics for all bartenders and informs them in sections. It has modules, videos, quizzes, and a library of thousands of different drinks. The more we help them, the more they are selling great drinks. It also maximises the opportunity to meet the needs of trends.

Despite having an ever-evolving portfolio, Bacardi-Martini Australia hasn’t followed the latest market trend by adding seltzer to their line-up. Why is that?

The Sunset Negroni meets that need as does our existing Grey Goose Lime and Soda, and the sales that we see in that category are fantastic. The Bombay Sunset Negroni aperitif is a cocktail based on the recently released Bombay Sapphire Sunset gin. The Grey Goose Lime and Soda is an organic option with reduced sugar. Also on offer is a canned Bacardi Mojito that is produced and developed in Australia. The next cocktail Bacardi-Martini Australia will focus on is the Patron Paloma, launched during Patron Paloma week at the start of December.

Patron Paloma sounds delicious.

So, what we've been saying to our on-trade partners is that the Patron Paloma is a long refreshing drink that is on the rise and represents real growth in tequila. It also says that there are different things that you can do with tequila rather than just Margaritas.

In 2015, Bacardi acquired the premium bourbon brand Angel’s Envy. How has that product been received in the Australian market?

We sell all the volume we have, so it will

absolutely sell when we get a bit more volume. Bars and selected stores want more, so I think it's another sector that is an opportunity because people want something more expensive to treat themselves.

What is a Bacardi product you are getting behind?

St Germain liqueur is a drink that hits current market trends. You can have it as a spritz; you can have it as a soda, it fits into long drinks, it hits premiumisation, and it also has a lower ABV, so people feel better about their drinking. It's a brilliant product, and it meets the needs of a lot of trends now. Put it with Grey Goose, and it's stunning. These drinks are just a small slice of the Bacardi repertoire. With the cocktail industry booming, Bacardi is in an excellent place to accommodate the industry both on and off-premise moving forward.

What are your thoughts on cocktail trends?

The cocktail boom is happening. During lockdown, there was an awful lot of people that had more time to themselves and were looking for things to entertain themselves. The whole 'can I make cocktails', 'can I go on masterclasses' was happening. I was in a bar in Bondi, and I was speaking to the beverage manager, and she said if you can get us people and a simple, good quality solution that tastes amazing, that'd be great. That’s why drinks like the Patron Paloma and the Spicy Margarita are brilliant: they're easy to make, slightly different from what people were making at home, and are equally excellent quality.

What are your thoughts on canned cocktails?

The canned cocktail category is proving to be an exciting new market segment. Another trend is convenience, and people have said, 'we are coming together to go and sit on the beach, and I want something of great quality I can have and is easy to drink’. That's what's perfect about the Bacardi Mojito because it's on-trend, it's fabulous quality, it meets convenience, and it helps people drink together. Sales, since we launched six weeks ago, are huge.

With Australia moving on from Covid-related restrictions, what are your trend predictions?

An increased premiumisation of the cocktail industry. There was always a premiumisation happening, but I think what Covid has done is accelerate the process. We saw it happen in Europe where people come out of lockdown, have their trusted brands, and then I think they'll decide to try different things. Since the turn of the century, Australia's hospitality industry has steadily become more competitive globally. The industry is continuing to experience premiumisation, and it will be essential to monitor this space over the coming months as Covid restrictions continue to ease.

People will head back into the onpremise.

People were starting to have cocktails at home and beginning to experiment, lockdown finished, they liked what they did at home, they have money in their pocket and now they want the expert.

What’s the next big spirit?

With premiumisation, I think the next product will be rums and creating superpremium rums. One of the jobs we need to do is help support the trade to teach people how to drink premium rum. Premiumisation of spirits is happening and is going to continue, and we will see it with dark rum too.