12 minute read
Top Ten in Ten - trending industry news stories for the quarter
T P TEN
IN TEN
Advertisement
HERE’S A QUICK TEN-MINUTE READ OF THE TOP TEN TRENDING ONLINE LIQUOR INDUSTRY NEWS STORIES FOR THE PAST QUARTER ON DRINKSTRADE.COM.AU VISIT DRINKSTRADE.COM.AU FOR DAILY NEWS UPDATES. Words Ioni Doherty, Editor Drinks Trade Digital Edition
1. DIAGEO’S DAVID SMITH TO STEP INTO LEADERSHIP AT LION
Posted October 8, 2021 Lion has announced executive changes with James Brindley calling ‘last shout’, preparing to leave Lion at the end of 2021 after 27 years with Lion and 12 as Managing Director of Lion Australia. David Smith will step into the role, joining from Diageo, where he is currently Managing Director, Southern Europe. Lion CEO Stuart Irvine said: “David is a highly respected industry leader and already a familiar face to many of our Australian partners. He is committed to growing businesses through patient investment, enduring partnerships and motivating his teams to deliver outstanding customer outcomes. We look forward to welcoming him back home to Australia and Lion in January.”
1 2
2. WINE DEPOT ACQUIRES KADDY FOR $34.25 MILLION
October 15, 2021 WineDepot has acquired 100 per cent ownership of Kaddy for $34.25m effectively forming Australia’s largest alcohol-focused cloud-based logistics and marketplace platform. Together, the combined operation will immediately account for over 1,900 buyers across the on and off-premise segments, along with over 1,000 suppliers of alcoholic beverages accounting for more than 10,000 products.
3. LION ACQUIRES FERMENTUM GROUP IN ONE OF NATION’S BIGGEST BEER BUYOUTS EVER
Posted September 9, 2021 Lion has acquired the entire Fermentum family of businesses, including Stone & Wood, Two Birds, Fixation, Little Dragon and Sunly Seltzer. The Sydney Morning Herald suggests it is “one of the largest-ever craft beer acquisitions in the country”, and the Australian Financial Review suggested the deal, subject to regulatory approvals, is worth more than $500 million. Lion Australia’s Managing Director James Brindley said, “We have huge respect for what Jamie Cook, Brad Rogers, Ross Jurisich and the team have created; great beer, wonderful brands, spiritual homes in their breweries and taprooms, an inclusive culture and a commitment to the community. “We want to grow what they’ve started, giving their people and beers even more reach across the country.”
4. CALABRIA FAMILY WINES DOUBLES IN SIZE & RE-LAUNCHES
Posted September 9, 2021 Calabria Wines has doubled in size this past year, evolving to such an extent that today it has announced a new business model named Calabria Family Wines Group. Calabria Family Wine Group will house the family’s collection of brands and aims to ensure each brand continues to carry its distinct identities, portfolios, and distribution strategies. This past year, the Calabria Family has acquired McWilliam’s
4
Wines brand and Hanwood Winery, Deakin Estate, and La La Land Wines, with the business portfolio growing from 140 SKUs to 283 SKUs in the past ten months. “It’s been an exciting year for us at Calabria Family Wines. We have rapidly expanded from a single producer-owned and operated wine company to a wine group housing some of Australia’s best-loved wine brands and a selection of diverse international wine distribution partnerships. The creation of the Group is a direct response to this growth and our mission to showcase each of these brands in the best way possible,” third-generation Sales & Marketing Director Andrew Calabria said.
5. SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS SHOW NO SIGN OF ABATING
Posted November 4, 2021 As freight and shipping disruptions persist, industry bodies Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Industry Suppliers Australia Ltd (WISA) are urging businesses to plan early and work collaboratively to counteract the challenges being faced. “Costs are increasing dramatically across the board, and it’s proving very difficult to access spots in containers. This will have an impact on our exports in the short to medium-term,” said Tony Battaglene, Chief Executive of Australian Grape & Wine. Grape and wine businesses face significant delays on many of the inputs they need ahead of Vintage 2022.
6. WA’S FERAL BREWING CO UP FOR SALE
Posted October 29, 2021 Western Australia’s Feral Brewing Co is up for sale with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia (CCEP) announcing that it will be exiting from its production, sale and distribution of beer and apple cider products in Australia. Vice President & General Manager, Australia, Pacific & Indonesia, Peter West, said the decision to exit CCEP Australia’s arrangements relating to beer and apple cider would better position the organisation to execute growth plans for its Spirits, Alcohol Ready-To-Drink (RTD) and Non- Alcohol Ready-To-Drink (NARTD) business. The decision means that CCEP’s Western Australian based craft brewing business Feral Brewing Co will be sold with Kidder Williams Ltd appointed to advise on the sale. Mr West said, “On the back of the double-digit growth our Feral brand has achieved over the last four years and the strong business and brand loyalty the Feral team in WA has built, we are excited about what the future holds for Feral Brewing Company. It’s time for this craft brand, a WA jewel, to stretch its potential under new ownership.”
7. TREASURY WINE ESTATES’ BIG SUSTAINABILITY PLAN FROM THE GROUND UP
Posted October 28, 2021 Last month Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) released its Sustainability Report for 2021. It is big and ambitious, in step and scale, with the business plan to be the “world’s most admired premium wine company”. The report was released a fortnight after TWE attended the first Sustainable Wine Roundtable meeting in London, one of only two Australian founding members along with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI). Cultivating a brighter future confirms TWE’s commitments to reduce the impact of climate change with the target of being powered 100 per cent by renewable electricity by 2024 and achieving net-zero emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 2030. The business has achieved carbon neutrality for Lindeman’s in Europe, a 96.7 per cent recycling rate, assessed 855 TWE suppliers for their ethical, social and environmental performance and recycled 600 tonnes of glass that was broken/unable to be used through partnership with Orora’s closedloop program.
8. LARK DISTILLING’S $40M ACQUISITION ACCELERATES GLOBAL EXPORT PLAN
Posted October 18, 2021 Lark Distilling is set to acquire Pontville Distillery and Estate, owned by Kernke Family Shene Estate, for $40 million, split between $38.5m in cash and $1.5m in Lark shares to be issued to vendors. The acquisition will accelerate Lark’s export strategy by twelve months. To fund the acquisition, Lark is undertaking an equity raise of $53 million, including a $13 million development of a new 1 million litre greenfield distillery on the Pontville site. Construction is expected to commence in early 2022. Geoff Bainbridge, Managing Director Lark Distilling, said, “This builds on our vision to become the world’s most innovative distiller.” Bill Lark, Founder and Global Ambassador at Lark Distilling Co, said, “Lark at Pontville points to the exciting future of Australian whisky. I could never have imagined 30 years ago from my kitchen bench, where that very first bottle of Lark was made, that in 2022 we’d be producing some of the world’s best whiskies across three exceptional distilleries right here in Tasmania and all from Australia’s first certified carbon-neutral distiller.”
9
9. PETER GAGO, THE NEWEST MEMBER OF DECANTER’S ‘HALL OF FAME’.
Posted October 6, 2021 Recognised as one of the New World’s foremost winemakers, Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago is the newest member of Decanter’s ‘Hall of Fame. Mr Gago has worked with Penfolds for 19 years and is the fourth Australian to receive the award after Max Schubert in 1988, Len Evans in 1997 and Brian Croser in 2004. The Decanter Hall of Fame recognises and awards excellence in the wine world and is one of the world’s most significant and prestigious industry awards. Mr Gago said, “Whilst personally thrilled and delighted to join this pantheon of illustrious recipients, I’m also humbled and somewhat overwhelmed. To daily engage with this thing called wine is something that has always given me enormous pleasure. How lucky am I?! I’m immensely grateful to all those who have helped me gain the attention of Decanter Magazine. Many thanks.”
This month, the Brown Family Wine Group launched their new sales and marketing arm, the "Premium Collection." The collection is a curated range of current, limited release, and back vintage wines, specifically for wine lists and progressive retail, available nationally.
The portfolio includes Tasmanian Pinot Noir producer Tamar Ridge, award winning sparkling house, Pirie, select cool climate Yarra Valley wines from Innocent Bystander, Highly acclaimed, Resolution & Hazard ranges from Devils Corner and Brown Brothers Iconic range of Patricia wines.
Brown Family Wine Group CEO, Dean Carroll said "as consumers and customers seek greater authenticity and premiumisation our range of prestige and innovative wines that have been crafted with over 130 years of experience and displaying our sense of curiosity and adventure are perfectly matched to that need, hence our decision to create a new conversation through the Premium Collection."
The Premium Collection will have its standalone key account team, Shane Bulluss, General Manager of Sales for Brown Family Wine Group says: "This is such an exciting time for our business as we expand our team to be able to service the unprecedented demand from our customers and consumers. The distribution of premium wine to our valued customers requires a very specific approach that is highly knowledgeable with a genuine hands-on approach to support customers individual business needs."
Premium Collection is expected to drive +60% growth in its first year (FY22 Vs. FY21) and +50% growth in the year following says Scott Nagy, National Business Manager OnPremise for Brown Family Wine Group. "We believe there is tremendous scope to accelerate growth, drive brand credibility and lift brand awareness of our premium wines with this new venture."
The Premium Collection by Brown Family Wine Group launched with dedicated team members in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, including the return of Katherine Brown from the winemaking team, adding to the highly experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals who understand the needs of on-premise customers.
Coravin Launches Sparkling Wine Preservation System in Australia
Since its introduction to the Australian hospitality scene in 2017, Coravin has grown rapidly, under the guidance of Negotiants Australia, and now as a stand alone business based in Sydney. Market Director for Coravin Australia and New Zealand, Gary Olasz, is excited about the market growth saying: “The growth we’ve experienced in just a few short years in the Australia and New Zealand market has been incredible, to improve delivery time and elevate our customer service experience, we knew a dedicated warehouse and on-ground team were essential to this success,” continued Olasz.
With its new Australian headquarters, Coravin aims to more than double its active users in the hospitality and consumer market by 2026, and a key component of that is the release of the Coravin Sparkling™ System in a strategic partnership with Moët Hennessy.
Coravin is best known for its wine preservation system that extends the life of a bottle after a single glass service through the injection of inert gas. Until recently, it was only available for still wines but, after extensive testing in collaboration with the Moët Hennessy Group – Coravin Sparkling™ was created.
“Coravin’s aim is to make fine wines and Champagne more accessible by facilitating by-theglass options. As a relatively young company, to have the recognized world leader in Champagne and luxury sparkling wines not only support but adopt our technology is extraordinary,” said Christopher Ladd, Coravin CEO.
“With such high anticipation from our Australian customers and trade partners, we know there is a strong desire for this premium device. We can’t wait for sparkling enthusiasts and venue owners across the nation to experience Coravin’s latest innovation,” said Gary Olasz,
Market Director for Coravin Australia and New Zealand. After the recent Champagne and Sparkling tasting panel, Drinks Trade put a number of samples under the Coravin system and the results were impressive. It was easy to use and most importantly the sparkling wines were resampled and found to be fresh and vibrant across tests at two, five and seven days. However, famed Cellar Master of Veuve Cliquot,
Didier Mariotti, said, “The Coravin Sparkling System is able to wonderfully preserve the flavours and mouthfeel of our Champagne for several weeks. It is the first product of its kind to perform at this level.”
We’re putting a sample in the fridge now and will report back next edition. If we remain patient enough.
BELVEDERE MOVES INTO ORGANIC RTDS
By Ioni Doherty
Belvedere celebrates the release of its Organic Vodka Sodas. The Organic Infusions are super premium ready-todrink organic vodka sodas with unique and multi-layered botanical infusions flavour combinations.
Designed to meet an increasing consumer demand for natural and organic, lower calorie and sugar free alcohol options, the range is expertly crafted with certified organic Belvedere Polish rye vodka, a curated blend of organic fruit and botanical infusions, and sparkling water.
The range contains no sugar, artificial flavours or preservatives, is low carb and has less than 83 calories per can.
The perfect summer refreshment for those who are wanting to make more mindful drinking choices but don’t want to compromise on quality & flavour, the new Belvedere Organic Vodka Soda range is launching in three unique & elevated flavour combinations: • Lemon & Basil with a touch of
Elderflower – 83 calories per can • Blackberry & Lemongrass with a hint of sage – 80 calories a can • Pear & Ginger with a drop of Linden
Honey – 83 calories per can
European Union & United States Department of Agriculture Organic Certification ensures that the Belvedere Organic Vodka Sodas are made only with ingredients that are farmed with no artificial pesticides, additives, or chemicals, allowing the natural taste of each ingredient to shine through.
Launching exclusively on Australian shores just in time for summer, the Belvedere Organic Infusions are the perfect choice for effortless yet luxurious home entertaining, outdoor picnics, summer BBQs or relaxing with friends.
Available in a ready to serve 250ml can & convenient 4 pack format, simply enjoy chilled or pour over ice.
The range is on sale in selected bottle shops at an RRP of $28 per 4 pack.
