Article on State of the Industry

http://www.bevindustry.com/articles/86559-state-of-the-industry-wine-spirits

Sweet wine varietals and indulgent flavored vodkas remain popular in the wine and spirits categories, according to experts. In fact, the Moscato winevarietal has achieved between 30 and 50 percent growth in recent years, said Claire Moulin, lead analyst for Chicago-based Euromonitor International, in Beverage Industry’s March issue. Likewise, the flavored vodka segment is up 25 percent, said Bump Williams, chief executive officer and president of Stratford, Conn.-based Bump Williams Consulting, in Beverage Industry’s April issue. Within that segment, indulgent and unusual flavors are up nearly 70 percent, he added.

Conversations

photo courtesy of Zack Tuke

We've talked to several people in the alcohol industry, including a very senior executive at a large distributor, a wine importer, a distiller, someone who successfully started their own brand etc.  All have had fantastic advice for us.  Most have said this will be a lot of hard work, which we are ready for!

Through these conversations we've had confirmation that our proposed price point is right, that using a stock bottle is OK, and that there was nothing like what we are proposing on the shelves right now, which are things only industry insiders really know.

We always ask each person: what are the mistakes you see people like us make.  One said he sees new brands that fail because they are a vanity project for the founder (and the founder doesn't want to put the hard work and long hours into selling).  Another said the biggest mistake was to not do a branding brief, so that the brand's identity was crystal clear.  A third said that failing to be distinctive was the biggest weakness he saw -- trying to be everything to everybody.

These conversations are like gold to us, and we take all the advice extremely seriously!

Who is this blog for?

Photo from the Garden House

This blog is for people interested in our fledgling company.  This means that  many/most of the readers are potential investors . . . and so this blog, for now, is geared towards them.  That's why I've included things like lines of credit et al.  Once we launch however, and can reveal what the brand is exactly, and what it looks like, the blog will become brand-specific and on brand message.

Farm Flower

photo courtesy of Zack Tuke