The UK’s strategic importance as one of the most important hubs for bulk wine has been underlined this week with news that the prestigious International Bulk Wine and Spirits show is to hold its two-day 2018 conference in London in February. Sid Patel, chief executive of event organiser, Beverage Trade Network, explains why it is bringing the show to London and why bottled in market wine has such a big role to play in the on-trade.
The Buyer is pleased to link up with The International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show as one of its key strategic media partners as the event looks to put bottled in market wines high on the agenda for the on-trade.
You are bringing the IBWSS show to London, why and why now?
It is time, we made private label and bulk trade a norm. London being the most important market for private label and bulk trade, we decided to make London our host city for Europe. After getting a great response for our bulk wine show in USA which is held in San Francisco, (the latest being in July) we see that buyers want to explore more options when they select their private label and bulk supply partners.
The UK is one of the leading store-owned and private label markets, so it was a no brainer that we provide the platform to connect these buyers to top class suppliers from all over the world who are ready to offer private label services and understand what it takes in being a private label supply partner and help the buyer build their brand.
You are looking for exhibitors and visitors. What can they both expect?
Visitors will get a chance to meet wineries and distilleries who offer private label / contract manufacturing options, bulk wine suppliers from all over the world, bulk spirits suppliers and contract bottlers. The idea of the show is that a visitor can walk in with an idea or a concept and can meet all the parties involved in developing a brand.
We will have graphic design companies who are experts in designing concept brands, we will have contract bottlers, we will have grape and spirits suppliers and we will have legal advisors.
Exhibitors will get a chance to meet buyers looking to develop private label brands from all channels. Exhibitors will also meet wineries and distilleries looking to meet their demand of bulk wine and spirits.
Who do you think the show is particularly relevant to and why?
The show is relevant to custom crush suppliers, distilleries and wineries who could branch into providing these facilities in addition to bulk wine and spirits and buyers from every tier of business who want to explore these services.
It is time we educated suppliers about the advantages of offering such services and how it helps distilleries and wineries grow their bottom line and build relationships. It is time we accepted the new norm and the future of the wine industry. It is all about taking advantage of these opportunities and hitting new channels.
Why do you think the bulk wine market is so important to deserve its own two day conference?
The timing of the show is very important. The show is the ONLY one of its kind where bulk wine, bulk spirits and private label business will happen. We wanted to create a show that encourages bulk providers to do business openly. For many of the top reasons, bulk trade has been in the grey area. We want to clarify a lot of myths, we want to share case studies of wineries that have their own brands and at the same time develop private label brands for their own customers.
If you don’t do it, someone else will, it’s as simple as that. The conference topics will help wineries and distilleries understand how they can optimise their wineries by offering such verticals, it will also show buyers what to look for in their supply partners and it will educate the trade on myths about bulk wine and spirits.
What issues will be covered in London?
Some of the key areas to be explored include:
- What are national chains looking for in their private label partners vs what are small independent stores looking for in developing their own store brands.
- How Brexit will affect grape pricing.
- What factors affect the import and export of bulk wine.
- How you can develop your own whisky brand.
- Myth busting. We will look to address some of the myths that surround bulk wine at times. Like private labels do not mean a loss of your own brand share. Done right it can be a net-net win for a winery. What is more important is ‘relationship with the buyer’. Wineries and distilleries need to think like importers and distributors now; for them it is about maintaining account relationship so the question they need to ask themselves every day is: “What are you doing for that and how important are you for the customer”.
Why do you think bulk wine and bottled in market wine will have such a big impact on the on-trade in the coming years?
The trade is moving towards building brand equity, so let me explain this. Retailers, importers, distributors and ‘buyers’ want to sell brands that they can ‘control’. For obvious reasons (profit, stability of supply, brand equity). Which means they have started doing backward supply management where they plan their inventories and work with contract bottlers in a much more efficient way. These also means, buying in bulk in most cases and bottling it locally.
Any particular examples of how bulk wine is already being used in the on-trade to great effect?
So far we have seen wineries using bulk wine that is in excess used in such channels where wineries can offer one time deals to restaurant chains and on-trade use that wine as house pours. Some good quality on-trade accounts are also creating blends buy getting involved at the winery level which may involve buying bulk wine and blending.
Tell us about Beverage Trade Network?
Beverage Trade Network was founded as a response to the underlying challenges that face beverage industry professionals on a daily basis. With our integrated set of tools and services for wineries, breweries, distilleries and brand owners, our members can easily attract and engage with potential business partners from around the world.
Beverage Trade Network (BTN) successfully connects wineries, breweries, distilleries and brand owners with international importers, distributors, brokers and beverage industry professionals. One of the main tools offered by BTN is its education section under BTN Academy which is full of practical insights and how to articles and webinars.
- The event will take place between February 26-27, 2018 at The Royal Horticultural Halls, 80 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PE. Details about early bird registrations are available here.
For more information about visiting or exhibiting at the fair, please contact info@beveragetradenetwork.com. If you are interested in speaking at the event and sharing your experiences of bulk wine in the on-trade then contact Richard Siddle at editorial@the-buyer.net.
