The Objective
To stabilize operations, and find new markets for the products.
The Challenge
Wine making is a super competitive industry, even for the top wines. For berry wines, it is even more challenging because many people have the wrong impression of berry wines (thinking they are dessert wines or too sweet). Shelf space is at a premium in NSLC and other locations, and this means the product has to move off the shelves, often slower for berry wines. The challenge here was to elevate the brand, find new markets and partnerships, and export the product. Higher export numbers meant higher production percentages. Busier production means more revenue.
The main challenges, in summary were:
- Brand awareness
- Market analysis
- Consumer lack of knowledge on berry wines
- Marketing
- Cost of production
- Exporting to new markets
The Solution
Refining the product: Working with Niagara College
We worked with Niagara College experts to refine the blueberry wine and reduce the bottle sediment, common during summer shipping. The taste also ended up improving. Blueberry wine is tricky to filter (without losing the flavour) and therefore careful consideration has to be considered in refining the production process.
Finding new markets: China
We worked with a distribution Company in China to promote the blueberry wine, recreate the bottles for luxury markets, and sell into new channels. This proved to be successful.
Marketing: Funding partnerships
Marketing is quite expensive and challenging for any wine producer. We opted to seek partnerships in Niagara wine country and align our product with co-packing agreements to further increase revenue. This proved to be quite successful.
The Results: Bringing Return on Investment
The implementation of these strategies yielded significant results for the winery. These included:
- Export Plan to China
- Entry into Chinese Markets
- Reworking the brand to showcase the award winning wines
- Increased revenue
- Increased percentage of production facility use
- A better tasting wine
