By Jordan Gelbart
Southtrade International has acquired the Australian marketing and distribution rights to Agwa De Bolivia effective immediately.
Agwa is a Coca leaf liqueur, made from Bolivian Coca leaves, with a strong and loyal niche following established by previous distributor Le Shack.
Babco owns that brand and its commercial director Alan Brogan congratulated Le Shack on developing Agwa to where it is today.
“They have done a remarkable job establishing strong consumer connections with Agwa and developing it to a level where it is already selling over 13,000 physical cases a year, but it is time to step up to a new level and we all agree that Southtrade is the best company to partner with for the future,” he said.
Director of Le Shack Ariane Caruso-Kern has been appointed by Southtrade to oversee the change-over and work with its sales and marketing teams in each state.
“SouthTrade will be able to give the brand broader distribution; greater marketing resources; and more sales representatives than it has had to date,” she said.
“It is a wonderful brand and I am happy to be working with Southtrade to ensure it achieves its full future potential.”
With brands such as Green Fairy, Alize and Patron, Southtrade have a strong history in developing niche products into more broadly appealing brands.
In addition to Agwa, Southtrade will also take over the distribution of Mickey Finn natural apple liquor.
Both brands are now available in all states.