Australian distributors Swift + Moore has enjoyed a busy week with multiple brands signing on with the company.
Archie Rose, East Imperial, Till American Wheat Vodka and George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey have all signed with Swift + Moore and CEO, Michael McShane, told TheShout that the company was looking to deliver premium brands to the Australian market.
“Australia is a vibrant market and it is a market where people do love brands and the younger legal-age drinkers in particular are looking for experiences. They are looking for brands that are authentic and all these deals are designed to help deliver on these consumer expectations,” he said.
“The trends that you see in the United States, the UK and the rest of Europe are very much alive and well in Australia, and that’s why East Imperial, Archie Rose, Remus and others are doing really well.”
Speaking on the partnership with Archie Rose, McShane told TheShout: “It’s a wonderful brand, and we are very much looking forward to supporting them. We’re really just looking to continue on with the fantastic work that Archie Rose has done over the last couple of years. They started three years ago and made the decision to do their own distribution in-house and they have done a lot of great work with relationships in that time and you can see that in the brand.
“But they want to continue to develop it further and they have decided to partner with us. We’re going to focus on good customer service, first-class distribution, logistics and really it’s just about us continuing on with the great work that they have already done.“
Archie Rose founder Will Edwards said that as an independent distributor, with a respected history in Australia, Swift + Moore was a perfect partner to manage Archie Rose’s distribution.
“Looking to the future, we have a real desire to continue the development and expansion of our hands-on, in-depth spirits experiences, events and partnerships. Thanks to Swift + Moore’s experience in and commitment to excellent customer service, first class distribution and logistics their appointment will allow our team to focus on these activities with the assurance of more consistent and efficient supply to customers in all corners of Australia,” Edwards said.
“I was drawn to Swift + Moore by their rich history in the Australian spirits industry, dating back close to 120 years as well as the commitment of CEO Michael McShane and his team to growing the Swift + Moore business alongside our own,” he added.
The partnership with Archie Rose tailors nicely with one of the other brands that agreed a deal with Swift + Moore this week, in East Imperial premium mixers.
“East Imperial is another magnificent brand,” McShane told TheShout. “Consumers these days want experiences and they want the best ingredients and East Imperial certainly delivers that, and I think that will be a great partnership.”
Tony Burt, Co- Founder & CEO, East Imperial Group, added: “We are very excited to be working with Michael and the Swift + Moore team. We’ve been really impressed with their passion for building brands, and we see our partnership as a natural fit. We look forward to continuing to build our presence in Australia as the leader of authentic and superior quality mixers.”
The partnership with George Remus Straight Bourbon is the brand’s first market outside of the United States and McShane added: “This just adds to the premiumisation and personalisation trends that are going around the world. These are magnificent premium products and we are really excited to bring them to Australia.
“These trends are not going to go anywhere and consumers really want brands that they can identify with personally and the Remus brands and Till vodka really just add to that.”
Andrew Mansinne, Vice President of Brands, MGP Ingredients, owner of Till and Remus, said he was looking forward to enjoying long-term success with Swift + Moore.
“We are thrilled to partner with Swift + Moore Australia to meet consumer demand for Till Vodka and George Remus in our first international venture,” Mansinne said.
“As a heartland distiller with a growing customer base, we are extremely proud that the recognition of our brand quality has achieved global recognition. We look forward to teaming up with Swift + Moore for long-term success.”
In terms of what’s next for Swift + Moore, McShane told TheShout: “We will continue to build over the next 12 months, for us it is all about focusing on our customer brands, we’re not looking to be the biggest but we really want to be one of Australia’s leading premium beverage suppliers, and we’ll do that through focus.
“We will continue to build over the next 12 months and you’ll see more coming from us over the next few months.”
All the new partnership brands will be distributed by Swift + Moore throughout Australia via broad range wholesalers and those interested in finding out more can head to the Swift + Moore website.