In the 2022 National Liquor News Industry Leaders Forum, CEO of Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Bryan Fry, discusses how to bring new consumers into wine and spirits.
Despite the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, Pernod Ricard Winemakers continued to innovate at pace throughout 2021.
Navigating through further lockdowns and persistent supply challenges, the team was able to launch several new wines, spirits and RTDs into the Australian market, including the Jacob’s Creek FOMO range, St Hugo DR3, the relaunch of the Orlando brand, and Malfy & Tonic.
CEO Bryan Fry told National Liquor News the immediate focus in 2022 will be on four key areas: supporting staff and customers during these continued challenging times re COVID; continued premiumisation of the portfolio, managing ongoing stock constraints, and landing the company’s innovation pipeline.
“On the challenges around supply chain, we know disruptions to the global supply network and the resulting pressure on our stock availability will remain a challenge for the foreseeable future. Our teams will continue to mitigate risk and work closely with our domestic customers to ensure stock is appropriately managed,” he said.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers, for many years, has had the vision to be “creators of conviviality”, and this will continue to be a priority in 2022.
“As creators of conviviality, we want to continue to be creative and adaptable to surprise and delight those who drink our products, as well as bring new people into the wine and spirits category. We will do this by bringing new innovations to the market in terms of products and experiences that tap into key category trends,” Fry said.
For example, he pointed to the momentum of rosé in Australia, which has grown at +15 per cent* and continued to be one of the strongest growing varietals over the past year. Consumers have also been looking for alternative packaging formats that would better fit into their lifestyle.
“We were able to capitalise on these trends post-lockdown, when consumers were looking for a crisp summer wine in a smaller format suited to picnics, with the launch of Rosie, a French style rosé with a dash of sparkling water and Shiraz available in 330ml bottles,”
Fry said.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers expects that rosé will continue to perform strongly in 2022, that there will also be further growth in low-calorie options, and strong brands of wine over $15 will continue to grow.
“The latest innovation out of the Jacob’s Creek brand, FOMO – Fresh Outta Moscato & Moscato Rosé, addresses all three of these trends, while also trying to recruit new consumers into the wine category,” Fry said.
Looking further ahead, the construction of a new glass and canning line in the Barossa Valley is set for completion this year, which will open many new opportunities for Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
“The new line will enable us to be a centre of excellence in the Pacific and have the ability to satisfy the ever-changing tastes of Australian consumers,” Fry said.
“We are also hopeful that the forthcoming early harvest trade agreement between Australia and India will open up more opportunities for Australian wine exports – we see huge potential for the Australian wine category in India.
“As an industry, we should be discussing opportunities to trade in new markets. This is particularly important as we look to offset the loss of the Chinese market. Having improved market access to a country like India, where there is huge potential for Australian wine
to thrive, will require industry collaboration.”
*Source: IWSR Report 2021 (AU), CAGR 2019-2020. Vol 9Lc
Article written by Deb Jackson