After a successful first year of trading, Unovino has launched a crowdfunding campaign to accelerate growth of the wine marketplace and support Australia’s independent winemakers.
Created to bring the cellar door into the homes of consumers with an offering of hard-to-source and cellar door-only wines, Unovino is a platform for wine enthusiasts to support their favourite independent winemakers and access wines they wouldn’t usually be able to.
With more than 20 boutique wineries already integrated, Unovino has achieved almost $200k in wine sales since its launch last year, creating a platform for independent winemakers to get their share of the $40b Australian wine economy.
Unovino Managing Director Adam Coward, says: “Unovino isn’t about heavily discounted wine or selling Australian wine as cheaply as possible, it’s about supporting the Aussie artisans who are producing world class wines, often on a small scale.
“Since launching a year ago, what we’re seeing in Australia is a craving for premium products and a shift to quality over quantity, reflecting a broader swing towards health-conscious choices and a desire to support local producers.
“With a platform geared at supporting independent Australian winemakers and offering anyone access to rare premium wines, Unovino is in the perfect position to tap into these consumer trends,” he stated.
With premium wine seeing a 19 per cent annual increase since 2016, and global wine sales expected to grow at 4.3 per cent CAGR to 2028, Coward is encouraging potential investors to register expressions of interest for the crowdfunding campaign.
“We invite wineries, bars, oenophiles, savvy investors and anyone who cares about Australian wine to invest in Unovino to keep quality, boutique wines growing and flowing. In our first year, we have seen a strong repeat purchase online rate of at least 10 per cent, proving there is a real appetite for small-batch hand-crafted wine and a desire to sip and support premium Australian wines,” he stated.
The launch of the crowdfunder follows a year of campaigning to allow Australians the opportunity to invest, after previously being blocked by the wording of the Liquor Licensing Laws in South Australia.
“We are excited to now be able to offer the opportunity for a crowdsource funding raise after successfully obtaining the official definition of a shareholder in South Australia from the Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commissioner. This clarification clearly paves the way for larger numbers of the general public to be able to invest more easily in a wine business like Unovino as long as the share is under five per cent,” Coward explains.
Primed for growth
As the wine marketplace gains momentum, Unovino is also engaging on-premise customers, with e-commerce technology allowing wineries, bars and restaurants to buy, sell and promote wines to customers through Unovino’s remote cellar door concept.
The first on-premise business to trial the concept is Brisbane wine bar Adelita, allowing customers to order wine directly to their home after enjoying a glass in-venue. Not only is this boosting the profile of Unovino, but venue operators also benefit from marketing commission for repeat purchases off the back of their recommendations.
Chris Hollingsworth, Owner of Adelita, says: “We’ve been trialling Unovino’s remote cellar door technology for a month and it is now making up about 10 per cent of our wine sales as diners take advantage of the opportunity to sample a few excellent drops from Riversdale in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley.
“We are forever being asked where our wines are from and how diners can get their hands on more of what they’re drinking. This innovative new system allows them direct access to the winemaker without having to travel to a cellar door or scour bottle shop shelves where they aren’t likely to find these special, small-batch wines.”
More information about the crowdfunding campaign can be found here.
Always consider the general crowd-sourced funding risk warning and offer document before investing.