By Sacha Delfosse
Drinks distributor Stuart Alexander was this month appointed the sole Australian partner of premium syrups, liqueurs and cocktail mix supplier Monin, building on the strong working relationship the two companies have had in the New Zealand market since 2010.
Monin is a French company that has been producing an extensive range of premium syrups, liqueurs and cocktail mixes for the past 100 years. It is known for producing innovative and quality flavours, releasing anywhere between four to eight new products every year, which it develops thought feedback from bartenders across the globe.
As part of the deal, Stuart Alexander has appointed Tomas Vikario, a seasoned bartending veteran, to the role of beverage innovation manager for both the Monin and Perrier brands. Stuart Alexander became the sole distributor for the Perrier brand earlier this year.
Before the appointment, Vikario had been based in Auckland and worked for on both brands for Stuart Alexander. Amongst his responsibility will be conducting masterclasses and training sessions to educate bartenders on the product range and its versatility, and extend the brands' reach in the on-premise.
“Using Monin syrups can offer more consistency on the menu, and helps cut costs. It can be more efficient for bars than creating their own syrups, however bartenders can also build their own flavours using Monin products, which is one of the things I’ll be showing them,” Vikario said.
“We have big plans for the brand and want to reposition it into the cocktail market as that market was neglected a bit previously… but Australia has great potential for the brand, it already has a good acceptance by bartenders and 85 out of the 140 available flavours are sold here.”