Canned wines are experiencing a worldwide revolution. This is a booming market in the USA, and is riding high in Sweden; meanwhile Spain is discovering the countless opportunities offered by the canned wine boom.
Robert Williams, the leading world expert on canned wine, will be in charge of moderating the talk, in which some of the secrets behind a successful brand will be revealed:
- What requirements are demanded from a wine supplier?
- What virtues should a producer possess in order to become the best ally for a brand?
- What role does design play regarding the conception of a canned-wine private label?
- In which countries are these brands currently distributing and how are they planning their exports?
That, and much more, will be discussed within the framework of the WBWE Amsterdam.
Despite heightened worries over their health following the pandemic, consumers consider the health of the planet even more critical, according to a recent survey by Innova Market Insights. Sustainability is especially essential to Millennials and Gen Z, as is their expectation that food and beverage producers will also put it first. Producers highlight their progress in environmental stewardship and are steadily moving toward a fully circular economy.
For wineries in drought-prone regions, lack of availability accelerated the transition to water-saving farming techniques and, when combined with wildfire losses, increased the reliance on bulk wine imports to backfill harvest losses, particularly for large producers.
“Sustainability is the key word,” says Cristina V Miranda, marketing director of the World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE), the leading international trade fair for the wine business. “We cannot continue to transport all the wine bottled; the planet will not sustain it any longer.”
There is no question that shipping bulk wine in containers like Flexitanks has a much lighter carbon footprint than shipping bottles to the bottling site and then reshipping them to the wholesaler, retailer or consumer. It can also save on the added out-of-pocket and environmental costs of storage. While using bulk wine doesn’t make sense for all wineries, Buying and selling bulk juice globally can be an economic boon for custom crush facilities and large winery and vineyard operations.
There are many advantages to tapping into world wine varietals through bulk juice purchases. Wineries can take advantage of a global market to innovate for the younger consumer base that is boosting sales of single-serve canned wines. Wineries can go beyond cans and double down on sustainability with packaging innovations like paper bottles, bag-in-box, wine pouches, or wine on tap for on-premise locations.
Bulk wines are almost essential for wineries producing private label or custom wines for private clients, not only filling local production gaps but also gaining a worldwide range of cost-effective varietal options and premium juices with high-quality provenance.
Private label is a growth market in US food and beverage, with IRI reporting +8% dollar sales expansion in the first five months of 2022 over the previous year, outstripping national brand growth. The premiumization driving the wine industry overall is also building the prestige of private label brands, contributing to its growth. A retailer might make a 30% margin on a branded bottle of wine. On a private label bottle of wine, that margin might be closer to 50%, and margins can be even higher for premium private labels.
“The private label category has begun to stand out in the WBWE International Bulk Wine Competition,” says Miranda, “Supermarket chains now proudly display the award badges won by their store brands, which helps build consumer acceptance of price increases for these still affordable wines.”
Interest in private label brands has expanded beyond retailers, with restaurant chains moving past house wines to branded labels that deliver a better customer experience and build loyalty. Celebrities have also embraced creating their own wine labels, and more and more actors, singers and influencers are turning to custom crush and large vintners to help them. Some private labels partner with renowned wineries to develop premium brands with correspondingly high prices.
“The evolution in bulk wine quality has been intense,” Miranda adds. “And that is because wines are increasingly better made, but also because bulk wine buyers increasingly demand higher quality.”
The best place to join what is becoming a revolution is WBWE, which was held last year in Santa Rosa, CA, to focus on the all-important US marketplace. This year, WBWE invites wineries and buyers from the US to WBWE Amsterdam on November 21st and 22nd to share the 14th anniversary of being the most important fair in the world for the bulk wine business.
“We look forward to this edition of WBWE with optimism,” says Miranda, “since this year is one of normality in the aftermath of the pandemic. Global uncertainty is evident, making business platforms as solid as the WBWE more essential than ever. The world has changed, and wineries must be flexible and adapt to market demands. Bulk wine is very popular because it is the core of current market trends like sustainability, alternative packaging methods and bottling at the destination. We will tackle all these topics throughout our conference this year.”
The Amsterdam fair will gather everything relevant to the bulk wine industry in one place for wine professionals to meet and create synergies to help them increase sales and profit margins. In just two days, producers will have the opportunity to demonstrate the quality of their wine and help match them with the objectives of wineries making bulk and bottled wine.
With inflation and cost of living increases accelerating the adoption of private labels, it is an excellent time to enter the private label sector. Producers like Bronco Wine Company, Premium Wine Group and O’Neill Vintners & Distillers have already signed up to exhibit at WBWE Amsterdam in November. Buyers look forward to finding solutions to their needs in Amsterdam, whether searching for large bulk wine volumes or specific qualities for developing a canned wine brand or a new type of wine for a supermarket chain. WBWE Amsterdam is the place to conduct bulk wine business.
To learn more about this event, visit https://wbweusa.com/en/.
Your WBWE ticket includes access to:
Exhibition area: more than 200 exhibitors from across the world displaying wines with different profiles.
Silent Tasting Room: taste all the wines displayed at the fair in an independent manner with all the business information at your disposal.
* The wines awarded at the International Bulk Wine Competition will also be available for tasting.
The Conference and tasting sessions: international keynote lectures on some of the most relevant topics currently.
VMarket: the online market where you will be able to optimize your business transactions by contacting the producers before anyone else does.
The WBWE will be back the next 21st and 22nd of November
Interesting wineries from across the world have already booked their place
REGISTRATIONS OPEN ON THE 1ST OF SEPTEMBER
New packaging methods such as cans or taps
Bag-in-box design
Sustainability challenges
New consumers
The boom in private labels
These upward trends will be tackled by the most prestigious experts.
If you're part of the wine business, you cannot miss out on the trade fair of the year!
JOIN THE BULK WINE REVOLUTION
Save the date 👉 21 & 22 November
The #WBWE is your fair if...
You own a winery and you need wine.
You have a business plan and you need wine.
You have a great idea and you need wine.
But not any wine, it must be a versatile wine, a wine that can adapt precisely to what you’re looking for. The WBWE provides the opportunity of tasting the majority of the global harvest, in just two days and in a single location.
Optimize your time and meet the professionals who will take your business to the next level.
Trends in wine trade will be the key topics at the forthcoming WBWE Amsterdam
Given the versatility provided by bulk wine, buyers and entrepreneurs from across the world attend this event seeking the best products for their commercial ideas.
Private labels, new packaging methods such as cans, creativity regarding bag-in-box, and new possibilities for direct sale to the consumer provided by taps, are all booming trends that require bulk wine.
Sustainability will be once again a crucial issue at a fair that assumes environmental commitment at its heart.
The fair’s attendance is already at 60% and expects to come back stronger than ever in November.
International buyers are waiting for this not-to-be-missed wine event to define their annual purchases.
If you are in the wine business, this is the place to be.
It will be held on the coming 8th and 9th of June in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County Event Center)
Let’s discover great fine wines from across the world
Winemakers from Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Portugal, Canada, and of course the USA, are coming to California to present their portfolio of wines, and many of them include wines specially tailored for private labels.
The WBWE will be the meeting point and forum for debate among the wine industry’s leading professionals
Check out our Conference program! You cannot miss out on it! https://wbweusa.com/en/conferences-2022/
If you are part of the wine industry, you cannot miss out on the wine trade fair that will take place on the coming 8th and 9th of June in Santa Rosa.
MORE INFORMATION
Event Type: Seminar, Tasting
Date: 6/8/2022
WBWE USA was conceived to boost commercial opportunities in the US market
If you are an American winery that:
- Is seeking wine profiles with which to create a private label or to develop new ideas.
- Needs quality wines with which to meet the demands of its products.
- Wants to enhance and expand its international sale potential.
You will find the business opportunity tailored to your needs at the WBWE.
8th and 9th of June in California (Sonoma County Event Center)
Link: https://wbweusa.com/en/
The first-ever WBWE USA show will be held on June 8th and 9th at Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds.
Bulk wine is the quieter side of the US wine industry focused on making and selling bottled wine directly to consumers or via the three-tiered system. The value of bulk wine is undeniable, with the growth of private label wines, the soaring ready-to-drink market, and rising supply chain costs for shipping bottled wine. Many wineries will tap into the bulk market to supplement a light harvest or develop a new wine with a profile not easily accessible state-side.
The World Bulk Wine Exhibit (WBWE) offers a powerful opportunity for those wine businesses that want to increase profitability by moving into the bulk wine trade. Over the past 13 years, WBWE has become the leading international wine fair in terms of business transactions. While the global event has incorporated the US, the WBWE team has long recognized the need for a fair that focuses directly on the expanding trade opportunities in the US market.
“The WBWE is the most important fair for Parras Bulk each year to realize the development of our strategy and internationalization,” says Bruno Tavares, Export Manager at PARRAS BULK in Portugal. “The participation in the WBWE fairs allows us to show our wines and gather important information on markets, trends, and innovation.”
Events will include presentations and exhibitors focused on key wine trends, including fostering creativity, exploring new packaging methods, enhancing sustainability, creating and producing private label wine brands, experiencing quality wines of diverse profiles from around the world, and leveraging the bulk wine opportunity.
Global wine exporters are seeking the opportunity to access and build relationships with importers in the US marketplace, and for good reason. The purchasing figures of the American market are overwhelming: in 2021, bulk wine imports to the US increased +13% over 2020, reaching 367.7 million gallons worth US$7 million.
“Our winery produces large volumes of bulk and bottles with high notoriety,” says Olivier PLUT, General Director of SCA CLOCHERS ET TERROIRS. Languedoc Roussillon – Sud de France. “With the participation in WBWE USA, we want to value our production of Premium Bulk wine in the export markets, particularly the US. Our goal is to offer high-quality bulk wine from the south of France and diversify and expand our portfolio of international clients.”
There is also a massive middle market of brokers and negociants who compete to buy and sell wine in bulk from countries like Spain, South Africa, Argentina, and New Zealand. Among their customers are the Private Label producers who are building a growing category of affordable wines sold by supermarkets, mass merchandisers, wineries, and even many celebrities. The rapid growth of canned wines has created another rising market for bulk wine imports.
Consumers buying private label brands are increasingly diverse, with many looking for niche brands tailored to what they want in terms of image and flavor. Private Label producers may be seeking to create an affordable and fresh wine for a canned wine brand, a robust and well-structured wine for a new brand for a supermarket shelf, or a wine with exotic notes to surprise and target a younger audience.
“We call that look & feel,” says Cristina V Miranda, marketing director of the WBWE, “Private labels are the best way to achieve any design goal while testing both the market and what it needs, all in a flexible manner. There’s no private label identical to another, and this segment is increasingly creative. We are aiming for a gathering with a vast array of wine varieties at the WBWE USA.”
One concern private label producers and branded wineries who import or export wine share is the need to contain costs. Bulk wine offers a sustainable solution since the wine is shipped in large containers and bottled at its destination. This process has a much smaller carbon footprint than shipping physical bottles from one country to another, which can be a positive selling point for consumers who are increasingly looking for products that support the environment. A related trend is the growing consumer demand for organic wines, which many bulk wine producers can deliver.
The US needs wine, and the wine sector needs the US. WBWE USA was created to help wine professionals gain the best possible trade with the efficiency provided by having everything under one roof.
To learn more about this event, visit https://wbweusa.com/en/.
If you are a winemaker or distill wine-based beverages, this fair will be the gateway to the market that buys top quality at top dollar.
The World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) kicks off its first US edition which will take place in Santa Rosa, CA on the 8th and 9th of June, coinciding with the southern hemisphere’s harvest season.
The organizers have spent two years working on this new project to connect vineyards and buyers from inside and outside the US. Santa Rosa (Sonoma, California) is the perfect spot for the exhibition because of its accessibility and because it is the current business hub for vineyards and buyers.
The WBWE is the perfect place for top-quality winemakers and distillers who want to engage big buyers from the US. In this edition, we welcome producers—who sell in bulk, in bag in box, in cans or in bottles as a private label—who feel the need to broaden their horizons and learn the ropes of the US sector. That is why this fair is the gateway into a market that bought €5.61 billion worth of wine in 2021".
“We have no intention of copying the models of other fairs that are held in the US, this is complementary and distinct from the rest. Our formula is based on business, safety and effectiveness. It’s worked in Amsterdam and in Yantai, now we’re going to bring it to Santa Rosa. We at the WBWE have already contacted big, US buyers who will be coming in search of wines with denomination of origin, protected geographical indication, or with varietal denomination, plus generic wines for blending, sparkling wines, aromatized drinks such as vermouths, brandies and, of course, other distilled spirits".
“The US wants top quality wines and they pay the best prices; you only have to see the data from the past few years. Exhibitioners need to bring their best products and their best sales reps and they’ll do business,” says Otilia Romero de Condés, CEO of the WBWE.
The World Bulk Wine Exhibition will also address the issues that most concern our sector and its future. We’ll tackle the economy of the market, water conservation, technology, smart packaging, the future of transport...all part of our more-than-enticing program of conferences, roundtables and tastings featuring the opinions of top experts in the market. We will soon send out more information.
The US edition of the WBWE is the perfect event for vineyards and distilleries that make quality products and have an eye on making future sales. With the slogan “broadening horizons”, this fair will be your gateway to business deals in the US and the rest of the world.