9-503-044
REV: NOVEMBER 17, 2005
DAVID ARNOLD HOWARD STEVENSON ALEXANDRA DE ROYERE
MontGras
Export Strategy for a Chilean Winery
In November 2001, Patricio Middleton, CEO of Viña MontGras, a $7 million Chilean winery, was driving through the Colchagua Valley to meet American journalists from Wine Enthusiast magazine. Looking at the endless vines that surrounded him, he wondered how those newly planted grapes would find a market. Chile, the world’s 10th-largest wine producer, had enjoyed an export boom in the 1990s and had grown to become the fourth-largest wine exporter, its wines positioned mainly in the lower end of the fine-wines price range. (See Exhibit 1 for world wine production and exports, and Exhibit 2 for price ranges.)
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Nevertheless, the industry remained fragmented, with the largest player, Californian E&J Gallo, accounting for 1.5% worldwide market share.1 The industry was also in transition at the consumer and distribution levels.
Old World versus New World
The Old World wine industry, centered on France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany, was characterized by long-standing traditions of wine production, industry fragmentation, high levels of regulation from production to labeling and marketing, and strong domestic markets. Most Old World wines were made from a blend of different grapes and were named after the growing regions themselves, such as Bordeaux, Chianti, or Rioja, which resulted in considerable complexity of designation—for example, the French regulatory system included 450 different apellations d’origine controlées (AOCs, or registered origin names). The Old World philosophy of wine production was based on the importance of terroir (terrain), which assumed that every vineyard was unique because of differences including soil, microclimate, topography, and the skill and practices of the winemaker. The New World wine industry, dominated by Australia, the United States, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina, was more concentrated and more focused on exports. In addition, the lack of stringent regulation in the New World had spurred innovation in production processes and a more scientific
The winery industry can be categorized into red and white wine segments. The red wine segment, measured by tonnage of varietals crushed, has grown at a compounded annual rate of 4.7% for 10 years from 1989 to 1998, and a year over year growth rate of 8.2% from 1998 to 1999. Judging by the strong growth rate experienced in the red wine segment, it is reasonable to conclude that the red wine segment is in the growth phase of the life cycle model. In addition, production of red wine varietals which are relatively unknown such as syrah and sangiovese nearly doubled in a year from 1998 to 1999. The white wine segment, however, is at the mature phase of its life cycle as the segment shrunk slightly by 0.42% from 1998 to 1999. Overall, the industry is still at the growth stage lead by growth in the red wine segment.
Ms. Quintana CEO of Northern Napa Valley Winery Inc. was considering conducting business with Trans Continental stores to sell excess grapes from the 2008 harvest. Prior to making a decision Quintana must determine how much of the harvest should be retained for the production of Northern Napa’s own red table wine. Quintana realized that the quantity of red table wine produced is closely associated to the sales.
For example, the Appellation d’Origin Controllée (AOC) law in France. Italy followed France and also introduced laws and regulations. Producers supported these laws and regulations, they saw this as an opportunity to differentiate their wine and raising the entry barriers. In a later stage other regions in France were given the, usual lower ranked Vin Delimités de Qualite Superieure (VDQS) and the, even lower ranked Vin de Pays, inexpensive but very drinkable wines for French tables and increasingly for exports. Although this movement was quite rigid, due to a belief that quality was linked to terroir.
The structure of the wine industry is quite different around the world. The barrier to entry is relatively higher in the New World than in the Old World. Referring to the market data on the level of concentration in 1998, people can see a few players dominate the markets in Australia and the U.S. while the level of concentration is quite low in Europe. Therefore, the rivalry in Old World is intense there.
Smaller firms such as the family run operations in Europe may not be able to realize these same cost efficiencies. Furthermore, grapes represent 50 to 70% of a winemakers COGS, thus the competition for sourcing high quality grape growers is quite high. Just as Mondavi does for 75% of its purchases, most premium wine makers enter into long-term contracts with growers to not only ensure that their demand is met but also to make sure that they receive grapes that are consistent in quality.
The dynamics of the global wine industry are better understood through a brief history of wine as well as an overview of the wine making process. Some countries have longer historical and cultural ties with wine then others and that can affect the quality and perception of the product in the eyes of the consumer. Also, the conditions in which the wine grapes are raised and the processes used to make the wine can create a superior wine and therefore a competitive advantage.
Wine production involves two parts of economic activity – viticulture and wine making in the winery. In the global context, wine production is dynamic due to the influence of globalization, technological advancements and extensive research. These have essentially influenced the nature, spatial patterns and the ecological dimensions of the wine industry.
How important is the dessert wine segment to the industry? to E. & J. Gallo Winery? How do these products fit with Gallo's stated position on the quality of its products? Do brands like Thunderbird and Night Train have any redeeming features as a product, even if they are in demand by a segment of the population?
The buyer’s power within the wine industry varies between different places in the world. There are for example strategic differences between Europe and the “New World”. The “New World” includes countries like the US, Australia, Chile and South Africa. In Europe there is a big competition
The scope of the innovation expertise that New World wine producers have is value-chain wide in scope, and in-depth enough to completely re-order manufacturing, fermentation, distribution channel, pricing, marketing and customer service (Cholette, 2009). New World wine producers
Bonny Doon currently has an enviable position in the 1990’s Californian wine-producing industry. The company has successfully differentiated itself from its competition and achieved a first mover advantage in terms of selling “undervalued” wines. However, due to increased rivalry and a changing and increasingly challenging market,
The relatively small lot size which divides the old world into many distinct regions is a crippling handicap. If the smaller wine lots were able to coalesce into cooperatives, they would be able to market more efficiently due to increased resources. Also, despite the originality of the Old World wines, perhaps a break with traditional methods could increase the marketability with the fresh generation Y market.
In 2001 there were over 1 million wine producers worldwide, and no firm accounted for more than 1% of global retail sales. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible for the Robert Mondavi winery to dominate sales in any region. Due to Mondavi’s efforts, the winery became one of America’s most innovative,
The United States wine industry is a 12 billion dollar industry and is composed of 7,000 wineries and around 1,800 different companies. The three major companies within the industry are Constellation brands, E&J Gallo, and The Wine Group Inc. The industry has made its way through the economic crisis at a better rate than some of the other U.S industries however in order for them to continue to see any type of growth it is important that they acknowledge their issues and find ways in which they can rectify them. The majority of the issues among the industry are problems that cannot be directly controlled by individual wine companies. Therefore it is imperative that wineries find away to use these issues to their
Through heavily exporting to U.K and U.S, MontGras segmented and exposed to some of the top wine consumers in the world