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Coravin targets in home use as it starts to builds a Nespresso-style community

Published:  30 March, 2015

Coravin, the gadget that allows you drink wine without opening the bottle, is looking to broaden its reach in the UK through as it targets in-home users.

Coravin, the gadget that allows you drink wine without opening the bottle, is looking to broaden its reach in the UK through as it targets in-home users.

Frédéric Levy, the former president of Nespresso North America, who became chief executive of Coravin Wine Access System in February, wants to extend the brand's base in the restaurant and hospitality industry and sell through local shops.

"The biggest opportunity lies in in-home use," he told Harpers.co.uk. "It is not a wine preserver, but ideal for a casual dinner at home."

"We started strongly in the independent wine shops and it is amazing how they are using it. Now it deserves to be in many other shops, not only in the wine industry. We started with Harrods and moving to Selfridge and M&S is also on the list - we have many people interested and my objective is to put the brand in the best spot in the UK and create the experience in store," he said.

He said the brand had "massive" potential and could emulate Nespresso's success in revolutionising the way people drink wine at home. "I was lucky to be part of the evolution of single-serve coffee and when it started, no-one could believer it would become so big. I think we are at exactly the same moment with Coravin," he said. "We are targeting the same kind of people who like good food and good coffee so it will go through the same channels."

The system had also revolutionised wine in bars, restaurants and hotels, he said, and broadened the number of wine on selections.

"It is changing the way we drink wine on a daily basis. You can have just one small glass of wine - and you drink better wine. It will also stop the battle of whether you drink red or white wine with dinner as it gives you unlimited chance to drink and try different wines."

Levy's priority is to finalise the European launches announced last month and consolidate the company's existing markets, saying "We are still only scratching only the top of each country. The focus is to concentrate on the two big European countries, the UK and France, which are already very successful."

"The first thing is to get going is the buzz and new technology. The second objective is to expand distribution and make it easier for people to find Coravin in top selective retailers. Last but not least is to create a Nespresso-type community for Coravin, to try to capitalise on the users we have."

However he said the biggest difficulty was in overcoming people's initial preconceptions and this needed to be addressed in-store. "Most people think it is a cork remover. We need to demonstrated it to people, so we are pushing the experience of using the Coravin in-store."

Since launching in July 2013, the North American company has sold more than 70,000 of its Coravin Wine Access Systems, with around 10,000 sold in the UK alone. It is available in more than 500 retailers worldwide, including Harrods, Lea & Sandeman, Robersons, and Le Vignoble and the hospitality industry. It launched its online ecommerce site in the UK in October. 

The company recently opened its new European headquarters in Amsterdam as it sets to expand in to new markets in Europe and Asia. It is targeting the Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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