Haselgrove eyes growth in China and US

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 11 November, 2019

Award-winning McLaren Vale winery Haselgrove Wines is set to expand its international distribution with new hires for the Chinese and US markets.

China is currently Haselgrove’s primary export market, and it has recently signed a new distribution agreement in Guangdong province.

The New South Wales producer is planning to hire two Chinese nationals in sales and marketing roles with a brief to target the Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhouhai and Nanning regions.

Christophe Forel, chief executive of Haselgrove, said: “We attend a lot of trade shows, we host dinners and we develop strong relationships that involve really listening to locals.

“We have been witness to the huge and rapid growth of China’s middle class and the opportunities this brings which, for example, led us to design four new products specifically for the Chinese market this year.”

Haselgrove is also set to enter the US market with a local hire.

“We recently secured the full-time services of an experienced sales and wine marketing specialist, who also has an important licence, to grow sales in the US. He is very knowledgeable of the US market and has already secured distribution for us. It’s very exciting for us to be entering this massive market,” Forel said.

Founded in 1981, Haselgrove sells into a range of other territories internationally, including Germany, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Canada, and Indonesia. More than 80% its exports are accounted for by premium red wine.

Australia recently overtook France to become the number-one exporter of wine to the Chinese market.

China, including Hong Kong and Macau, now accounts for some 43% of Australia’s wine exports, which were up 18% in the year to end September to a new high of AU$1.25 billion.

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