Fast-growing wine merchant Cru Wine celebrates 10th anniversary

By James Bayley

Published: 05 June, 2023

London wine merchant and marketplace Cru Wine will commemorate its 10th vintage this month after a decade of impressive growth.

Founded in London in 2013 by fine wine enthusiast and entrepreneur Gregory Swartberg, Cru Wine offers a marketplace for consumers and trade customers to, “buy, learn and sell”.

Over the last 10 years, the Kensington-based business has expanded from a team of just two people to a ‘cru’ of 20 wine experts based in London and Bordeaux.

Read more: Giaconda Chardonnay joins La Place de Bordeaux

In recognition of the company’s rapid rise, Cru Wine was recently named in the Financial Times 1000 list of Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies for the fourth consecutive year. The ranking lists those European companies that achieved the highest compound annual growth rate in revenue between 2018 and 2021.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic and continued economic uncertainty, Cru Wine achieved compound annual growth of 40% and was only one of 4% of companies to have been listed for four consecutive years.

Founder and CEO Gregory Swartberg said: “It has been an incredible journey for the first 10 years of our existence, and it’s fantastic to be celebrating this milestone with our amazing team. It has been the most wonderful rollercoaster ride so far, and I very much look forward to the next 10 years.

“What has allowed us to flourish is our ability to offer a personalised experience and stay competitive with our pricing. Our industry is fragmented with lots of players and we are all selling a finished product, meaning we are either competing on price or customer service. We always aim to offer our customers the highest level of service out there, while remaining competitive in our pricing. And ultimately that is what clients want: [to] enjoy the buying, collecting, learning, drinking experience and pay a fair market value,” added Swartberg.

Looking ahead, Swartberg said: “For the next 10 years, we will continue to invest in our systems, website and mobile application to enhance the experience even further. We will continue to develop the regions from which we offer products and further expand geographically to continue to look after our clients worldwide. We are extremely excited about the next few years and what is achievable in this industry.”

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