The vineyards of Kahurangi Estate at Upper Moutere are the home of the modern winemaking era in Nelson, contain some of the oldest vines in the region and proved to be the perfect platform to start from. It is the site of the original Seifried Estate, which has now relocated to their purpose built Waimea Plains winery.
The Day’s had significant marketing and business management experience but no winemaking experience prior to purchasing and establishing Kahurangi Estates. Greg has been involved in the liquor industry for most of his working life with his last job in the industry before taking the plunge into ownership, being as National Sales and Export Manager for Allied Liquor.
As a draughtswomen Amanda brings design and management skills to the business as well as overseeing the management of the cellar door, café and vineyard cottage accommodation. She also has a key role in all of the marketing, both local and national as well as international.
While Kahurangi Estates grow grapes and make wine, they also bottle wine for others, they store and distribute wine for a number of wineries and finally they import and distribute a wide range of premium international wines. Their theory is, that if you have a sales team on the road selling wine you may as well give them plenty of things to sell.
Back in 1998 one of the first things the Days recognised was that the original vineyards were small and to be a truly economic operation they would need to source fruit from growers and plant more of their own vines. They also had to decide between having their wines made under contract, or refitting the old winery. They chose to refit, with an ability to expand over time. Currently the barrel hall provides capacity to make 60,000 cases of wine, allowing them to make wine under contract for other producers.
Two of the first significant additions to Kahurangi Estates were to open a café at the winery (Christmas1999) to enhance the cellar door and the renovation of a cottage on the home vineyard to use as high quality visitor accommodation. In 2001 they planted the Five Oaks Vineyard on the other side of the Upper Moutere Village and embarked on the first of three winery upgrades.
Kahurangi International Selections became the first new arm for the emerging group of businesses controlled by the Days when they were appointed as the New Zealand distributors for Tyrrell’s Wines from Australia in 2005.
The growth of the Kahurangi International Selections business was driven by personal relationships with family owned wineries around the world and was so successful, storage quickly became a problem. However behind every problem is an opportunity and in 2009 Vinpro Distribution was added to the group of businesses with the purchase of a 1400+ square metre wine storage facility in Tahunanui, Nelson. Formally named Vinpro Nelson Limited it is a wine logistics and distribution business that has expanded by opening an Auckland based distribution centre this year to compliment the Nelson operation and is about to be rebranded as Vinpro Liquor Distributors. Vinpro Nelson Limited also provides a mobile bottling unit, providing services to wineries across the top of the South Island. Vinpro employs a manager and other staff while Greg and Amanda, along with the independent directors, provide governance at a Board level.
Greg says; “We had been the New Zealand distributors for Tyrrell’s for several years when we employed the son of a Cognac producer to work for us over vintage, We were invited to his wedding the following year where his father said he was looking for a New Zealand distributor for their Godet Cognac products. Of course we said we would take on the task. At the same wedding we met the father of the Bride who also happens to be the current head of the family owned Mahler-Besse who was also looking for a distributor in New Zealand. Mahler-Besse own the French brand Chateaux Palmer. Chateaux d’yquem and the Baron Philippe de Rothschild ownedMouton Cadet are some of the other premium brands we distribute in New Zealand. Mouton Cadet is reputedly the biggest selling Bordeaux wine in the world. With wines from all wine regions of France we now have a significant portfolio of premium French wines to distribute.”
So what about the future? Greg says; “It’s important we remember our key reason for existence, to make and sell branded products people want.”
By establishing a significant distribution business based on their own wines with the addition of complimentary rather than competing international brands, the modest sized (annual production of around 40,000 cases) Kahurangi Estate can compete successfully for shelf and wine list space with the large brands.
From here it is growth but not at any cost Greg says. “We need to focus on delivering a quality product, be that product wines we make or bottling and distribution services we deliver. Also look for significant wine brands from Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay that will be added to Vinpro Liquor Distributors next year.” ν
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