Hawke's Bay to the world
Rockit chief executive Mark O'Donnell says consumer awareness for the brand continues to improve each year.
Recently sales in Canada have been very impressive and New Zealand wines are currently the fastest growing category in Canada of any wine region, +11.6% MAT in February. Over the past eight years the category lit fire across the country primarily in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC and then later the smaller provinces of Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Newfoundland. In this time New Zealand wine sales have grown tenfold to achieve the lofty heights of 1,000,000 cases!
Looking back to 22 years ago, New Zealand wines were selling less than 50,000 cases a year across Canada. Montana, Stoneleigh, Corbans, Nobilo, Babich, Delegat and Coopers Creek were the number one selling brands. The growth in sales since then can certainly be attributed to the quality of New Zealand wine and the unique styles we offer - focused, vibrant and perfect for today’s food and lifestyle in Canada.
Robert Ketchin, Marketing Manager for New Zealand Winegrowers Canada, acknowledges that the support of the Liquor Boards would not have happened if it were not for the hard work of each individual winery that has spent years coming to Canada attending the New Zealand Winegrowers wine fairs and investing in the Liquor Board programs.
“I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the many road warriors whom I have had the pleasure to work alongside for many years, and who have become good friends. Without your efforts and commitment we would not be where we are today. At Ketchin Marketing we are proud to be part of the New Zealand Winegrowers team.
“Looking to the future, it is important for everyone to know that New Zealand stands out above all other countries for their commitment to sustainability and conserving the land for future generations. This is a very important platform for our future with consumers globally.”
