THE WINE MERCHANT AUGUST 201924

THE WINE MERCHANT AUGUST 201925

It’s five years since Kim Wilson and Joy Edmondson founded the agency company North South Wines with

a little help from Australian producer De Bortoli and Italy’s The Wine People.

The two family-run producers own 48% of the company, which has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing suppliers, representing more than 25 wineries from 11 countries and with annual case sales that have passed the 1 million mark.

“From just four of us at the beginning, we have grown to a team of 18,” says managing director Wilson.

“The market back then was consolidating quickly, so we needed to be lean and efficient and future-proof,” she adds, which the investment from the minority shareholders helped to ensure.

The business has adopted the slogan “we’re on it” as a guiding principle, a phrase which suggests a no-nonsense approach to getting the job done.

“It means we are ahead of the trends and can spot future ones,” says buying and marketing director Edmondson, who shares the majority shareholding

SUPPLIER FOCUS: NORTH SOUTH WINES

Staying ahead of the curveNorth South Wines has seen impressive growth in its first five years. To achieve this, its founders have anticipated the consumer interest in issues like sustainable viticulture and vegan wines – and have always understood that their independent customers want distinctive wines that represent real value for consumers

with Wilson. “For example, we have been pushing organic wine since we launched, as we knew that demand would soon increase, and we’ve been proven right.

“We are energetic and we add value. Gone are the days when an importer can sit in the middle and take a margin for placing an order and sending an invoice.

“We are out there actively looking for exciting and innovative products which can help our customers to grow their business by offering consumers what they want.

“Our Italian range is a good example of this and ticks lots of trend boxes: sparkling, big robust reds, lighter aromatic whites, organic wines, indigenous varietals, pale dry rosés – the list goes on.”

Wilson says that the independent trade is crucial to North South’s business.

“We are actively investing in this sector,” she adds, “both in the range we can offer and in our team. We believe independents are the perfect place for consumers to buy a unique bottle of wine in a specialist environment, from people who know exactly what they are talking about.

“The budget supermarkets, which are increasingly moving into smaller towns with smaller convenience-style stores, have upped their game in recent times, with interesting and well-priced ranges.

“Standing out in a crowded marketplace is a challenge. We must offer our customers areas of specialism that connect with the consumer and with the prevailing trends.

“We can provide our independent

customers with exclusive wines which offer incredible value and a real point of difference. We also recognise that independents need to be selling at a margin that makes their business viable, so we have to offer them real value, such as the new Amigo de la Tierra organic range from Spain, the Quinta Vista range from Portugal and The Accomplice from Australia.

“There can be a lack of appreciation as to why indies charge more than supermarkets, so we make sure we provide customers with authentic wines that have strong stories to tell.”

Increasingly, those stories focus on production methods that chime with growing consumer trends towards

drinking better. Edmondson says: “With people of all

ages taking better care of themselves, and Generation Z and millennials far more interested in healthy selfies than getting drunk, consumers aren’t drinking as much, but they are buying a better bottle of wine when they do, which can only be a good thing for the independent sector.

“Sustainability has become a global mega-trend, so anything organic, sustainable and biodynamic is exploding.

“Consumers are more environmentally and internet-savvy, so they research products to find out more about where and how they are made.

“Veganism is growing rapidly, driven by the younger generation and the desire to lower our environmental impact, so we have committed to 70% of our complete portfolio being vegan-friendly by 2021.”

But all this commitment to help making the world a better place hasn’t turned the youthful North South Wines into stick-in-the muds just five years down the line.

“We strive to make our customers’ lives as easy as possible and provide a strong service,” says Edmondson. “And we hope we are fun to work with, too.”

Highlights from the North South range

The North South portfolio is spearheaded by The Wine People and De Bortoli.

The Italian producer’s portfolio includes Stefano Girelli’s Cortese range of organic wines from Sicily, while highlights from De Bortoli include cooler-climate wines from Yarra Valley, and Noble One, a benchmark for Australian botrytis dessert winemaking.

Wines from organic and biodynamic winery Paxton in McLaren include the preservative-free Pollinator Shiraz.Portugal features in the form of Quinta de Calcada, owner of Vinho Verde’s oldest vineyard, and the Quinta Vista range from Casa Santos Lima in Lisboa.The line-up also includes the Wildsong organic wines from Te Awanga Estate in Hawke’s Bay, Spanish range The Three Amigos, KWV’s Mentors wines from South Africa and Villa Sandi premium Prosecco.

A family-owned, sustainable Californian winery is due to join the line-up September.

Feature sponsored by North South Wines

Visit northsouthwines.co.uk020 3871 9210Email: hello@northsouthwines.co.uk

Te Awanga in Hawke’s Bay, home of Wildsong

Kim Wilson and Joy Edmondson