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VILLA MARIA - NEW ZEALAND
Villa Maria is founded in 1961 by Sir George Fistonich in Mangere, Auckland. Today, our family of wineries are located in Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough. We pride ourselves on our exceptional quality and innovation and this has seen us become New Zealand’s leading award-winning winery.
Our journey in China began in 1999 – establishing an early position in the market with the distributor Summergate (who still distribute Villa Maria wines to this day).
In recent times, we have expanded the number of brands brought into the market with the addition of Vidal Estate and Esk Valley to the China market by partnering with other new distributors.
The reason why we choose China is that, with around 40% of China’s wine being imported, foreign wineries and wine distributors have been presented with an enormous opportunity for global expansion.
The market also appears to be maturing, which signals the end of more experimental purchases in lower quality products and a shift in the market focus to higher quality wines that serve a more luxury-oriented consumer mindset.
This is certainly a great business opportunity for our New Zealand wines.
So far, we have established a full product range in the market, ranging from good quality commercial level wines to our Fine Wine collection, including the world-renowned variety of Sauvignon Blanc, as well as other world-class grape varieties grown in New Zealand like Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and more. At the same time, we have increased our distribution in China with omni-channel coverage from online to offline, On-trade and Off-trade etc.
In 2015, we became a member of Primary Collaboration New Zealand(PCNZ) based in Shanghai as a shareholder along with other NZ companies from different industries. This collaborative ‘Service WOFE’ model enables us to hire staff dedicated to the success of our business on the ground, and gain market support and knowledge to operate effectively in the complex China market.
The diversified and rapidly changing Chinese market has made it clear to us that our investment in China must be for the long-term. Especially after Covid-19, the social media and e-commerce sectors have become increasingly important in China. In order to engage and connect with our consumers, our digital marketing efforts in the key Social Media platforms and collaborations with relevant influencers are more important than ever in today’s consumer world.
Last but not least, we believe that the smooth bilateral free trade relations between NZ and China can help us continue to invest with more confidence and to continue to increase our brand awareness and reputation in the China market.