As a significantly important country for wine production and export, and historically at the forefront of packaging innovation in the wine industry, Australia is a top priority for Garçon Wines’ expansion. As such, we’re thrilled to announce that Matthew Moate is joining the family as Market Development Advisor – Australia. From grape to glass, Matt is a leading relationship-driven advocate, ambassador, and influencer across Australia’s grape and wine sector.
Matt said: “Australia’s wine sector is proud of its history, but it is not trapped by tradition and that is why I am excited to be supporting Garçon Wines to deliver a step-change in wine packaging, distribution and ultimately user experience. As global leaders, Australia’s wine producers have an opportunity with Garçon Wines to grow sales by meeting the needs of new or changing consumer segments while reducing costs across the supply chain and enhancing their overall business sustainability.”
Through his previous role as Chief Executive Officer of WISA (Wine Industry Suppliers Australia), an organisation that Garçon Wines is a member of, Matt has been well known to the company and has been an avid supporter of our mission to make the wine industry more sustainable through innovation in packaging. It was a delight for Santiago, CEO& co-founder, and Amelia, Business Development Manager, to finally meet him in person at The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California at the start of February 2020. Matt’s catch cry of “making the wine world better…one connection at a time” and people-centric approach makes him well placed to help accelerate our understanding of the opportunities for of our eco, flat wine bottles in the Australian market.
CEO Santiago Navarro said: “Australia is home to the two most significant wine packaging innovations in the last two centuries – bag-in-box and screw cap – and is also home to some of the world’s best-loved wines that travel furthest to be consumed, both domestically and internationally. We believe that we can have a meaningful and positive impact on the Australian wine industry, both in terms of the more than 450 million bottled wine exports as well as the 73% of off-trade wine sales volume in bottle. Our existing collaboration in the UK and Europe with Accolade Wines, the second biggest wine company in Australia, gives us further motivation to enter this important wine market with production and sales, not long after our entrance to the US earlier in 2020. Matt boasts the contacts and benefits from the attitude to be the right person for us, and to help us understand and plan for what our entrance to Australia should look like. We are looking forward to working together.”
Sustainability and profitability form the fundamentals of the Australian wine industry’s plans for the future. By advancing the wine bottle into the 21st century, our wine packaging solutions are a benchmark example of triple bottom line sustainability that offers a positive impact socially and economically, as well as environmentally. Vision 2050, recently published by Australian Grape & Wine in collaboration with Wine Australia, outlines that “Climate change is already impacting the grape and wine community, as evidenced by changes in grape phenology and harvest dates, which has led to compressed harvests and greater pressure on vineyard and winery infrastructure.” Choosing our climate-friendly packaging that has a lower carbon footprint than round, glass bottles is one of the biggest ways that wine producers can reduce their carbon emissions to help mitigate the devastating effects of climate crisis, in doing so safeguarding themselves and our industry.
The report envisions that “innovative, consumer-friendly wine and grape products will be packaged and distributed in ways that are radically different to those of 30 years ago.” With support from Matt, we’re looking forward to seeing wine packaged and distributed in our sustainable format in this innovative and forward-thinking market.
