From Courtney Kingston we heard about the unwillingness of renowned wine makers to send their wines to the US in bladders instead of bottles because they wanted to protect the integrity of wines (even if it meant much more expensive shipping costs).
Upon reflecting on this, I was intrigued to hear Sarah and Kendra of the Maker team explain during a presentation for the Food, Design and Technology class that shipping in cans was a huge benefit for their Direct to Consumer strategy. Six cans can hold as much wine as about 2 bottles, but because cans are so much lighter it costs about half as much to mail them.
While the benefit to their unit economics was clear, I impressed to hear that they are also working on proving that wine tastes just as good from a bottle as they do from a can. To be clear, for the optimal drinking experience they did recommend pouring wine into a glass as the best way to experience the aromas, colors and taste (perhaps they ought to partner with our new friends at Gabriel-Glas).
But as far as bottle v. can, they believed that wine from a can could taste as good as wine from a bottle. The Maker team conducted their first blind taste test at the GSB Wine Circle the other week. You can see a summary of their findings below:
The team tested wines such as Underwood that are currently available in both bottle and can format. Interestingly, participants often believed that the wine they preferred came from a bottle versus from a can-- consistent with the belief that wine from a bottle would taste better. However, the average rating of wines from a can v. a bottle was very similar.
I'm really fascinated to follow Maker and see how the canned wine industry evolves. I am drawn to the single serve nature and the ability to use it to discover new winemakers.
As Sarah and Kendra explained the consolidation of distributors in the industry, they described their business as responding to call to action to protect small producers and to help reach new customers. That's a model I can get behind!
Thanks for sharing this with us, Mary. Kendra was in my Travel and Airline Industry class last quarter as well, and she shared with the class Maker Wines.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge potential for growth for Maker wines in particular in the airline industry, as airlines can now carry more wines that weigh less, which is a huge boon for them. If Maker markets themselves well as a boutique indie winemaker company, it’ll also appeal to millennial travelers.
However, the main obstacle I think Maker would have to overcome is in the premium segment, which still very much prefers the bottle than ‘canned wine’. Would love to see how Maker changes perceptions in the longer run.