Taking on a brand that is already established seems, at first blush, like a beautiful thing, especially when they have sought you out, or you have been recommended to them. It definitely has its advantages in readymade distribution, but there are also critical issues you will face which must not be obscured by your initial…

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau leaves out the ‘A’ for alcohol in its initials, (TTB) but as its name suggests, it is a government agency that regulates industries that produce alcohol – wine, distilled spirits, beer and ‘other alcohol’. I have always found their website to be a fairly well organized wealth of…

Each of the fifty states has its own unique licensing system and within that system are entirely different requirements and costs for out-of-state importers. These can range from simple one-page forms with no fee, to extensive applications, surety bonds, non-resident seller permits, brand registrations and as much as thousands in annual fees. It is essential…

A client began our consulting session with the news that he’d made his first sale. I had not spoken to him in several months, having helped mainly with label approvals and pre-import advice, so I was glad to know he had made progress and looked forward to helping him further with his new questions. This…

Have you ever noticed at this time of the year, when we are getting ready to celebrate a season of giving with family, that people are often grumpier and more selfish than usual? I was aware of this as I stood in line at the post office and watched an argument about who was in…

When I started writing this post, I titled it “Ten Biggest Wine Client Misconceptions” but the post was getting so long I renamed it “Five…” and now we’re down to three. I think this will be an ongoing post topic, because really there are so many…and they persist. I love my clients. They are eager,…

In my last post I talked about wineries trying to penetrate the U.S. market using the wine trade event as a vehicle. This topic is directed at the U.S. importer/distributor that has just launched their first brand or brands and is looking for a way to gain local exposure and create buzz. I say “importer/distributor”…

Sales quotas can be a double edged sword for wine distributors, often putting sales reps and distributor at odds over the goals. A dynamic distributor that represents brands with some traction in the market, or with the potential for broad sales volume, will usually have some quotas, ideally hitched to an incentive bandwagon. This would indicate…

I’m getting back to my blog after a long absence and that is true of the FAQ series as well. So, let’s get started. Whether someone schedules one appointment, or a series of appointments with me I ask them to email me a list of issues they hope to cover. For them, it helps to…