Sula Vineyards eyes growth in international markets

Wine producer Sula Vineyards is sharpening its focus on the international markets while simultaneously growing its India business.
The company has tied up with UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer, and the UK has now become Sula's largest market outside of India.

"As one of the largest importers of wines in the world, the UK has shown increasing interest in wines from India," says Rajeev Samant, Founder and CEO, Sula Vineyards. "This dynamic market has opened up three channels of sale for Sula Vineyards through on-trade, off-trade and mail order."

Sula, which launched its products in the Netherlands and Austria earlier this year, is also aiming at introducing its products in Africa.
In order to reach out to international travellers, Sula is being made available in five-star hotels and also at duty-free stores at the Mumbai and Delhi international airports.

It aims to be present at other international airports in the future. More recently, the company has created an exclusive label, Sula Reserve Shiraz 2012, for Air India to be served on its international flights.

For the company, women comprise another growing consumer base. Wine consumption has surged 28.7 per cent among women throughout India, compared with a 17.3 per cent rise in demand from men in the past five years, especially in metropolitan areas.

Having started producing wines in 1999, the company continues to see tremendous potential in the Indian market. "Wine tourism is another platform we have taken a lead on in India," says Samant, adding that Sula will soon be launching a high-end, French-Indian, fully organic restaurant at its vineyards in Nashik.
"Though our initial focus was educating the urban population in Tier-1 cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc., we are now focusing our efforts to Tier-2 cities in India to inculcate a wine culture across the country."

Samant also says the influx of new wine players is a good indication of the growth the industry is experiencing. There are players such as Grover Vineyards, Indus Vineyards and Vintage Wines that Sula competes with. Samant says the Indian wine industry has experienced an increased consumption of about 15 per cent over the past years. "We expect double-digit growth for the next decade at least, making it one of the world's most exciting wine markets looking to the future," he says.