Wine Grenade, the wine maturation start-up, has appointed an exclusive North American distributor and established a new executive role in the US as the company ramps up production of its micro-ox and data solution.
The distribution deal with Enartis USA gives Wine Grenade immediate access to a sales network selling a complimentary portfolio of winemaking products, analytical services and winery technology throughout North America. Enartis USA is part Esseco Group, a global manufacturer of wine making and enology products.
José Santos, President and CEO of Enartis USA says: “We found in Wine Grenade the perfect partner to complement our offering in micro-oxygenation and better serve small-to-medium sized wineries. We believe that micro-oxygenation is a key technology in modern winemaking, and adding Wine Grenade to our portfolio of micro-ox systems makes it available for wineries of all sizes in a cost effective way”.
Hamish Elmslie, CEO, says “Enartis USA is a highly respected name in winemaking products and lab services, and has also been a leading supplier of micro-oxygenation systems in North America since 2011. As a partner they will provide the scale, market knowledge and on the ground support we need to reach more customers.”
Wine makers in eight countries are now using the Wine Grenade and to support Enartis USA and other international opportunities, Wine Grenade’s Board has also announced an expanded executive team, effective from June.
Elmslie (pictured) will relocate to California as Chief Product Officer. Hamish, who has led the company as CEO since 2014 after a career in banking, will continue as a Director.
Co-founder and director Jonathan Boswell will take on the role of Managing Director, guiding R&D, production and Australasian sales from the company’s Avondale manufacturing base.
Brett O’Riley, Chair of Wine Grenade, says “As the company expands overseas we are scaling up the team to pursue our growth strategy while retaining vital product knowledge within the business. Creating a new Chief Product Officer role based in the US will help collaboration with our new strategic partner Enartis while putting us in striking distance of key markets in Europe.”
In March Wine Grenade received a $438,000 Callaghan Innovation co-funding grant for product development including capturing the benefits of data and IoT in the winery. Last month, in May, the product was recognised with an INNOVATION + QUALITY Award at IQ 2018, the annual Napa Valley forum for ultra-premium wineries focused on cutting-edge innovations that advance wine quality.
“Our product has been tested and endorsed by the US wine making industry and now is the time to invest in that market,” says Boswell. “I’m looking forward to working alongside Hamish and our team as the company enters full production and commercialisation.”
Wine Grenade’s vision is to provide winemakers with the insights they need to consistently make great wine, year after year. In December 2017 it released customer dashboards, providing real-time data about critical device information such as oxygen release rates, tank and cellar temperatures, tank headspace and membrane pressure levels as well as the battery life, Wi-fi signal strength and amount of oxygen remaining.
