Global Spirits Hits Over 125K Cases - US Footprint Expanding Rapidly
Milestone Reached in Under 22 Months
New York, NY, November 16, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Global Spirits USA, a privately held, international manufacturer and marketer of wines and spirits, has reached 100,000 case sales, in under 24 months, thanks to an aggressive sales and marketing strategy for its Khortytsa Vodka and LEAF Organic Vodkas.
When the company first launched in 2013, initial sales were 10,000 9-Liter cases, despite the fact that Khortytsa is the 3rd largest selling international vodka brand selling over 7 million cases worldwide. The company had several challenges to overcome such as low brand recognition among American consumers and building its distribution network from the ground up.
Building a sales and marketing organization from the ground up and seeing such phenomenal results in such a short period of time has been extremely rewarding for everyone on the Global Spirits team.
Max Dubossarsky, CEO, Global Spirits USA
Beginning in 2015, CEO Max Dubossarsky joined the company and under his leadership unified both brand divisions under one umbrella to create critical mass. He then hired an industry veteran as national sales director to bring more focus to the company’s portfolio and build a strong sales organization that has quickly propelled the brand forward.
That company executed a number of new strategies that resulted in 130,000 case sales in just 22 months.
“It was an example of looking at the market and seeing where the opportunities were,” says National Sales Director Steve Ackerman. “One of our first steps was to introduce a 1.75-L bottle size for Khortytsa to capture the off-premise market. We then launched a 100-mL trial size at $1.99 that quickly opened doors and encouraged consumer trial. Savannah distributors in Georgia was the first to embrace this strategy, and they have become our number one market in the U.S.”
Dubossarsky notes that Khortytsa’s trial size led to solid repeat consumer purchase, “Khortytsa is a Millennials’ dream brand because it over delivers on quality at a very affordable price.”
The company also needed to build a sales team in four key regions including the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and Western regions. This tightly-knit team of experienced industry professionals hit the ground running and added 10 distributors, thereby expanding the company’s footprint to 18 markets.
“We focused on some unconventional distributor targets such as leading beer houses,” notes Ackerman. “We found a number of aggressive distributors who wanted to expand their portfolios into wine and spirits and were looking for quality products.”
Some of the distributors added this past year include: Athen Distributing and B&T Distributing Co. in TN; Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC, for SC; Royal Wine in NY; Break-Thru Beverage, NV; General Beverage Sales Company in WI; LaMonica Beverages in IL; Mexcor in TX and FL; MS Walker in MA, RI, NH, ME and VT, and Young’s Market Company in CA and AZ.
The brands have also had success in leading retail outlets including Total Wine & More, America’s largest independent retailer of fine wine and spirits, in five states including California, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey and Delaware, in approximately 36 of the company’s stores.
Once the brands gained momentum, Global Spirits initiated numerous marketing support activities such as holiday value-added packaging, in-store seasonal promotions, award submissions, special events, media outreach and a partnership with the BevRAGE App to promote its products to consumers at retail point of purchase.
“Building a sales and marketing organization from the ground up and seeing such phenomenal results in such a short period of time has been extremely rewarding for everyone on the Global Spirits team,” says Dubossarsky.
“We all realize that this is just the beginning and the potential is unlimited,” he continues. “I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish in 2017!”
Currently, Global Spirits imports four items within the Khortytsa line to the United States: Khortytsa Platinum, which is the most popular item in the line, retailing for $13.99 per 750-mL; Khortytsa Ice, with a bottle color that changes when chilled, retails for $13.99 per 750-mL; Khortytsa Honey Pepper, which offers a spicy zing to a variety of cocktails, retails for $13.99 per 750-mL, and Khortytsa De Luxe for vodka connoisseurs, is a “super premium” vodka with a suggested retail of $25.99 for a 750-mL bottle.
The company also owns and distributes LEAF Organic Vodka. LEAF believes vodka’s main ingredient, water, is what truly defines the spirit. LEAF Vodka is sourced from unique waters around the country. One variety is made from Alaskan Glacial water, which lends a pure, smooth taste with a hint of sweetness. The other, made from Rocky Mountain mineral water, provides richness and complexity, offering a warm and savory impression. The water sources give LEAF Vodkas their signature tastes.
The packaging for LEAF Organic Vodka is designed with the intention to have the contour of a leaf, accentuating the brand and giving it a premium look. With a recommended shelf price of $18.99 for 750-mL and Certified USDA Organic, LEAF Vodka is well positioned within the dynamic and growing vodka category.
The company has recently introduced Odessa V.S.O.P. Brandy, which is available in 750-mL and 100-mL sizes, and carries a suggested retail price of $10.99 or $1.99 respectively.
About Global Spirits:
A Fortune 500 company in Europe, Global Spirits was established in 2008 and has operational hubs in New York, Moscow and Kiev. Key strategic brands include Khortytsa Vodka (3rd largest selling international vodka brand*) and Morosha Vodka (fastest growing international vodka brand**), Pervak Vodka (acquired in 2013) and LEAF Vodka (launched in the US October 2013).
*According to IWSR, Khortytsa was the third largest selling global vodka brand at 6.4MM cases.
**IWSR Magazine – The Real 100
Source: Global Spirits USA
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