NEWS

As a “direct response” to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, StoliVodka has announced a major rebrand and has ended its final production ties to Russia.

Stoli, which is produced in Latvia, will now source 100 percent of its ingredients from Slovakia, while a global rebrand will remove the name Stolichnaya from all its packaging.

Stoli’s Founder, Yuri Shefler, commented on the rebrand, saying: “While I have been exiled from Russia since 2000due to my opposition to Putin, I have remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand.

“We have made the decision to rebrand entirely as the name no longer represents our organisation. More than anything, I wish for ‘Stoli’ to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine.”

Stoli has previously released a statement denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has now also announced financial support for World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit providing meals to Ukrainian refugees and those remaining in the war-torn country. More initiatives to address this humanitarian crisis are soon to be announced from Stoli Group too.

Damian McKinney, Global CEO of the Stoli Group, said:“We have employees, partners and distributors in the region directly impacted [by the invasion].

“They are asking that we take a bold stand. This is one actionable, meaningful thing we can do to make it clear that we support Ukraine.”

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February, StoliGroup (which is headquartered in Luxembourg) has repeatedly taken steps to highlight the brand’s separation from Russia.

The group has also reiterated its commitment to “engage exclusively with Slovakian sources to further ensure 100 percent non-Russian alpha grade spirit.”

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has unveiled a new $165M state-of-the-art wine production facility in the Barossa, which has the capacity to produce more than 100 million liters of wine every year.

The new site is the winemaker’s largest bottling operation in the world, and provides TWE with the ability to increase its premium winemaking capacity by one-third, while also driving production efficiencies and expanding storage capacity.

TWE Chief Supply Officer, Kerrin Petty, said: “The new site is purpose-built for premium winemaking with the flexibility to scale up or down production depending on demand, which is crucial given the ebbs and flows of wine production. Sustainability has been front of mind throughout the entire project with the new infrastructure allowing us to manage the impacts of climate change on vintages and ensuring we can protect our most valuable grapes and produce the highest quality wine even in challenging years.

“It also sets us up to pursue our commitment to net zero. As our first step toward our target of being powered 100 per cent by renewable energy by 2024, we are installing solar panels to offset 22 per cent of the site’s energy consumption from the grid.

“As always, the safety of our people is our number one priority and we’ve been able to implement improved safety initiatives including being the first in Australia to use automated Guided Vehicles to manage our barrel movements as well as using new automated tank technology to check onthe wine which reduces the need for our team members to frequently enter tanks.”

TWE’s history in the Barossa dates back to 1859. The new site signals a commitment to the SA region for many years to come.

The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code(ABAC) has released its annual report for 2021, which highlights the record workload for the scheme last year.

Over the course of 2021, ABACreceived 3336 requests to pre-vet marketing materials, with 501 of those rejected prior to entering the market, highlighting the importance of the scheme's pre-vetting service. This is an increase of over one-third on the previous year’s pre-vetting requests.

ABAC also reviewed 288 complaints, resulting in 153 determinations by the ABC panel. Eighty determinations were upheld with determinations completed in an average of 19.6 days (the scheme has a 30 day target for determinations).

ABAC independent chair, HarryJenkins AO, said: “Alongside normal activity, in 2021 the industry also had to deal with the closure of licensed premises, a shift toward at-home consumption, new delivery methods and takeaway products.

“The associated marketing of all of these new measures was subject to the established regulatory framework. As a result, the year 2021 was an extremely busy year for ABAC, with record levels of activity for our Adjudication Panel and the pre-vetting service.

“The majority of ABAC complaints and breaches related to digital social media posts, with the lack of age restriction on certain social media posts generating particular concern.”

Jenkins also said the scheme’s prevetters deserve congratulations on their“impressive results” in dealing with such a significant increase in the number of requests they received.

Independent online alcohol provider, Hairydog Group, has announced the acquisition of S&P Liquor Group, effective as of 16 May.

Hairydog and S&P Liquor will continue to operate as standalone entities, with Hairydog continuing to be a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform, while S&P Liquor maintains its wholesale distribution business for Sydney retail and hospitality venues.

Paul Ververis will remain as General Manager of S&P Liquor to help continue business growth into the future.

He said: “I’m delighted to continue to lead S&P Liquor and begin the relationship with Hairydog. It’s business as usual for S&P customers, they can rest assured that they will continue to receive the same great service from the same trusted staff, and continue to get the best in market pricing and deals.”

The Hairydog online store was created in 2020 to help the hospitality industry regain some of the financial losses of unused alcohol stock by providing the opportunity to buy it back, then delivering it directly to the public at affordable, competitive prices. This acquisition illustrates a new chapter for the business.

Miriam Moynihan, Hairydog Group General Manager, said: “This is an exciting time for Hairydog as we enter our next phase of growth. I’m thrilled to work closely with Paul and S&P Liquor to continue to build upon each other’s successes and for new opportunities across the group.”

The five Sydney-based Liquor Emporium stores of S&P Liquor will remain owned byVerveris and his family and will be transferring their purchasing to Paramount Liquorand joining the Sessions Liquor Group banner.

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