According to a study by the International Trade Center presented by Raimundo Swett of Prochile, the trend in the main markets of the wine industry.
Buenos Aires, May 31, 2022–The fourth edition of the international and virtual meeting on innovation in the wine industry, Wine Innovation Summit, was held, with the main focus on trends and sustainability.
The opening was in charge of Raimundo Swett, Commercial Director of Prochile in Argentina, with 50 commercial offices in the main markets of the world. Swett commented that “Chile has 31 trade agreements in force with 65 world economies, thus reaching 86% of world GDP, 63% of the world population. In other words, Chile is a market of 19 million people, but more than 5 billion consumers, and wine is one of the most emblematic products we have. In 2021, the industry has exported 1,641 million dollars of bottled wines, 313 million dollars of bulk wine and 6 million dollars more related to the wine industry. From Prochile’s point of view, innovation is the fundamental pillar for sustainable change. In relation to the importance of sustainability, for Chile it is a current obligation, and it must be a policy over time. In 1994, Chile sanctioned the law on the environment, which is constantly updated. For his part, he commented that “currently there are 78 vineyards certified with the Wine of Chile sustainability code.”
And he added “that he sees a great opportunity to be at the table of the main markets, based on the consumption trend in which 79% of consumers are changing their purchasing preferences, 85% of retailers have seen consumption growth in the gondola of products with sustainable certifications, and 90% of them believe they will continue to grow in the future”.
At the local level, Mario Lazzaro, General Manager of Fundación Promendoza “Mendoza in 2021, in wines, exported 795 million dollars to 133 destinations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands.” For his part, Luis Romito, Coordinator of the Argentina Winery Sustainability Commission, an entity that brings together 200 member wineries of the entity and export to more than 130 countries, generating more than 900 million dollars in foreign exchange, referred to the growing interest of the member wineries in managing and certifying as a sustainable winery.
In the section on agricultural innovation, Ing. Agro. Vanesa Vignera Crop Nutrition Business Manager of Incentia, DVA Argentina; Incentia is a line that was born with a Holistic Vision, integrating protection, nutrition and care for the environment in crops in an orderly and sustainable way. In addition, she highlighted the importance of caring for the environment and the lack of food worldwide, which directly impacts agricultural production. And coinciding with Raimundo Sweet, in that changes in consumers are mandatory in search of healthier and fresher products.
In relation to crop protection, Cecilia Acosta and Rocío Nadin from Bodega Argento, number one organic producer in Argentina, shared their experience with one of the most important pests in the vineyards of Mendoza: ants and their world. From the planned implementation of biocontrol with different alternative actions on the farms and seeking balance so as not to affect the ecosystem, to alleviate the ant eating the vine.
The technology in the farm came from the hand of Dr. Carla Grosso, Head Farmer Sales of Kilimo and Ing. Agr. Mariano Dorado in Chandon and Terrazas de los Andes, shared the experience of agtech applied to efficient irrigation in vines. Dorado referred to the challenges that the winery has in terms of irrigation, managing irrigation in large areas, reducing operating costs associated with irrigation and making the operation more efficient, optimizing the use of energy and the costs of human resources in the operation. And the last challenge is to certify sustainability.
At the end of the block, Mike Barrow presented 4m3.bio, a biomanufacturing project from harvest residues (vine shoots, stalks and pomace), and from an inoculated fungus generates a material similar to Styrofoam to use as a container for wines, avoiding the use of plastics, wood and cardboard for wine boxes.
In block two, Marta Arranz, Oenologist and WQS specialist at Vinventions Spain, referred to the trends in sustainable wine closures and presented SUBR, “it is a micronatural closure, it is a closure that combines the best of nature and the technology of Vanguard. It is a new category of microglomerate closures that is sustainable. Micronatural closures are made from cork granules and natural, biodegradable and plant-based materials.”
Fernando Buscema, Executive Director of the Catena Institute of Wine and CEO of Qualab, under the question, what do wine and cannabis have in common? I develop his vision of how from disruptive innovation, which is the one that changes the rules of the game; and the perception of the consumer raises what business you are in. And he referred to the theory of “Jobs to be done” or the task that you have to do, is that we should not define what business we are in by the product we produce, but by the task that the consumer has to do. proposes that the service or product you offer, the consumer hires or fires according to their interest”. Buscema raises why they choose us, and highlights three consumer profiles, the gourmet who seeks a pleasant sensory experience, the Expert is the one who seeks a who seeks to know more and, finally, Fee Raider is the one who seeks to make an impact. For all these profiles, wine competes with other products or experiences outside the wine business.
On the side of human resources and the role of women in the wine industry, Federico Azeglio Regional Director NOA, Cuyo and Patagonia of Adecco Argentina, commented that the number of women in the industry grew by 30% in the last year, in sectors as a fractionation line, oenology, laboratory, agronomy, pruning and harvesting.
Technology and the Cryptocurrency world
Since the pandemic, e-commerce has become a new tool for wine sales for wineries. Luciano Rafowicz, Sales Manager Latam at Summa Solutions & Brandlive by Infracommerce, commented that electric commerce has grown a little more than 30% since the pandemic.
Rodrigo Exequiel Garcia Durá Business Developer at Pi Data Strategy & Consulting & Sebastián Aveille, Director of SMEs at Microsoft Argentina addressed the digital transformation from the use of data through artificial intelligence to be more efficient in the use of water and fertilizers in vineyards and thus reduce costs. And anticipate frost on farms or the possibility of hail with early warnings using Microsoft tools.
And finally, Ignacio Indaburu Head of Operations at Satoshi Tango, “thinking that cryptocurrencies are a modern form of money that combines the best properties of the material world, with the functions that digitization and information technology offer us.”
If you are interested in knowing more about what the speakers had to say, go to www.wineinnovationsummit.com
This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Economy of Mendoza, the National Institute of Viticulture (INV), Pro Mendoza and Bodegas de Argentina, the National Institute of Viticulture of Uruguay (INAVI), the Embassy of Uruguay in Argentina, Coviar and sponsors this meeting Kinto, Satoshi Tango, Esker, Pi Data Strategy & Consulting, Incentia Crop Nutrition, DVA Argentina, and Vinventions.
