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Andrew Browne, CEO of Precept Wine, explains how his chocolate-infused wine called Chocolate Shop came to be and how it is establishing a strong follo...
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Wednesday and we also like -- out Wednesday's that injecting wind with me today and rich can believe are not -- stepped.
This is like your post Easter chocolate fix like -- -- that it.
We're -- job and my ounces of it was Easter Sunday so this is apropos as far as I'm concerned.
We have to talk about chocolate wine and injure brown CEO precept Wein is with us on set with these chocolate and wine.
How does one come up with the concept of chocolate line.
Well -- school winds been around forever chocolates been around forever but to actually put them together.
And make that work that was the talent -- put -- -- winemakers about two years ago seeing.
He used the grapes and talk about the -- -- -- we took real red wine and we infused it with chocolates -- So it is like a fresh taste like -- -- taking chocolate chocolate syrup and putting it in with red wine.
What's the base red -- it's a bland it's a Bordeaux blend yes.
OK and where you based out of Seattle Washington so piece of -- is based out of Seattle Washington yes.
Very up and coming region as a glass of wine -- goes -- that a lot of great winds coming out of your region you know why do you think that is.
I think it's the growing region I think it starts clue what's in the dirt and -- the grapes grow wonderfully there.
And which is amazing to me I've recently learned about Washington -- in that that.
You know the terrain is so different from one place to another -- you can almost make -- that any kind of -- you want we can and that that is always a challenge because you're known if you're known for one varietal.
Then you're known very well Fort Washington makes great riesling is great Chardonnay is but we also make great red -- How -- online business.
-- -- two years twenty years.
-- -- why has been around her grew about ten it's okay.
Ten years you're in the -- business one -- -- wake up and say hey let's infuse it with chocolate so I think that thing that's always been out there is people love red wine and chocolate because we even have had -- here on -- Yes so we we put the challenge out far winemakers who they laughed at us we said how do we make you red wine.
With chocolate in it actual put chocolate and so we -- the challenge to come about a year to experiment and and have fun with it and we came up with chocolate shop.
Talk a -- -- the name of the line how long has this been around about a year round Valentine's Day last year OK and high selling.
We're doing great.
-- and five countries will sell about 250000 cases this year.
It is it's it's exceeded all expectations he's in novelty wine if you don't like you know what I'm gonna somebody's -- and -- -- -- kick them and bring a chocolate line I think it starts out as a novelty I think what changes is the feedback we've gotten on FaceBook and Twitter.
We've never seen the kind of attitudes that people use.
People are going crazy over this so it starts out as a novelty got a chocolate -- it's reasonably priced so taken over my friend's house.
Then all of a sudden they get -- there's this brand loyalty that's gone crazy we had a great Valentine's Day Easter was huge and in the big one his Mother's Day.
My -- absolutely don't you wanna go over to your mother -- maker happy.
What what's the best thing that they didn't.
Invest.
I don't have one incidentally -- better you know.
But I can bring it to my mom manage failures -- absolutely.
Mother's Day chocolates up why not now let me let me ask how do I find this in my area.
Well first of all you go to your local wine -- you go to your local industry that -- and you ask if it's not in there you ask -- were in all fifty states.
They'll find it they'll they'll call the local distributor the retailer well and they look at this -- for you what does it retails for.
Retails between ten and twelve dollars and so what really targeting you targeting limit what we started out targeting women we thought we -- gonna target young women right and what's happened is.
We were we were right and we were wrong young women.
Older women men.
As as long as they want as long as they wanna try wine.
And they like chocolate.
I think those are the two things that you look at but the thing that's been really transcending on this is that we're -- people that world wine drinkers but they love chocolate and now they're.
Now they're trying as chocolate -- and hanging then is getting -- into the whole one world because of the spot Williamson.
You know what we've been in the wine business for a long time we do we have a lot of wonderful brands.
We we truly do make core our core business is about making great line.
This was something that we.
We put together we didn't know what it was gonna do it's taken it's taken the world on fire which -- online right now.
Our best selling one by the end of this year is gonna be this one is it really absolutely what other kind is what other rattles and you produce we produce across the board -- like like I said we produce riesling Chardonnay is.
Really the -- categories for -- right now are -- -- We're seeing also people are really into the floral white -- like -- agrees so you know belongs riesling is.
That's a category we don't make a lot of -- Scott almost autos that -- white wine that's out there very sweet.
It's sweet and so what happens is you start out as this that you start out as a consumer that doesn't know a lot about wind you start sweet and you move dry.
What is simply will then that -- wind Salinger.
Washington hills.
Water Brooke.
Red not from Australia.
Canoe ridge citing not present wine and finally why -- precept going dot com you'll find all along quite a what is -- what changes have you seen during the recession.
-- I think there were two different things that happened the people that bought expensive wine decided to start drinking their sellers.
So they had saved up line.
The economy hits they've got all this great -- they realize I can drink the one that I bought overalls and -- -- out fine.
Well they didn't buy as much and they started actually drinking these winds are actually saying wow that's really good -- and my cell RAI they're coming back and there in their their back and they're buying expensive wines.
Everybody else that we're buying fifteen and twenty dollar bottle alliance ended up buying ten and fifteen dollar bottle wants so there was a trade down.
They were looking for value they became much more treasure hunters.
And that's really tough to fit into what you know chocolate shop is one of those things that -- -- knock on would you you just say how did this happen.
It's it the -- been incredible and I don't think it's just going to be a trend I think what.
When I talk about the -- that people use about this morning this is something that they really was doing makes you line is -- used if -- I don't even now I can't even think well you better.
Let me tell you a we've got our our our winemakers are excited about experimenting now because now we're kind of saying throw it open right -- -- -- everything -- with sticks.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Thank you think things are being here come across the country.
I had.
