Distell continues to grow exports

RAY SMUTS EVEN though many export-focused wine producers, frustrated by a relentlessly strong rand, sought support from South African consumers through price-cutting measures, this is not the path the Distell Group intends following, MD Jan Scannell said last week. From an export perspective, overall sales to Africa were up by 7% while international sales volumes grew by 7.2%, despite temporary set-backs in Amarula sales to key markets of Canada and Brazil, in the first instance a strike in Quebec, the largest support base of the brand in the country. “Wines performed extremely well in export markets, growing volumes 11% in an extremely tough global environment."