Logistics keeps pace with wine export surge

As South African wine exports surged to an all time high in 2013, the country’s beverage logistics sector proved to the world that it was up to the task. According to Karen Dippenaar, sales manager for JF Hillebrand, as export volumes surged reaching a total of 525.7 million litres in 2013, a 26% increase on the previous high achieved in 2012, the efficiency of the South African beverage logistics sector was put to the test – and passed with f lying colours. “It was an opportunity for us as an industry to showcase what we can do and the feedback we are receiving has been extremely positive – not only on the product quality but on the efficiencies of our logistics supply chain.” South African wine exporters have been celebrating their bumper harvests with increased exports thanks to strong year-on-year growth in established and newer markets. According to Siobhan Thompson, CEO of Wines of South Africa (Wosa), South Africa managed to fill the gap created by the poor European harvest while ongoing penetration of new markets was starting to pay off. “South Africa is increasingly perceived as the source of interesting, original and well-made wines,” she said. Dippenaar agreed saying volumes had increased on most trade lanes. “What was very positive to see was that the volumes were generated from all the regions within the South African wine growing areas.” Dippenaar told FTW that with more and more wine being shipped out in bulk, South Africa had become known as a good-value, high-quality wine-producing country. “We expected to see bulk exports increase in 2013, but what was just as exciting was to see the great growth in the South African branded bottled volumes,” she said. According to Wosa, wine exports to the UK and Germany, South Africa’s two biggest markets, saw significant increases with packaged wines to the UK up 31% and to Germany 17%. Total volumes to Germany increased by 24%, to the UK by 21% and to Russia by 18%. Exports to big wine producing regions such as France, Italy and Spain also increased while South Africa is slowly but surely starting to gain ground in the American market where exports increased by a whopping 37%.