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Sweet, sour and berry berry tasty Come and meet the Queen of American Wines! P erfetti Van Melle outlined how it is tapping into trends and appealing to a mass market, while still retaining a little travel retail exclusivity. Speaking about the opportunities, Perfetti Van Melle Director Travel Retail Michiel Goedvolk explained: “The main thing we are doing here is meeting our customers. But there are things that are new, like sour Chupa Chups and for Mentos we now have berry flavours, which are popular.” According to Goedvolk: “Sour is something that is, apparently not as popular in Asia just yet but certainly is in Europe and US, plus sour is still growing to become a big thing. That’s why we have launched sour lollipops.” Goedvolk revealed that time and time again, people buy the flagship products in novelty formats. For instance: “The massive lollies are the clear number one seller and then our second is one of those jumbo tubes of Mentos and then our animal backpacks, which are our most premium products, they are doing amazingly well too. We’ve just launched a camel for the Middle East.” But how is business? Goedvolk admitted: “It’s not easy going. Since the pandemic, China’s has been quite challenging.” But, he explained, this has made Perfetti Van Melle try harder. He said: “We’re really addressing the younger target group with our products. What we find in Asia is that there are still gaps in the market, so we’re looking at L awrence Wine Estates is a carefully curated portfolio of iconic, historical wineries that honour tradition through organic, biodynamic farming and perfectionist winemaking. They are the 5th largest landowner in Napa Velley, California and represent wines that are classical, through natural farming and fresh thinking methods. They are stewards of legacy world-renowned Estates- Heitz Cellar, Stony Hill, Burgess, Haynes Vineyard, Ink Grade, and Trailside Vineyard in the Napa Valley and Château Lascombes in Margaux. “We are now looking to expand globally in Asia and in particular the Middle East and India and are keen to meet buyers from those regions on our debut at the show this week,” says Demeine Estates President, Philana Bouvier. One of only a few Asian American female executives running a fine wine import company, Bouvier leads a team that embodies the artistry and legacy of perfectionist winemaking with single-vineyard wines that are 100% organic and leaders in biodynamic farming. Demeine Estates, a family-owned producer, importer and marketer of the some of the world’s finest wines has grown impressively, in just three years, under Philana’s leadership. It represents luxury China and Korea too.” Goedvolk added that there was still an element of exclusivity for the brands too, however big they are in terms of consumer recognition, a point of difference is still key. He admitted: “The products we have, you can’t buy them anywhere else other than travel retail. They’re not niche or anything because we’re really focusing on the masses, but you wouldn’t find any of these products anywhere else other than GTR.” Basement 2 / 2-F28 heritage producers from Napa Valley along with Tuscany, Veneto, Champagne, Chablis, and Burgundy, increasing their footprint in Western Europe. Notably, in late 2023, Demeine Estates added Philipponnat (Champagne), Villa Sandi (Veneto/ Prosecco), and Boscarelli (Tuscany) to its expanding portfolio. Example prices in travel retail range from USD$85 to $350 for Heitz Cellar cabernet sauvignon, the crown jewel of American wine; $195 for Ink Grade Howell Mountain; $225 for Trailside cab sauvignon and $250 for Stony Hill cabernet. Come and meet Philana -” The Queen of American Wines” at the Heitz/Demeine stand this week. Basement 2 / 2-F3 Wednesday 14 May 2025 13 T F W A D A I L Y