Philana Bouvier, president of Demeine Estates, is the first female, non-family member to become president of a major importer and wholesale marketing company for fine wines in the United States.
Demeine Estates supports the portfolio of the Lawrence family and Carlton McCoy Jr.-owned fine wine estates and import supplier partners. The collection includes Heitz Cellar, Burgess, Stony Hill, Brendel, Ink Grade, Champagne Legras & Haas and producers across France and Italy.
Bouvier spoke with Bar & Restaurant about diversity and empowering minority entrepreneurs in the wine industry, on-premise trends, and building strong on-premise buyer and supplier relationships.
Diversity in Her DNA
Growing up in the business, it was very important for Bouvier to bring in other people from minority backgrounds who were not typically working in the distributor world.
“I worked in the wholesale side for 20 years and coming from Hawaii and coming over to California, it was vastly different,” said Bouvier. “There were hardly any women, especially in senior management roles at the wholesale level. It was very important to me to ensure that all identities, men and women across every culture and background be represented, especially at a management level because if you can't drive diversity and innovation, you can't increase ideas.”
Opening Access for Minorities
Dream It, Live It is an initiative that Demeine Estates created in early 2022 – an annually-selected professional partnership opportunity aimed towards wine entrepreneurs. It empowers entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds to be successful in their businesses.
“Much of what's happening is the lack of access to minority communities, right? The lack of access to mentorship,” said Bouvier. “It's an annual program where we pick a business based on their values, mission and how they are driven entrepreneurially to run a successful business in the wine business. We work with them closely to ensure that we're able to kind of achieve their goals together as a business.”
Their mission is inclusion; the program empowers a more inclusive wine industry, one growing business at a time. “It's an intentional and action-oriented initiative that demonstrates the core belief of Demeine Estates – that business done with people is ethical, genuine, transparent and inclusive,” Bouvier added.
Last year, Demeine Estates partnered with Tish Wiggins who runs a travel company called Tish Around Town. It was a celebration of women and wine, and happened in March, Women's History Month.
“She brought on about 20 plus attendees from across the country that normally do not get the same access into the wine industry,” said Bouvier. “Tish put together a beautiful program with like-minded wineries in the Valley. It was extremely successful because we were able to introduce the wine business to a group of people that normally don't get introduced to wine. She was able to create a business through her eyes and introduce special wine experiences to these attendees.”
Trends in the On-Premise Industry
In 2021, Demeine Estates saw that the big red wines priced $15 and over (Cabernets, red blends and merlots) had shown double digit growth, especially during the first quarter of last year. That trend is expected to continue as well as the rise in eco-friendly wines, noted Bouvier. A Forbes April 25 article summarized 2021 data on the wine and spirits industry from NielsenIQ, Sipsource, IWSR and Wine Business Monthly.
According to Nielsen, 17 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase products that are sustainable and environmentally conscious, and 16 percent are more likely to purchase products that are socially responsible. Bouvier said it is important to communicate this fact on labels as well on websites.
Pre pandemic, people were valuing the experience, Bouvier noted. “Bartender or server knowledge has increased by 42 percent from 2019 to 2021, with 56 percent of consumers taking recommendations from staff on what to drink and when they visit the off-premise,” she said. “It is about the occasion. People now are drinking more every day versus occasionally. You see that in the trends increasing in champagne and sparkling wine, especially.”
Advice for Those in the Field
Bouvier said patience and flexibility is important because as everyone is coming back to work, people are also returning to restaurants and wanting to enjoy their favorite beverage and experience on premise. Restaurants must do their best to ensure that people are able to get to work and put the proper COVID-19 precautions in place.
“Patience for the staff and appreciation that not only did they come to work today, but we value the fact that they did come to work,” said Bouvier. “Everyone is working overtime. There has to be flexibility when it comes to coming back, especially what we've been going through with the pandemic.”
Appreciation of back of the house staff is important, too. “A lot of the back of the house staff are being asked to have longer hours, carry on more shift and to do different roles,” said Bouvier. “Make sure that we appreciate what they're doing out there because we're all doing this together. Everyone's excited to come back, celebrate and be at their favorite bar and restaurant, but we also need to make sure that we're patient and also flexible.”
Consistency Is Vital for a Strong Buyer and Supplier Relationship
For suppliers, be consistent with your knowledge and with your presentation – be succinct, advised Bouvier. She said it's very important that when you do present to a buyer, you have all your information, your pricing and what the pitch is about – that it is clean and concise.
“Make sure that you are there for that buyer, because they're doing their best right providing solutions to increase their business and be part of the solution,” she said. “Make sure that you're listening to what's the best interest of their business and not yours.”
To learn more about Demeine Estates, visit DemeineEstates.com.
Erin Flynn Jay is a reporter and publicist based in Philadelphia. She’s a Bar & Restaurant contributor, and some of her other writing credits include Next Avenue and Woman’s World, among many others.
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