Tim Lightbourne: Invivo Wine Founder on the growth of New Zealand wines in the US Market

New Zealand winemakers are continuing to make moves in the US.  

Amid an uncertain market, we were the only nation in the top ten US wine suppliers to increase its volume last year. 

Data suggests it’s the 16th year in a row New Zealand wine has reported growth.  

Invivo Wine Founder Tim Lightbourne told Mike Hosking there’s big opportunities over in the States, with New Zealand wines being sold right around the country.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Been a good week for New Zealand Wine with the news.
When it comes to America, New Zealand's the only country
to increase imports again Databank stats. This is sixteenth year
in a row that we've gone growth on growth, on growth,
on growth on growth. Anyway, and Vivo Wine founded Tim
Lightbourne's back with us. Tim, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Way are you in America? You sound like you're here in.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
New Zealand this time. Just came back about two weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Good The level of penetration in America, you know, a
country of three hundred and twenty thirty million people. Are
you just New York or Los Angeles? Are we sort
of infiltrating Kansas and Delaware?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, we're definitely inftrating a number of states. So if
we look at Florida, for example, we're pretty huge over there.
But yeah, right around the country actually, so not just
New York or California.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
What's the room do you reckon for growth?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
But we are only three point six of the market,
so you know, if we can double that, it's pretty
interesting for US. Seven on blo Okay on major export
is number three vrietals, So we're still only half the
size of Chardoneay for example, sir, there's big opportunities.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
And so because we don't do much shame in this country,
does that hold us back if Chardonnau is the number
one tipple?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Now, look, we track thirty six different grape for idels
and seven on blanc is the only one in great
So you know if you keep pumping seven, it's a
big opportunity.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Do you reckon that? Everarens? I've been asking this question
for twenty five, if not thirty years. At some point
the serving yon blanc bubble bursts? Do you reckon it?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Does not as far as I can see it. I
met a lot of buyers last month, and you know
when you walk into that room, they're all sort of
you know, we're like a breath of fresh air, fresh
air for New Zealand. Well, can you.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Ask a lot and what about price? How do we
handle on price? And we we're at the top end,
don't we ish?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, we're about fifteen to twenty, which is seen as
premium over there.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay? And is that growing? So do we sell more
or do we sell the same with more money?

Speaker 2 (01:47):
That category is still growing, which is good for New
zealant self. We just sort of keep pumping that fifteen
to twenty and not sort of drop it down to
that below fifteen, keep going.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, what's your vibe on tariffs?

Speaker 2 (02:00):
I just don't know at the moment, so it's hard
to plan for. What we do know is in twenty
nineteen is a twenty five percent tariff from France, Spain
and Germany, and that didn't destroy the industry. So no,
you know, we'll we'll see what happens.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
See my theory told me. If I'm naive my argument,
it's something like wine. At the top end of wine,
you could put a little bit of something on the
price a dollar and people would still buy it because
they seek it out, they like it. Is that fair
or not?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah? I think so. And if again, if we look
back in what happened twenty nineteen, there was a slight
price increase and it was absorbed. They stop. People still
kept buying.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Interesting. Hey, you know Graham Norton's in the country, don't.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
You, Yeah, we did. We actually had him in Marlbury yesterday.
We were picking grapes with him. He was tasting juice.
He was having a great time.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
There you go, good stuff, nice to catch up with
the Tim Tim Lightbourn, who was the Inbibo wine founder
tie up of course with Graham Norton, who happens to
be here. But as I mentioned with then, and I'm
glad to hear that theory of mine could be correct, because,
as I mentioned earlier on in the program, Ferrari are
simply increasing the price of the cars by ten percent,
and so don't worry about the tariffs. The people who
buy Ferraris have got another ten percent. We'll just whack

(03:06):
that on the top. And Bob's your uncle, as simple
as they For

Speaker 2 (03:09):
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