The Gypset: Climate Impacts on Logistics + Marketing Support for Growing Teams
This Issue: Container Costs | Climate Impacts | Marketing Support & more!
NOW: W. Europe winery shutdowns. NOW - SEPT: NE Europe winery shutdowns. SEPT 7: Port & Warehouse closed for Labor Day. NOV 1: Thanksgiving container arrivals. AFTER NOV 15: Thanksgiving congestion, add 1 week for inbound. NOV 19: Beaujolais Nouveau- plan ahead. HOLIDAY: Order your bubbles early!
A $2-per-case discount to fill a container saved one importer $1,000 on paper — and cost them $3,183 in storage and financing before it sold. The lowest rate on a quote was never the same as the lowest cost of the shipment. What's your last "good deal" actually costing you?
Grand Cru Montrachet was picked on August 13th this year — the earliest harvest in 500 years.
What happens when harvest arrives before the supply chain is ready for it?
from our warchest
People in our corner who know how to help you
Running a business in the alcohol industry means wearing ten hats you didn't train for. We tend to hear the same problems over and over — so we point you toward people in our corner who actually fix them. This month: Fractional Marketing Support
In three-tier businesses, marketing usually lands on someone already wearing another hat entirely, or it's one person's focus, without enough support behind them. What's missing isn't effort; it's a strategy and the system to build it.
Samantha Dickinson is a fractional marketing partner who helps teams prioritize what matters, strengthen their brand and sales tools, and build marketing systems that connect every touchpoint to results that actually move the needle.
"She builds the plane while she's flying it" — Alexi, CEO, Elysia & Co
Want an intro? Email Alexi and she'll make the connection personally.
LCL Notes
Due to August and September winery closures, we are seeing a delay in ready dates. Don't delay in getting your orders in!
A TWIST OF NEWS
Our take on the stories worth your time
CANNABIS
Hemp-Derived THC Beverages Gain Ground Toward the Three-Tier System. Hemp-derived THC beverages face a major shift this December, when a federal reclassification takes effect — shrinking the legal threshold from up to 0.3% THC by dry weight per product to a strict 0.4 milligrams per container. That's a bar most current products don't meet, putting many at risk of losing a legal route to market. WSWA has just endorsed the newly proposed Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, which would keep these drinks legal and fold them into our three-tier system. We're starting to see an industry divide — producer trade groups have yet to support the new Parity Act, while retailers and distributors are backing it directly. Read the full article
SOURCE: WSWA
MARKET TRENDS
Where Wine Is Actually Growing (Even as the Market Shrinks). Global wine consumption just hit a six-decade low — but The Drinks Business found real growth happening anyway, from Asti DOCG doubling sales in China to lighter, lower-alcohol wines gaining share. Elysia's own numbers made the cut too: container bookings are running 19% ahead of last year. Read the full article
SOURCE: THE DRINKS BUSINESS
MARKET TRENDS
On-Premise Keeps Outperforming Retail. SipSource’s Q2 data points to continued resilience in the on-premise channel, where wine and spirits volume declined just 2.5% over the trailing 12 months, versus 7.3% off-premise. The report also identifies imported wines—led by Italy and France—as a relative bright spot, aligning with Elysia & Co.’s view that demand may be shifting toward discovery-driven, import-led channels rather than disappearing altogether. Read the full article
SOURCE: WINE BUSINESS
RESTRUCTURING
Diageo Resets Its Growth Targets. Diageo just cut nearly 2,000 jobs — about 6% of its workforce — as new CEO "Drastic Dave" Lewis pushes a $1 billion cost-cutting plan and slashes its growth target from 5-7% down to low-single-digits through 2029. Read the full article
SOURCE: THE SPIRITS BUSINESS
RESTRUCTURING
Treasury Wine’s Reset: What’s Done, What’s Left. Former Treasury Wine Estates COO Robert Foye says the company has made “real progress” on its operating model, China strategy, U.S. review, portfolio rationalization and cost discipline. But he says the next test is execution—especially improving U.S. route-to-market, distributor and customer performance in key markets including California and Texas. Read the full article
SOURCE: THE DRINKS BUSINESS
INDUSTRY ON THE ROAD
The Elysia team will be at RAW WINE!
Oct 14-17 |La Fete du Champagne (NYC)
Oct 22-24|La Fete du Champagne (Chicago)
Oct 26- 27 | VinItaly USA (NYC)
Nov 8-9 | RAW WINE (NYC)
“The team at Elysia is reliably responsive, communicative, creative, and adaptable. They are our go-to source for any logistical question, and we truly appreciate their open-mindedness and forward thinking during these ever-changing times in the wine business."— Soizic and Caro, Wasserman & Co
