Beverage market grows hand-in-hand with tourism industry

Moët Hennessy India and Lanka Premium Beverages recently announced their strategic partnership for growth in the luxury beverage market. Known for their excellence in research and innovation, Moet Hennessy is widely recognised for the quality of its products. In this interview with the Daily FT, Moët Hennessy India Ltd. Managing Director Stephan de Meurville, Lanka Premium Beverages CEO Michael Wimmers and three-star Michelin chef Jacques Pourcel share their views on how this partnership is serving as a key initiative to drive growth in the luxury beverage market in the country.

Following are excerpts:

Q: How did the new partnership between Moet Hennessey and Lanka Premium Beverages come about?

De Meurville: Moet Hennessey and MMI, which is one of the co-owners of Lanka Premium Beverages, have been partnering for a bit more than 20 years in many different countries around the world. We started the partnership a longtime back in Dubai which is where MMI was founded. Since we partnered MMI, we have been working towards growing brands and creating an unbelievable and amazing experience for the consumers together. On both sides we have been very happy with the partnership so when they came to the conclusion that they should be opening in Sri Lanka, we felt that we should consider moving and gathering forces with them. 

Wimmers: MMI is part of the Emirates Group and we have been doing businesses as Stephan said together for about 20 years mainly in Dubai and in 2009 we opened businesses together in a lot of other countries such as the Maldives and Tanzania. It is only recently that we opened a company here under the name Lanka Premium Beverages and we are very happy and delighted to have our partner Moet Hennessy trusting us here with the brands and to bring the brands alive in the right way.

Q: Why did you decide to choose Lanka Premium Beverages as the distribution partner?

De Meurville: Because of that long-lasting relationship. Our business is a people’s business. What we are trying to do is really deliver an unbelievable experience to the people but to do so you have to have the right people to get that done. You have to have the right teams. We know the MMI people and we know the MMI teams, we have been working with them as I said earlier for more than 20 years in several countries. 

On a more personal level, we have been working with Michael in the Maldives and together we have been growing a lot of businesses, really creating a nice moment and experience that is top-notch, never seen and never done before. As Michael is leading the Sri Lankan market, we had to trust him as we trusted him in all the other markets and when you have someone that can make a difference, you bet on him.

Q: Where do you see the beverage market heading in Sri Lanka and how has it grown over the last couple of years?

Wimmers: The beverage market in Sri Lanka is just growing because of the growing tourism in the country. There’s so many developments of new international and exciting hotels that are opening all over the country basically. So it’s not just in Colombo. You can see a lot happening in the Southern and Eastern areas. So there’s a lot of tourism coming in and on the back of that you see the beverage market developing further and further. As the market grows, interesting international brands grow as well. 

Q: What are your plans and strategies for expansion and growth in the market here in Sri Lanka?

Wimmers: First of all, bringing the right partners, which is why we are sitting together with Moet Hennessey. What we are planning to do is bring top partners to the right people, activate the brands in the right way and in an international way so that the locals can understand them in the correct way. We are planning on opening retail stores in the country and delivering the goods to top country accounts. 

De Meurville: What we are trying to achieve together, Lanka Premium Beverages with Moet Hennessey and trade friends and partners, whether it is with hotels, restaurants or even retail outlets, is to educate, entertain and delight the consumers. We just want to create amazing and unique experiences that take them to another level. 

Q: What are the dynamics of this partnership and where do you see the potential in the industry?

De Meurville: The potential is endless. If you invest in the market I think it is quite positive. We have to invest a lot of money and efforts in education, to educate the trade and to educate the consumers as to how, why, what are the types of products and where they are coming from. That’s where we can make the real difference. That’s why we are having an event like this bringing down three Michelin Star Chef Jacques Pourcel for the first time in Sri Lanka. That’s what we want to showcase to our consumers here - that champagne can be more than just an aperitif.  

Wimmers: About the dynamics and as Stephan mentioned before it’s about experiences and that’s what makes the difference. In terms of dynamics, we have to bring more experiences to the country to develop the beverage market further and to continue to get those experiences.

Q: What does it mean to partner up with a world-renowned champagne brand?

Pourcel: It has been nearly 35 years since I started cooking and I have always felt that cooking with wines or champagnes is superb. I can’t even think of a good meal without having a good wine or champagne. It goes so naturally.

Q: Could you tell us a little about your paired menu and why it goes so well with champagne?

Pourcel: I have worked every dish thinking about the champagne that it’s been paired with, so extremely fresh, crispy and sparkly. We didn’t use any red meat but used duck instead and cooked it in a traditional way which is the orange French duck.