US Retail Client: Supplier Alignment & Consistency

How choosing one deeply aligned partner delivered eight years of stability — and why long-term commitment outperformed sourcing flexibility.

Why It Matters

Retail wine programs often optimise for flexibility at the start — and pay for it later.

When sourcing is spread across multiple suppliers, ownership weakens, decisions slow down, and consistency becomes something teams manage reactively.
This case shows what changes when continuity is treated as a shared responsibility — and when one partner is chosen not for optionality, but for long-term fit.

Context

A major US retailer, cautious after previous inconsistency, posed a direct question:

“Can South Africa deliver this style, at scale, every year?”

Thirteen reference samples were provided, and two sourcing approaches were explored.

The Two Options

Option 1 — Decentralised Blending (Multiple Wineries)
Pros
• Maximum sourcing flexibility

Cons
• High management and logistics complexity
• Greater risk of style variation
• Slower decisions → missed production windows
• Diffuse accountability
• Limited ability to plan vineyards long term

Option 2 — Single Aligned Cooperative
Pros
• Unified production system
• Clear accountability
• Strong internal QC discipline
• Scalable, stable supply
• Multi-vintage planning capability
• Shared commercial incentives

Cons
• Difficult to find a partner aligned across commercial, technical, and strategic dimensions

One cooperative stood out across all criteria: business fit, ambition, wine capability, QC strength, scalability, and financial clarity.

Why the Cooperative Committed

The program aligned with the cooperative’s long-term production strategy and represented a meaningful share of annual volume.

That justified early vineyard allocation, internal prioritisation, and multi-vintage planning.
Because the opportunity mattered beyond a single season, consistency became a shared objective — not a service promise.

How Consistency Was Built

• Vineyard blocks allocated more than eight months before harvest
• Farming plans matched to defined sensory and chemical targets
• Shared QC protocols from pre-bottling through post-arrival
• Transparent tank and sample tracking
• Weekly cross-partner communication
• Multi-vintage planning based on real supply continuity
• Shared understanding of category role and price positioning

Outcome

• Eight years of uninterrupted supply
• Vivino rating consistently above the first vintage (+0.2 uplift)
• Second SKU added due to stable performance
• Increased retailer confidence in South Africa as a reliable origin

Sans Silos Insight

Consistency follows commitment.
When the opportunity matters to a partner’s future, stability stops being accidental.