Wines of Western Australia (WoWA) in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has appointed Hydra Consulting to develop a collaborative framework and strategy to implement the state’s Wine Export Growth Partnership.

The Partnership aims to double the volume of annual WA wine exports from 12% to 20%; increase the value to $12 per litre from the current average of $10.61; and in addition, increase the number of WA wine producers that are successfully exporting.

In achieving these objectives, the partnership will be instrumental in supporting WA to build stronger, more resilient and diverse markets.

This project is an industry led and government supported initiative. The wineries of Western Australia will be actively engaged in supporting the development and implementation of key international activities.

Jeff Burch of Burch Family Wines said, “The appointment of Hydra Consulting and Liz Mencel is a great step forward for the Western Australian wine industry and our endeavours to grow wine sales within key international markets”.

“As an industry, we look forward to working closely with the team and leveraging their knowledge.”

Hydra Consulting, a boutique consultancy firm with offices in Western Australia and South Australia, has been appointed to establish the program ready for a full launch in 2021.

The company says it will lean on WoWA’s and its own networks to identify project partnerships, validate target markets for export, create market development strategies, identify preferred supply chains and engage with the WA wine industry.

This project will be delivered over the coming nine months, with export activations scheduled to commence in June 2021.

WoWA’s CEO Larry Jorgensen said, “The engagement of Hydra Consulting marks an important turning point for the WA wine sector and is the culmination of the efforts of many industry players and DPIRD”.

Hydra Consulting is nationally recognised for its experience in wine export capability building and export programs.

It has developed and delivered the Growing Wine Exports Program across Australia (and virtually in recent times) and was a partner in the development and delivery of Growing Wine Tourism on behalf of Wine Australia.

Hydra Consulting also delivered Growing Ciders Exports and set up two export programs for the SA Government. Its team has extensive experience in selling wine and establishing supply chains globally.

Liz Mencel will be the project lead in Western Australia. She has 25 years’ experience in export marketing roles, including 15 years spent working with small- and medium-sized enterprises in the wine sector at various stages of the supply chain.

Mencel owned and operated successful wine export businesses over an eight-year period, exporting a dedicated Western Australian portfolio of producer labels to Japan and the US, and later teaming up with a large US-based importer/distributor to export a more diverse portfolio of wines (from Australia and NZ) to 20+ states across the US.

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