McLaren Vale’s Hastwell & Lightfoot have stepped out of their comfort zone and initiated a personal ‘hyper-local’ delivery service.

Given that many small to medium winemakers have had to close their cellar doors and have lost an enormous amount of business with the shutting of restaurants, ‘necessity has become the mother of invention’.

The boutique winegrower is partnering with other beverage producers and launched ‘McLaren Vale Alcohol Delivery, with the on-line presence www.mclarenalcoholdelivery.com.au

Hastwell & Lightfoot’s general manager Kishan Sidhu was the key driver of this new initiative.

“We needed to keep the business alive and so decided to offer ‘hyper-local’ delivery. I have been stocking up my car and driving around Adelaide delivering wine,” Sidhu said.

The new business model now includes Swell Brewing Co., a McLaren Vale brewer.  “We are keen to increase our offering with other locally produced beverages. Zonte’s Footstep has also joined us, and we have a spirit producer looking to come on board.”

The new website is still evolving, with a click and collect option to be rolled out shortly. “We have a number of locations that customers will be able to collect their orders from,” continued Sidhu.

“This will enable an even more customised offering as customers will have the option of receiving their wine and beer or picking it up at their convenience.

“I was inspired to develop this ‘Hyper-Local’ offering from my Grandparents who, in years gone by, had a milk supply business. They would hand deliver their milk daily to their customers.

“They looked after a small locality and knew all their customers by name. At the time, these local deliveries were the norm. We have, to a certain degree, and with the addition of technology, emulated the model.

“With these uncertain times, we all need to re-look at our business models. Our cellar door was always a family operated, personal experience, and so we are rolling this same offering out within a new model.

“We have had a fantastic response and support from our customers and are talking to a number of other McLaren Vale winemakers about rolling their brands into the platform.”

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