“You’re either crazy or brave,” friends said, when they first heard we were about to launch the WineXpress website.
I was given a wonderful opportunity 10 years ago to be involved in the setting up of an online wine company. The business grew in to a great business and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to become a partner and to be part of this growth and to learn about the wine industry.
However, after a few years the industry started to change and with the glut on the wine industry firstly in Australia and then New Zealand, I felt that the wine producers and growers were really doing it tough. In order to survive they had to cut there production costs by half to keep up with the market demand and therefore a lot of the wine was being purchased at ridiculously low prices in order to survive.
Because of this, not only in the wine industry but across the board, I felt that small business were really suffering and not being able to make ends meet and to produce the quality that they truly desired.
I am a passionate believer in getting behind small business once again as this is the core of our Australian and New Zealand beliefs.
Therefore I sold my interest in the business and started WineXpress in June 2010. My passion is to get behind ALL SMALL BUSINSSESS’S and to support them. I honestly believe that if we go back to our core beliefs that we can once again have a say.
Some friends thought I was really brave. Most of them thought I was crazy. They couldn’t understand why I would set up a business selling wines based on quality, authenticity and boutique production when mass marketing, bulk buying and price cutting was clearly what was making money. Because I wanted to continue to find and enjoy beautiful, unique wines and because I wanted to support the Australian wine industry, which I have a great passion for.
The concept behind WineXpress is simple. We aim to bring you the experience of enjoying fantastic wines from small boutique wineries and at the same time to help these devoted and sometimes struggling winemakers to survive in what has been widely regarded as a glut in the industry. True, you may pay a little more for your wine, but you are supporting this industry to keep producing some truly superb and unique wines. In 2011, some of the smaller, independent retailers joined me in this movement to support the smaller producers and we are really grateful for their support.
The team at WineXpress spend a great deal of time talking to these wineries, no matter how small or how far down a dirt track! And with your feedback, we will go to great lengths to source wines that are not available in the regular retail outlets or online.
If there is a particular wine that you like to drink, just let us know and we will be happy to find you something comparable through our boutique wineries.
When you buy from WineXpress you know you are getting the real thing. 90% of our wine are not available through the big retailers. And when you buy from us, you are supporting that dedicated band of passionate wine producers that pour their heart and soul into producing wine they are proud of. This means our wine industry will continue to create fantastic new wines for many years to come.
Cheers,
Kaaren & The Team at WineXpress
