A chance encounter with a bottle-shop owner from Vanuatu at an international trade show has seen the team from the Grove Distillery begin exporting their products to the South Pacific nation.
Last year, the Grove Distillery entered their products in Junipoolooza gin festival, which was held in Melbourne and is where they met the international retailer.
The distillery were awarded with double golds and best in show at the internationally acclaimed festival.
The Grove Distillery owner Val Hughes said it was really exciting because they did not think much more of the chance meeting until they received his phone call.
“It was fantastic,” she said.
Her partner Steve Hughes said they hoped the export deal would be ongoing because the Vanuatuan businessman had extended his store.
“We have spent a lot of money on the label design and bottles so it looks good in retail,” he said.
“We sent spirits including rum, gin, whiskeys and vodkas. For us it was a big order.”
Over the years the team from The Grove have diversified their products to include a range of liqueur, spirits and beer.
Mr Hughes said a common phrase they heard at their cellar door was, ‘we are just wined out I want something different.’
The Grove’s distiller James Reed said it was cool they were now exporting their product to international markets.
“We have 140 wineries around here, we cannot all drink the wine here,” he said.
Vasse MP Libby Mettam said it was really exciting that producers from the region were exporting niche products to other countries.
“Across Australia our export strengths were demand for niche products, particularly from the Margaret River region,” she said. “The more that we can diversify those products the better.”
