Moving Forward Courageously Together: Our Approach & Vision

Are ideas around innovative packaging concepts accepted by decision-makers in the wine, spirits and sparkling wine industry – or even demanded? Matthias Vollherbst, Managing Partner, Vollherbst: “I have the feeling that interest is greater than ever. The Covid-19 pandemic is not the cause here, but the catalyst. The general development of our customers was already moving, before coronavirus, away from ‘more volume for less money’ towards ‘more uniqueness for more value’.” In recent years Vollherbst has actively worked to offer its customers innovative packaging solutions for their brands. For example – after thorough examination of target groups, needs and trends – the craftLABEL and the augmented-reality app “LABELinmotion” were developed, to name just two innovations. Matthias Vollherbst would like to see innovations used even more strongly. “We encourage our customers: step out of comparability! Don’t go with the crowd! Because that predetermines the price war. Develop your own ideas, tell us about them. Be bold. We will help you implement them.”

“Innovation around the bottle matters more to me than in the bottle. Inside the bottle it is hard to reinvent the wheel. An entirely new wine style is rare. The look has to move me. When I started in our wine merchant business 18 years ago, we always tasted the wines blind. Today I would never do that: I look at the packaging first. Only if it convinces me does the wine even make the selection. Appearance is a knock-out criterion.”

“A product grabs me through the packaging, the look. Or it grabs me because colleagues think it is cool. That is actually the biggest trigger of all. And it can intrigue me when a classic product comes in modern packaging. Vermouth, for example, at the moment. But product quality, the taste, always has to be right. If it is not, innovations come to nothing. Each year I take on relatively few new estates. I am not an innovation hunter. For me there has to be a story behind the wine, and a certain history. If a new estate interests me, I watch it for two to three years first.”

“I buy wine everywhere, and a great deal of it: online, from the grower, on Instagram. I don’t want to miss anything, and I even order by voice message now and then. I am really up for new things! In general: the contents of a wine bottle catch me more than its appearance. What counts is what is inside, not what is outside. Innovations are door-openers, yes. But not because they are technically or graphically well made. Innovations with extra added value would impress me. A label you can also use as a pourer! How cool would that be? A label that becomes a flipbook? Mega! AR labels can be really strong too. A niche. When a label starts to live, tells a story and the consumer gets genuine added value. I appreciate that kind of pioneering work.”