Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
april 2016 / the tasting panel / 59 also consults on marketing and new business development, recently adding brand creation and design—work- ing with a cadre of external creative experts—to its repertoire. Ten years ago, the firm founded Genesis, an incubator distributorship in New York, which has a sales force of ten part- time sales representatives. The sales team has successfully introduced new brands to market. The buzz generated by the team was the stepping stone many brands needed in order to catch the attention of traditional distributors in a crowded marketplace. This extensive suite of services was the primary reason Steven Luttman, founder and CEO of Leblon Cachaça (recently acquired by Bacardi), chose MHW. "We needed a logistics solu- tion, from importing and compliance to warehousing, shipping and invoic- ing/collections from our distributors. We were a start-up and could never afford to do all this ourselves, not to mention that we had to focus on sales, marketing and producing our prod- uct. We were introduced to MHW, and it was a godsend. We didn't know this capability was available, and they were really the only ones to provide these services at the time we created our business in 2005." MHW proved the service model a triumph as much for their clients as for themselves. "Our greatest asset is our roster of brands—such as Avión Tequila, 1800 Tequila, Hypnotiq, Skinny Girl Margarita and many others — that have seen great success," says Beaudette. Inevitably, others have tried to recre- ate MHW's strategy. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, newer competitors, many opened in the last five years, lack MHW's relationships, resources and enduring experience. Shane McCarthy, the Boston and New York market manager for Crean's Lager of Dingle Brewing Company in Ireland, confirms. "What sets MHW apart is their communication, attention to detail and industry knowledge." He uses MHW for all U.S. logistics: from order processing and customer invoicing, delivery coordination, to U.S. Customs clearance. "On the federal and state level, we rely on their expertise for all regulatory compliance matters," McCarthy says. He points to a recent event, the 78th NBWA (National Beer Wholesalers Association) Annual Convention recently held in Las Vegas, as an example of their excellent customer service. "The MHW team worked very closely with us to have a successful show—from the design of the exhibit with our creative agency in Ireland to the management of the door to door logistics." To support their clients, MHW boasts multiple proprietary technol- ogy platforms. "We spent a lot of money and time building them," says Beaudette. This ranged from the integrated compliance system, capable of high-level custom specification, to the client reporting dashboard which provides transparent access to all sales and financial information. "It's state-of-the-art and very user-friendly," says McCarthy. By the end of summer, MHW will launch its latest innovation: a cloud-based ERP system which will provide continuous proprietary soft- ware updates meeting the ever chang- ing landscape of client needs, industry rules/regulations, and the information delivery platforms—here today and coming tomorrow. It also provides critical safeguards with respect to data access, protection and redundancy. The company has one more asset that literally can't be copied: the depth of experience and commitment of its leadership team. John Beaudette, for example, serves as Chairman Emeritus of the National Association of Beverage Importers Inc. (NABI). This role keeps his finger on the pulse of industry change; consequently, he's regularly engaged to speak at conferences and events all over the world. EVP Scott Saul and COO MaryAnn Pisani both boasts nearly two decades at MHW as does their Director of Systems, Ritch Robinson. CFO Hilary Grossman is closing in on her 15th year with the company. Additions to the manage- ment team over the last three to ten years include folks like Melanie Gbowu, Manager of Business Development and Marketing, and Mike Horowitz, Director of Strategic Planning and Information Technology. This stability, coupled with forward thinking, is a testament to MHW's success and deep knowledge of the alcohol beverage industry. "Ultimately," says Beaudette, "there's no one simple formula to replicating what we do. It's not just understanding the complexity of the industry. You can't replicate the people side of our business as well as the trust so many industry members place in us." A Genesis—an incubator distributorship in New York—supplier meeting for ARTA tequila at Toloache Thompson NYC with Steve Shaw (far right) of SDS Enterprises.