Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/205467
PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG Arthur Shapiro, Managing Director of the Americas for APU. New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, Western Canada and California from San Diego up to San Francisco. "One of the things a lot of people do with new ventures is that they try to go into too many markets too soon," says Shapiro. "Our philosophy is to go into select markets and develop the brand before we go elsewhere. So we're happy with five or six markets. Come January, we'll start looking for others." This strategy of taking the long view and being patient in building brands is at the heart of the global effort by APU. According to Jett Yang, Managing Director, Global Sales and Marketing for APU, "Soyombo and our other export vodkas took years to develop and we want to grow them globally with the same care and patience. APU's Chairman Batsaikhan Purev and the executive management believe that the road to success is the willingness to invest for the long-term." Shapiro is the former executive vice president of marketing and strategy for Seagram's spirits and wine. At Seagram's, says Shapiro, "I learned my lesson about new products and I learned that it's all about repeat business. It's not about getting distribution. Yes, of course distribution is important but you really want to develop roots for a brand rather than go all over the place and not make it." Other key brand building efforts Shapiro and Yang are using involve a focus on the bar trade with an extensive repertoire of unique drink recipes, a full array of on- and off-premise merchandising and a first class team. The Soyombo sales and marketing team is indeed formidable. In addition to Shapiro in the USA and Americas, the international team includes Jett Yang, managing director, global sales and marketing of the international business for APU. Formerly of IDV and Bacardi, Yang was the global marketing manager for Bombay Sapphire. Also actively consulting is James Espey OBE, the former president of United Distillers and IDV, and chairman of Chivas/Martell for Seagram's. "America doesn't need another vodka. God knows we have more vodkas than we need," admits Shapiro. "But we think we've got two things going for us. One, Soyombo is unique. Unique by virtue of its longevity, its history, the company behind it and the country it comes from. But it also possesses that certain mystique. "Our market, of course, is the 25- to 40-year-old vodka-drinking consumer, PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG COVER STORY THE SOURCE OF FORTUNE: Discover Soyombo. Discover Mongolia. The symbols, from the Mongolian script formulated in the 17th century, all have significance. For example, the two verticals represent fortress walls, from an old Mongolian adage that "friendship between two people is stronger than walls." The Flame has three branches that stand for the past, present and future and will flourish three times. The two horizontal rectangles represent honesty, justice and nobility. The round form symbolizes complementary duality and the eternal nature of the lifecycle. The sun and the moon represent the eternal Mongolian sky. The company has formulated cocktails based on each symbol, available on its website. Soyombo is crafted in small batches and is made from the finest organic wheat from the Selenge Province on the Mongolian Steppes. PHOTO: THE APU COMPANY 72 / the tasting panel / november 2013 TP1113_066-107.indd 72 10/24/13 9:23 AM