Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
january–february 2010 / the tasting panel / 77 W hen he began developing the idea for a chocolate-and-wine drink three years ago, beverage industry veteran Steven Katz could hardly have predicted the runaway success he would have. After months of study, Katz and his wife, Cecile, who has been instrumental in the project since the beginning, commissioned one of Europe's leading beverage companies to meld the goodness of cream, the irresistible appeal of Dutch chocolate and the allure of French Cabernet Sauvignon into a unique niche product that has taken the market by storm: ChocoVine. In a phenomenal showing, Katz's company, Clever Imports, moved 85,000 cases of ChocoVine in 2009, its fi rst year out, and Katz predicts that he'll nearly double that number this year. "It started by word of mouth," says Katz, refl ecting back on the whirlwind. "People only have to taste ChocoVine and they're sold." With distribution in 47 states already, Katz has sometimes had to scramble to fi ll the increasing num- ber of orders as sales grew exponentially. National Sales Director Fred Einstein came on- board early last year. "ChocoVine is very untradition- al," says Einstein, "and way out of the box." Einstein notes that one of the wine-based product's appeals is that, unlike its spirits-based competitors, it can be sold into accounts that hold beer-and-wine-only li- censes. With a customer base strongly skewed toward females ("I get emails from grandmas," smiles Katz, "and from women telling me that Choco- Vine saved their lives"), the brand's SRP of $10–12 makes it an attractive alterna- tive to other cream liqueurs with higher price points. While ChocoVine is generally placed in the cordials aisle, some retailers have opted to showcase it in multiple locations. Katz and Einstein have done extensive on-location promotions and tastings that have greatly enhanced the brand's public interface. On-premise accounts, especially restaurants, are doing big business with ChocoVine as well, and some of them are now using it in their signature house desserts. Faced with what Einstein calls "startling" success, the company is determined to control growth and manage ChocoVine carefully so as not to become another fl ash-in-the- pan brand. As part of a measured growth strategy, an almond-fl avored line extension is set to launch this spring. Meanwhile, both Katz and Einstein agree on what it is about ChocoVine that appeals so strongly to consumers: "Ninety-one percent of Americans love chocolate." www.chocovine.com swept away BRAnD spoTlighT sExy CHoCoVine Finds sUccEss and rUns wiTh iT