CROATIA. Akvinta, positioned as the first Mediterranean luxury vodka, is set to expand in travel retail – with particular focus on the US and Asia Pacific markets in 2009 and 2010.
Developed by Adriatic Distillers, the brand already has a strong presence in the UK domestic market. “At the moment, our flagship region is probably the UK,” Akvinta International Director Travel & Luxury Retail Catharine Thomas told The Moodie Report.
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“We’ve had a very targeted approach, which was to ensure that we were in the flagship store in London – Harrods – and to consolidate that with our on-trade activity, and to be present in the best clubs, the best restaurants and the best bars. We really are in all the top places that one can hope to be in,” Thomas added. “We are the bestseller in the vodka sector in Harrods, which we achieved in five months.”
For example, the Akvinta Valentine’s Day retail promotion, which featured strong visual merchandising, saw a double-digit sales increase of +11%.
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(Left) Akvinta’s strong visual merchandising at Harrods increased sales by +11% during the Valentine’s Day promotion; (Right) To celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama, Akvinta and Virgin Atlantic teamed up to create a special cocktail, the 4421, to be served at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. Obama is America’s 44th President coming from the 21st state | |
Akvinta vodka and Virgin Atlantic
In travel retail, Akvinta has struck up a strong brand alliance with Virgin Atlantic. It is exclusively packaged for the British airline and available for sale onboard at £25.00 (Akvinta has a recommended retail price of £34.95 in Harrods).
Akvinta is also being served at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport.
“The most important thing that we have done with [Virgin] is to create unique cocktails, which has been done in conjunction with its team on the bar,” Thomas revealed.
In May 2008 a competition was held among the clubhouse staff to create a cocktail by the name of “˜Stoic Virgin’. The staff was tasked to create a cocktail that fitted the name and reflected Akvinta’s taste and feel as well as Virgin’s ethos.
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The “˜Stoic Virgin’ is the winning entry in a competition held by the Virgin Atlantic and Akvinta. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse staff were tasked to create a cocktail that fitted the name and reflected Akvinta’s taste and feel as well as Virgin’s ethos |
“The “˜Stoic Virgin’ has been a runaway success. We will be bringing out the “˜Red Hot Stoic’, and there will be another one coming up called “˜The Adam and Eve of It’. And in the summer months we’ll bring out the “˜Smooth Operator’ which will be the first smoothie cocktail – it will be completely different; it’s not been done before.”
To celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama, Akvinta and Virgin Atlantic teamed up to create a special cocktail, the 4421, to be served at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. The name of the cocktail stems from the fact that Obama is America’s 44th President coming from the 21st state.
Akvinta print advertisements also appear onboard, along with a commercial that runs right after The Virgin Group founder Richard Branson’s address to passengers.
The Akvinta production process
Akvinta is produced in Imotski, a small town situated in the Dalmatian hinterland of Croatia.
The grain alcohol is made by Distercoop in Faenza Italy, from triple distilled organic Italian winter wheat in a column still. At the production facility in Imotski, various sample distillates are tested in a state of the art analysis process for their level of impurity.
The best quality spirit is then delivered at 97% alcohol to Imotski. There it is combined with pre-filtered Dalmatian spring water from a deep bore source in foothills of the Dinaric Alps, said to be one of the last ecologically unspoiled regions of Europe.
The Dalmatian spring water first goes through the quintuple filtration process. The filtered and balanced water is then married with the specially selected pure spirit to make a 40% vodka.
The 40% vodka then undergoes a further quintuple filtration which smoothens and softens it to make Akvinta. The patented quintuple filtration process consists of five natural filters: charcoal, marble, silver, gold and platinum.
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Akvinta vodka is created using a patented quintuple filtration process which consists of five natural filters |
The resulting vodka has a “light lemon citrus nose with a touch of sweetness, light peppery mouth feel, and a smooth finish with no burn”.
“What we’ve found is that it appeals greatly to women because it can be drunk neat very easily. It’s the smoothness of the taste and the swallow, and the after-feel, which really does seem to attract that sector,” said Thomas.
Akvinta works well in a classic vodka martini and other cocktails, especially those with citrus and fruit ingredients, she added.
The full Akvinta range includes a 5cl miniature and 70cl, 75cl and 1 litre bottles.
Plans for 2009 and 2010
For the Asia Pacific region, Thomas hopes to have captured some market share for Akvinta by 2010. In the meantime, the brand is already scouting for opportunities in the region. “We will start looking at it this year, but realistically speaking, [Asia Pacific] will probably be more of a focus in 2010. I’m a great believer in opportunity so we will see what happens. We’ve got some interest from the region, so we will pursue it. I think travel retail may be our way of entering the region.”
Commenting on Akvinta’s presence in other countries, she added: “We have a small entry into the African market with Saresco Afrique. South America is doing well, and the US will be the market that we will be focusing on in 2009.” Akvinta opened its US offices at the end of March.
For more information, contact Catharine Thomas, International Director Travel & Luxury Retail, Akvinta Vodka, tel: +44 207 286 1434, fax: +44 207 289 0509, or e-mail: catharine@akvinta.co.uk. Visit www.akvinta.com.
About Adriatic Distillers
Adriatic Distillers owns a state of the art distillery and production plant in the Imotski region in Croatia, which is situated close to the Adriatic coast.
Akvinta Vodka is the first product developed by Adriatic Distillers from concept to final product. Coined “˜The first Mediterranean luxury vodka’, it was launched in Croatia in 2006 and entered the international market in May 2007 at the International Wines and Spirits Fair in London.
Today Akvinta is available in selected stores and restaurants in England, Ireland, Italy and Croatia.
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Akvinta takes to the skies with Virgin Atlantic – 07/10/08
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