Montosco out to get 10% of light brandy market

Lucio Co-led Montosco Inc. expects to capture 10 percent of the country’s growing light brandy market as early as 2015, given the robust sales of its imported Excelente brandy.

“Excelente is more than on track to attaining our yearly sales target of a million 12-bottle cases by 2015. By then, this should give us a healthy 10 percent share of the growing light brandy market,” explained Jose Paulino L. Santamarina, president of Montosco’s Premiere Wines and Spirits division.

Montosco is now expected to raise its sales target following the consumers’ “encouraging reception” to the latest entrant to the burgeoning light brandy segment.

Excelente’s encouraging sales were attributed to consumers’ preference for “a highly affordable quality imported Spanish brandy.”

“The taste tests of Excelente always result in people buying Excelente because they say it offers a true Spanish brandy taste at a very reasonable cost,” Santamarina added.

According to Santamarina, the company is rushing to replenish its stocks of Excelente in anticipation of higher sales this Christmas, and is likewise beefing up its downline distribution efforts to groceries, sari-sari stores and public markets. Excelente is distributed through Puregold, Robinsons Supermarket, 7-11, and Mercury Drug outlets nationwide.

It was only last month that Montosco launched the imported Excelente light brandy together with its partner, the 136-year-old Williams and Humbert Wineries of Spain.

Williams and Humbert had spent some $10 million to develop the Excelente light brandy exclusively for Filipinos, using the traditional Solera brandy system with premium ingredients like vanilla pods from Sri Lanka and plum raisins and Regia Green walnut bark from Spain.

The local light brandy market has grown considerably since 2011.

Initially considered an offshoot of the cornerstone brandy and hard liquor market, it has now carved out a market share to rival that of local beers and gin.

Excelente is Montosco’s first attempt to capture this market after years as local distributor of high quality imported brands such as Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Chivas Rigal, and Jim Beam.

Montosco is the liquor and spirits distribution arm of Cosco Capital Inc., whose holdings include consumer-focused businesses in retail with giants Puregold and S&R, commercial and mixed-use real estate, oil exploration and mining.

Cosco’s two other liquor distribution companies are Premiere Wine and Spirits and Meritus Prime Distributions Inc.

Montosco is the exclusive Philippine distributor of Spanish brands Alfonso Brandy and Vino Fontana, as well as leading international brands Baileys Cream Liqueur, Patron Tequila, and Jack Daniels Whiskey. It is also the exclusive distributor of wines produced by Spanish vintner Williams and Humbert.