Edrington WEBB Travel Retail Americas (EWTRA) has reached an agreement with The Sazerac Company to begin the distribution and marketing of select brands from the Sazerac portfolio in the duty free and cruise line sectors in the Americas.
From 1 October, EWTRA will directly manage key global brands in the Sazerac portfolio including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Blanton’s Bourbon, Eagle Rare Bourbon and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. This deal follows the agreement signed earlier this year by EWTRA to distribute Sazerac’s Southern Comfort.
Sazerac Global Sales Director Guy May commented: “We have had a long and productive relationship with our previous agent Chase International, who did a terrific job getting our brands listed and well positioned in the North American duty free channels.
“We look forward to working with EWTRA. The company has a proven track record of delivering marketing and distribution services to the entire Americas as well as global coordination on key accounts.”
EWTRA CEO Andy Consuegra said: “The Sazerac brands are an excellent fit within the EWTRA portfolio, making our family of premium wines and spirits among the best positioned to capitalise on the travelling consumer.”
Consuegra continued: “Beginning with Southern Comfort, the first Sazerac brand we championed, we have already delivered a genuine comfort level between our two entities, and we are delighted to now have additional brands from its core portfolio.
“Based on our passion and commitment to personal relationships and ‘actual feet on the ground’ in duty free, we are confident that our partnership with Sazerac will thrive for many years to come. And we look forward to building on the work that Chase International started.”
In other news, EWTRA has made a number of organisational changes to prepare for further growth. Juan Carlos Rodriquez, former Director of Corporate Finance at Bacardi USA, joined EWTRA in July as group Finance Director. Jada Portela, who previously worked as Director of Cruiseline Retail at Starboard Cruise Services, has been appointed Director of Sales and will be responsible for the EWTRA sales team.
Anette Mourier, Director of Marketing for World Equity Brand Builders (WEBB) and EWTRA’s sister company, has been named Marketing Director. She will be responsible for Illva, Zamora, Tito’s and the wine portfolio of Mionetto, Belaire, The Wine Group and Cape Classics.
Barry Geoghegan, Founder of Barry Global Innovation, will manage global key accounts on select brands for EWTRA. He is based in Europe.
EWTRA has also appointed John McDonnell, Managing Director of Tito’s International, to the EWTRA Board. McDonnell was formerly President International/Global Chief Operating Officer at Patron Spirits International and the former Chairman of DISCUS.
Lastly, Michel Recalt, former Global Chief Marketing Officer at Bacardi and later Moët Hennessey, has been appointed to the Board of WEBB, where he will act in an advisory role on strategy and business development and relationships.
“Both Michel and John provide immense value given their respective experiences and track records in the industry,” said Consuegra.
