The Dubois family, one of the many winegrowing families that are the lifeblood of the Blaye appellation, have been making wines in the region for several generations. Just over 20 years ago, Laurent Dubois came to help his parents on the family estate, Château Les Bertrands, with the aim of expanding exports of their Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines. A brave move, perhaps, but also a winning one.
Growth in stages
“When I came back to the estate in 1993, my parents had only a single non-French customer, in Belgium. They couldn’t get any further because they didn’t speak English”, remembers Laurent Dubois. He decided to increase the number of foreign clients, something of a new departure at the time. “To start with we did a lot of business with neighbouring countries like Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Britain.” Other countries were soon added to the list and in 2006 Asia became the target.
Getting close to the customer
Contact with buyers is essential for wine producers. Customers in Japan, Singapore and, especially, China and Hong Kong are fascinated by Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines and their often long, family-centred history. Laurent Dubois’ personal commitment has paid off: “I go to China twice a year, staying at least a week each time”. Personal relationships are just as important as marketing on these business trips: “It is essential to spend time in the country in order to understand how the people there operate”. Laurent Dubois hopes ultimately to attract customers in the United States, “a difficult market to penetrate”.
Constant adaptation
On his travels, Laurent Dubois has learnt that each market works in its own way. “In China, you have to get to know each other before even trying to make a sale. In the United States, it’s much more business-like.” Wherever he goes, however, Laurent Dubois finds that the notions of family and terroir are important to customers. Closely associated with Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines, they are values that he knows inside out and is ideally placed to defend!
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