Wine firm buys vineyard with backing of bank loan

Henners Vineyard

Manchester-based wine distributor and producer Boutinot has bought a British vineyard with the support of a six-figure funding package.

The 10-acre Henners vineyard in Hastings, Kent, will produce up to 20,000 litres of high-quality wine per year and vinify a further 80,000 litres after significant expansion of the winery.

As part of this expansion, Boutinot will establish a hospitality centre, allowing its trade visitors to sample the produce on-site and learn about the production process.

Purchasing and renovating the vineyard is expected to create two new jobs on site and increase turnover by 200 per cent over the next four years. The deal was backed by a loan from the HSBC bank.

Boutinot has distributed a wide range of wine to supermarkets, independent retailers and the hospitality sector for over 30 years.

More recently, the business has moved into producing its own wine from vineyards in Italy, France and South Africa.

“Its latest acquisition is the first for the business in the UK and Boutinot expects to sell its Henners and Native Grace brands in both the UK and international markets.

Michael Moriarty, commercial director for Boutinot, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have brought so many fantastic wines to the UK, whether it’s from our own vineyards or our favourite international winemakers.

“Opening our new Henners UK vineyard gives us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate just how good UK wine can be and display the taste of Britain on a global stage.

“We continue to see our passion for great wine shared across international markets and look forward to developing relationships across the world.”

Matthew Palmer, HSBC UK’s Relationship Director for Greater Manchester, added: “We identified Boutinot as a rapidly expanding Manchester business, so when the opportunity came to support the opening of a new British vineyard we were delighted to offer our services.

“Healthy levels of exports showed us that Boutinot knows how to enter new markets and we believe the opening of the Hastings vineyard will not only increase sales but could bolster the international reputation of UK wine.”

In three decades, Boutinot has grown from its origins in sourcing French wines for the restaurants of Stockport to distributing wine on a global scale, with 15 per cent of annual sales consisting of international exports to the USA, Canada, South East Asia and China.

The deal was part of HSBC UK’s £550m lending fund to support SMEs in Greater Manchester. Matthew Palmer concluded: “Working with Boutinot has been an insightful process and, like a good wine, we hope the business’s relationship with HSBC only gets better with age.”

 

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