Wander through the sun-kissed vineyards of Australia with a chilled glass of prosecco, and you would be forgiven for thinking that everything is glorious in the world of wine. But alcohol consumption habits are changing the world over.
While Australian-produced wine has become more attractive in comparison to other markets since 2022, overall domestic and global consumption is declining – driven by a growing interest in wellness, reduced spending power and changing palates.
These are challenges that Brown Family Wine Group (BFWG) CEO, Cameron MacFarlane is keenly aware of and, since stepping into the role in November 2023, is ready to tackle.
“It’s a magnificent portfolio, with something for everyone both here and abroad.”
“It’s pretty well-documented that people aren’t drinking as much wine as they used to, but the Brown Family Wine Group, with its incredible portfolio, is already bucking a lot of these trends,” MacFarlane says. “I see so much growth potential in the company, working with some of the most exciting brands of my career.”
With 24 years of experience in fast moving consumer goods and the alcohol industry, including a five-year period establishing his own kombucha business, MacFarlane brings a commercial acumen and global perspective to the role. He is confident this will transform the company from one of Australia’s leading family owned wine companies into an internationally recognized brand.
Strong foundations
For over 135 years the Brown Family has been producing wine in Australia. From its very first vintage in Milawa, Victoria, back in 1889, the company has diversified into five distinct and much-loved brands: Brown Brothers, Devil’s Corner, Tamar Ridge, Pirie and Innocent Bystander.
Brown Brothers was one of the first producers to bring Moscato and prosecco to Australia, a heritage that remains a pillar of the business to this day, with Brown Brothers Moscato being the number one Australian white wine. Yet despite its history, the company has continued to innovate with new flavors, resulting in a 10 percent growth in prosecco sales over the past year.
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BFWG has seen similar success with its Devil’s Corner brand, which was established in Tasmania in response to the changing climate and growing conditions. With a range of wines from premium to super-premium, Devil’s Corner has established itself as one of Australia’s most popular pinot noirs.
“Devil’s Corner cellar door is absolutely stunning, with a view that overlooks the Freycinet Peninsula and the Hazards mountain range on the east coast of Tasmania,” MacFarlane says. “The whole range is incredible. I’d actually been drinking it for several years and didn’t realize it was a BFWG brand when I joined the company, which was a delight for me.
“It’s a magnificent portfolio, with something for everyone both here and abroad, meaning that when it comes to the domestic and export markets, there’s a couple of heavy hitters ready to go.”
Changing with the times
As anybody in the wine industry knows, challenging growing conditions have impacted yields over recent years, combined with changing consumer preferences, prompting MacFarlane and BFWG to formulate new strategies.
“We are challenging ourselves to see how far we can push the brand, whether that’s in terms of packaging design, flavors and markets,” he says. “Our biggest challenge is getting our heads around where to focus. Before the global financial crisis, 20 percent of our business was export, whereas now it’s closer to four percent. We want to get this back to 20–30 percent, but we have to be careful not to try to be all things to all people.
“To achieve this, we started with a two-day workshop with the executive team and then expanded this to include 50 leaders from across the business. We now have a really robust plan up to 2030, a breakthrough vision, that the whole company is behind. We’re just getting the building blocks in place and I can already see that we’re progressing in the right direction.”
“People love working for our company because we really look after them, invest in them and help them grow.”
One of the ways BFWG is working on this is through its ‘kindergarten’, a micro-winery designed for winemakers to experiment, MacFarlane says.
“We often say that if you don’t mess up one wine in the kindergarten each year, you’re not working hard enough,” he explains.
“One of the reasons wine consumption is declining is because of the lack of innovation compared to other beverages like seltzers, flavored beers and ready to drink beverages. That’s why BFWG has such a strong focus on innovation, which has led to interesting new products like our strawberries and cream-flavored Moscato and our own zero-alcohol Moscato, which deliver on taste and refreshment.”
As a result, things are already picking up with recent successes, including partnering with Chinese wine retailer VINEHOO, and British supermarket chain Tesco. BFWG also has five new products in development, currently being kept secret, which MacFarlane is confident will be a hit with today’s consumers.
“Sometimes too much innovation can lead to a lot of churn. Everyone gets excited about something like fruit beers and then six months later demand plummets,” MacFarlane says. “It’s all about finding the balance between our heritage brand, because you don’t want to go crazy, and ensuring that you bring consumers along with you, which is really exciting.”
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While many companies claim to operate like a family, BFWG truly embodies the values of a fourth-generation family wine company.
“The culture here is unlike anywhere I’ve ever worked before, in a good way. People love working for our company because we really look after them, invest in them and help them grow,” MacFarlane says.
It’s for this reason that BFWG has been awarded a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year in a row and one of the 100 best workplaces in Australia, thanks to its exceptional results across its employee net promoter score and engagement.
“When you have a significant growth aspiration like ours, we have to be careful not to undo all the great work that has been put into the company. That’s why one of our core missions is to maintain our family culture as we grow – it’s something we take very seriously,” MacFarlane adds.
“One of our core missions is to maintain our family culture as we grow – it’s something we take very seriously.”
MacFarlane attributes a large part of BFWG’s success and innovation to the long-term support of its trusted suppliers including CCL Label and Crealis Group, which he views as an extension of the family business.
“They empower us to push boundaries and make bold decisions to ensure we continue to be industry leaders. We are deeply grateful for their unwavering support and eagerly anticipate future developments that will continue to strengthen our brands,” he adds.
“Together, we’re well placed for growth now and in to the future. We plan to almost double the business over the next six years, it’s a pretty meaty challenge, but I feel we’re well-positioned for success with the right people, the right partners and the right portfolio.”
