Mark Harvey: Your brand has strong momentum in a category of large, well established players. What is your unique proposition?
Charles Simpson: There are three elements to that. First, provenance; we're a medium-sized, family-owned wine estate making wines only from grapes grown ourselves in the Elham Valley of Kent. Second, savoir-faire; we bring 21 years of growing, winemaking and wine business experience in the Languedoc, France back to the UK. Also, an international team with experience in diverse industry backgrounds. And third, we're the producer of world-class still wines only made with noble, international varieties, as well as being respected sparkling wine producer.
What have you learned from the largest companies in your space?
The need for operational excellence and professionalism despite one’s size.
What do you do differently?
Focus on one’s core competences, don’t get distracted and don’t try to compete on scale. Small is beautiful, nimble and less complex. Knowing when to act big and when to act small.
How does your company benefit the wider community?
The Kentish wine producers have formed a collective called the Wine Garden of England to promote wine tourism into Kent. The vineyard trail we are building has already yielded synergies by harnessing our collective vineyard assets, whilst combining it with partnerships in accommodation and fine dining. Operating in the wider community has benefited all involved.
How sustainable is your offering?
Simpsons Wine Estate has just completed its first audit and received accreditation in the Sustainable Wine Scheme of Great Britain, for both vineyards and winery. We are actively reducing our chemical inputs, reducing water usage and energy consumption. Last September we also installed a 30kw/h solar PV system which has significantly reduced our third-party energy consumption.
Luxury brands tend to think in generations not years. What is your long-term vision and what will be your legacy?
The advantage of being an entirely family owned business, without any external investors, means our business objectives are directly aligned with our long-term family planning and are therefore integrated into all that we do. Wine businesses have no choice but to be long term in their thinking due to the incredibly long production timelines from vineyard establishment through to launching one’s first wines! Some might say that luxury wine brands are therefore best owned by families for the above reasons.
