Orca Communications Client Spotlight: FlyWithWine
Welcome to the Orca Communications PR client spotlight. Each month our clients tell you in their own words why they do what they do and provide tips for other growing small brands and businesses.
FlyWithWine was launched to market the VinGardValise wine suitcase to wineries and wine-country travlers throughout the world. Since they began working with Orca, their products have been featured on Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, CNET, Forbes, Thrillist, Town & Country, Buzzfeed, Marie Claire, Robb Report, Parade, Frommers, WIRED, and countless other media outlets. We sat down with CEO Ron Scharman to talk about how this exciting product has changed the way people travel with wine.
What do people say when you first show them your wine suitcase? What’s the first impression?
2 most common reactions:
1. I did not know the product existed, what a great idea to fill an obvious need
2. I wish I had thought of this first.
It has a unique design. What was one of your biggest challenges in getting it manufactured and how did you overcome that?
To keep the price attractive to consumers in the U.S. the products had to be manufactured offshore, in this case, China. So we had to locate the most competent and reliable manufacturers and work with them to maintain our unique patented designs while ensuring the highest quality of production and consistency.
The suitcase is your shining star, but you have some other great products as well, such as The WineHive and the Gabriel-Glas. How do you decide when it is time to add a new product to the FlyWithWine brand?
It is all about understanding who our customer is and what might appeal to them. FlyWithWine focuses on luxury wine travel and lifestyle products. And when we find high-quality unique products that are relevant to our consumer audiences, we try to seamlessly integrate them into our sales and marketing efforts.
Let’s talk wine for a minute – red vs. white? Old world vs. new world? What’s your favorite wine?
Well, my palate has evolved over the years as happens to many people as they get older and have exposure to the fine wines produced in so many countries. I still love cabernet-based wines and Pinot Noir, but my preferences now are for European old-world reds and whites vs the increasingly homogenous wines being produced in California, with some exceptions.
Of all the places you’ve traveled with these suitcases, what destination sticks out the most in your mind?
There are many, as I have visited wineries on 4 continents. My highlights include the castle at Frescobaldi in the small village of Nippozano in Chianti, Tuscany, and some of the smaller family-owned producers in Burgundy, France.
Now for a question I ask all of our clients. Name one thing you like about working with Orca Communications.
Great response times that yield great results.
Are there any specific projects or designs you’re working on right now that you’d like to share?
We are in the process of launching several new lines of wine travel products, including VinXplorer, a unique wine and beverage backpack, VGV Elite, a higher-end wine suitcase with an aluminum shell, and VGVPro, which will target wine industry trade professionals.
To learn more about FlyWithWine visit their website, https://flywithwine.com/.