Q&A: Greg Wilkins and Steve Rosser, Co-Founders, Brand Phoenix

Your "grower-to-glass" approach locks in supply and aligns incentives with growers. How did this (at the time) revolutionary ethos to brand building develop?

In the 1990s we operated as a traditional agency business, earning commission by selling other people's wines, primarily from Australia and California. This business model can be lucrative; however, it is inherently capricious, limiting both control and long-term value. We realised that our passion was building consumer-led brands and nurturing relationships, rather than simply acting as middlemen.

The real turning point came in 2001. We spent months in South Africa, visiting growers and listening to their stories. What we found was a highly transactional system: year-to-year contracts, little emotional connection, and scant brand loyalty. We wanted something different, avoiding the well-trodden path of short-term sourcing for private label wines. Instead of a purely commercial arrangement, Brand Phoenix pioneered a joint-venture model that brought local farmers into the heart of the brand. At first, the reaction in South Africa was genuine surprise and perhaps a little suspicion - long-term relationship were antithetical to the corporate private label paradigm. So our job was about winning hearts and minds as much as securing supply. We wanted our partners to feel pride in seeing their wines on UK supermarket shelves – that emotional involvement is fundamental to everything we do.

The result of this experiment was, of course, First Cape, now approaching its 25th anniversary. At the time, First Cape was ahead of the curve, and yet, in many ways, it is a model that remains rare even today. Our business grew organically rather than by strict design, but it was always rooted in one core belief: that long-term partnerships, emotional engagement, and aligned incentives create stronger, more sustainable outcomes.

Has that philosophy evolved significantly since your founding – or will 2026 be business as usual?

The underlying philosophy remains intact, although its application has broadened as the business has expanded. The grower-first ethos that defined First Cape continues to underpin our expansion into new regions, including New Zealand, where we work with some fantastic growers and superior terroirs. Meanwhile, rosé has become an important part of our portfolio and a major growth engine worldwide over the past 12 years.

Indeed, what began with First Cape Rosé quickly revealed a much bigger opportunity. We remember visiting supermarkets in Europe in the early 2000s and being taken aback by the sheer amount of space dedicated to pink - entire aisles groaning with rosé wines. Fortunately the UK has caught up and the category has become a substantial and enduring part of the business; we are launching new brands in 2026 from Australia and Spain. Moreover, despite price pressure in some areas, demand has remained relatively inelastic and consumer fatigue has yet to materialise. Retail fixtures continue to expand, and Brand Phoenix is now one of the largest suppliers of rosé wine to the UK off-trade.

More broadly, our approach has always been demand-led. Rather than making wine and hoping buyers will take it, Brand Phoenix inverts this industry paradigm by asking retailers what they actually want – and then building ranges to satisfy demand. That mindset has fuelled sustainable growth in both the multiple and independent sectors, while alternative packaging is another growth area for the business. We will be unveiling some highly innovative products, including a new canned range, in 2026 – more news to follow.

Retail margins have tightened considerably over the last decade. What specific commercial and margin-management strategies have you found most effective to protect brand value while remaining highly price-competitive for the mass retail channel?

The market conditions are indeed challenging, however, our business model provides a great deal of 'natural insulation'. We work across multiple lines and price points, delivering exactly what each retailer needs, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all range on the shelf.

A strength of Brand Phoenix is our ex-cellar, direct-sourcing model, which strips out unnecessary layers of cost. By sourcing directly and avoiding an expensive infrastructure, we can sell well over a million cases a year while employing less than ten people. So we can operate on (relatively) slim margins and simultaneously remain commercially viable. These advantages are considerable and increasingly essential as the buying environment becomes ever more complex.

Yet we don't chase volume at any cost – we focus on managing and optimising retailer ranges, helping buyers make their categories work harder. Agility, maintaining a lean cost base, and a retailer-first ethos has proved to be a powerful form of insulation. We're not complacent, but Brand Phoenix is optimistic about the future as a leading brand creator and customer-focused business.

Finally, how are you integrating environmental and social credentials into sourcing, packaging and marketing - and have you quantified any price premium, cost, or retail win that resulted from those investments?

Our approach to sustainability is perhaps different from others in the trade. Essentially, we regard it as an operational responsibility rather than a marketing message. First Cape is an obvious example: moving the wine in flexitanks has significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to shipping bottled wine, while the transition to lightweight glass and packaging compliance are now standard practice.

However, we're deliberately cautious about over-promoting sustainability. In categories such as French and Spanish lifestyle brands – rosé is a classic example – environmental credentials are not necessarily the headline story. Alternative packaging, for example, is approached with the same pragmatism. It is an important and growing avenue for marketing wine to different segments, yet challenges remain around recyclability of bags and taps. PET also raises long-term recycling questions, while glass reduction is expected to be gradual over the next decade rather than immediate.

Ultimately, we don't chase trends. A perfect example: the hype over zero-alcohol wines. Lighter styles have been an important part of our portfolio for over a decade, however, we're not convinced that all zero-alcohol propositions deliver on quality. We deliver wines that consumers genuinely want to buy. Sustainability compliance is essential, but we will never lose sight of the fundamental principles that have guided Brand Phoenix since 2001.