Opportunities in the Brazilian Wine Market
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Global Wine & Spirits Market Reports 2013 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET by Marie-Claude Veillette www.globalwinespirits.com 1 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET 2 Brazil: a promised land for wine producers 3 Imports 4 What is Mercosur? 5 Types of wines imported & distribution network 5 Import opportunities: sparkling wines 7 Brazil: a wine-producing & wine-consuming country 9 History 9 Consumer profile 10 Wine preferences of Brazilians 10 Sale price 11 Exporting to Brazil: what you need to know 12 Want to export? GWS can help you 13 General information on Brazil 14 Bibliography BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET 2 Driven by a strong domestic demand, the Brazilian economy is booming. During the last decade, 30 million people have emerged out of poverty and BRAZIL: joined the ranks of the lower middle class which now constitutes some 95 million people, about half of the country’s population. Those citizens, who earn A PROMISED between $600 and $2,600 U.S. dollars per month, are the largest group of consumers in Brazil.1 LAND With more than 200 million people and 355 million liters consumed annually, FOR WINE Brazil is the second largest consumer of wine in Latin America after Argentina (30 L per capita/year). PRODUCERS The increase in personal wealth has had a direct impact on the wine industry that currently enjoys sustained growth thanks to a young population that is more educated and affluent. Despite the fact that the annual consumption of wine remains modest with 1.9 liters per person, the Brazilian Wine Institute (IBRAVIN) estimates that within the next 15 years, consumption will increase to 9 liters per person. If this forecast proves true, Brazil, the world’s sixth economic power, would become the world’s fifth largest wine consumer. For now, wine consumption is concentrated in large urban areas that are densely populated such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia. Although the value of wine imported to Brazil rose from $65.2m USD to $261.6m USD in the last ten years2 – an increase of 315% – beer (65 liters per capita/year in 2010) and cachaça (white alcohol made from sugar cane) remain to this day the two most widely consumed alcoholic beverages in the country. As domestic production is still often low in quantity and quality, the Brazilian wine market remains largely open to imports. Major events like the 2014 FIFA World Cup (International Federation of Association Football) and the 2016 Olympics should be conducive to the consumption of wine with thousands of foreign visitors flocking to Brazil from around the world. Brazil is a market that should be seriously considered for any winery looking to expand its export portfolio. This report was designed to address the interest voiced by many wine pro- ducers in understanding and identifying strategies for expanding business opportunities into Brazil and other constituents of the BRICs countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and more recently South Africa. (1) Brazilian Wine Market Report, JBC International (2) Wine Business International 3 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET Of the 75 million liters of wine imported on average every year into Brazil, 60% come from Chile and Argentina: Chilean wines account for 36% of total IMPORTS sales, while Argentinean ones account for 25%.3 Italy, which has always played a very significant role in terms of wine imports into Brazil – due in part to an important Italian community in the São Paulo area – ranks third. Portugal occupies the fourth position as there are also important economic ties between Portugal and Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro. France comes in fifth position. 30 25 20 15 10 Liters (Million) 5 0 2009 2010 2011 Year Chile Argentina Italy Portugal France Uruguay Spain Germany South Africa United States Australia Greece Others Source : Uvibra União Brasileira Vitivinicultura (UVIBRA) Unlike other major exporters doing business in Brazil, Argentinean and Chilean producers benefit from a huge advantage: they do not have to pay customs duty on wine under the Mercosur agreement, which allows the free trade and the free movement of goods, people and currency among member countries. As an associated country, Chile – whose wines had enjoyed a preferential tax rate of 22% - has been completely exempt from taxes since 2011. On the other hand, Italian, Portuguese and French exporters – who previously occupied a more dominant position on the Brazilian market – are taxed at 27% and have consequently seen their market shares decrease significantly in favor of New World wines. Despite high import taxes, Brazil is still considered a young market with strong growth potential with wine imports and gourmet food on the rise. (3) International Wine & Spirits Research (IWSR), Brazil Wine Market Report 2012 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET 4 Also known as the Southern Common Market (Spanish Mercado Común del Sur) or Mercosul (Portuguese Mercado Comum do Sul), Mercosur was WHAT IS established March 26, 1991 with the Treaty of Asunción signed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. This is the third integrated market in the MERCOSUR? world after the Europeen Union and NAFTA. Its purpose is to promote the free trade and the free movement of goods, people and currency, as well as the creation of a common external tariff, the harmonization of economic policies and the harmonization of legislation among members. 4 Permanent members Associated members Country temporarily excluded \ Argentina (1991) \ Bolivia (1996) \ Paraguay (1991) \ Brazil (1991) \ Chile (1996) \ Uruguay (1991) \ Peru (2003) \ Venezuela (2012) \ Colombia (2004) \ Ecuador (2004) Unasur* and Mercosur, the two main economic groups in South America, have decided to suspend Paraguay after the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo on June 22, 2012. This double exclusion may be lifted with the recent election of president Horacio Cartes in April 2013. Meanwhile, Venezuela has somehow taken the place of the excluded country within Mercosur. Venezuela’s accession was previously blocked by the Paraguayan Parliament, which is predominantly right wing. What is Unasur? Unasur is a regional political alliance formed by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. (4) Wikipedia.org 5 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET Brazil imports very little sparkling wines and bulk wine. Bottled wines represent 89% of all imported wine in terms of value and 93% in terms of TYPES OF WINES volume. IMPORTED & Traditionally, demand for wine reaches its peak during the winter months, from July to September, and during the Easter holiday period where wine DISTRIBUTION is offered as a gift. Today, the seasonality of sales is gradually disappearing, though the second half of the year is generally better than the first. NETWORK Nearly half (50%) of wine sales in Brazil are made through the supermarket and hypermarket network. Wines sold in supermarkets tend to be more popular brands, while those in hypermarkets may be less well-known. However, hypermarkets often employ sommeliers to advise customers, which can have a direct influence on their purchase decisions. The hypermarket network can thus represent an interesting opportunity for smaller, lesser known brands in Brazil. 30% of wine sales are made via cafes, hotels and restaurants. 5 The remaining sales are made within small grocery stores, direct sales and online sales. Mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Carrefour are becoming significant players and offer additional opportunities for the sale of imported wines. Brazilians now enjoy more and more sparkling wine and the majority of what is consumed is produced locally, approximately 80%. Within a five year period, IMPORT Brazilian sparkling wine sales have nearly doubled passing from 4.8 million liters in 2004 to 8.7 million liters in 2009.6 The total consumption is estimated OPPORTUNITIES: at 30 million bottles annually. SPARKLING In the tropical region of Recife in the North, winemakers are producing sparkling wines that have received excellent reviews. In 2012, wines WINES produced locally were awarded more than 30 medals at the International Wine Challenge in London and more than a hundred in 2011 in various international competitions. 7 In terms of wine production in Brazil, the production of sparkling wine has increased the most, growing at a rate of achieving 7.4 % Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2006 and 2010. 8 (5) Sud de France Développement (6) Brazilian Wine Institute (IBRAVIN) (7) Wines of Brasil (8) International Wine & Spirits Research (IWSR) : Copyright 2011 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET 6 Brazilian sparkling wines are perceived as having a good price: quality ratio, competing strongly in the under R50$ price bracket (approximately $25 USD) against imports from South America, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. As it stands, locally produced sparkling wines dominate because of their low price points; however, this niche still represents an interesting market opportunity for foreign producers as consumption in this category continues to grow. Among imports, which represent only 18% of the total sparkling wine market, Italian wines account for 31% of sales, French wines for a total of 23% (Champagne - 12%; Other - 11%) and those from Argentina 22%. Because of customs duties, taxes and the various distribution channels, the retail price of a bottle of Champagne can range between 70 and 105 Euros in Brazil. Despite the higher cost of this luxury product, Champagne shipments to Brazil reached almost 1 million bottles in 2010. 9 In recent years, there has been an increase in Cava consumption, as well as Chilean and French sparkling wines. (9) www.champagne.fr 7 BRAZILIAN WINE MARKET With more than 83.718 hectares of vines10 , Brazil is the third largest wine producer in South America after Chile and Argentina. More than 85% of BRAZIL: the country’s vineyards are located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Serra Gaúcha, Campanha, Serra do Sudeste and Campos de Cima da Serra) near A WINE- the Uruguayan border.