Having studied what was important to wine consumers working at Oddbins, a British wine retailer, Nicholas Hammeken, Founder and Director of Innovation at Hammeken Cellars, founded a company focused on crafting Spanish wines that match consumer preferences. He develops concepts with unique selling propositions, plays to modern tastes, and tries to be an ambassador of affordable luxury. Nicholas tells us all about how he thinks through creating the concept, developing the product, and bringing the wines to market globally.  If you love the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon.Detailed Show Notes: Nicholas’ backgroundDanish-born, cellar master, worked at Taste of Wine in DenmarkWorked in the Mosel (Germany), Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Penedes (Cava, Spain)Worked at Oddbins in the UK - where he learned about consumer preferencesFell in love w/ Spain and moved there when his wife got a job thereHammeken Cellar OverviewSpanish wine in the 1990’s - a little rustic, but could taste the tremendous potentialMotto - “modern Spanish wines…developed through an understanding of consumers needs” -> want to respect the history of the region, but take data to match to consumer preferencesBased in ValenciaWinemakers live in different parts of SpainExports 1.5M cases to 30 countriesHistorically strong in ScandinaviaGermany and Holland are big markets, US and Canada are important, while  Asia has been consistent with Japan being strong for many yearsChina rising as wine consumption growing (vs. gifting of wine)In 2021 - 50% of production are organic wines, sustainability is an important trend for HammekenConsumer preferences by marketEurope - like a more lean styleUS - prefers riper, more bold styleOften the style preferences match with the profile of local cuisineWines have a base element and then have components to fine-tune the wines for specific marketsOrganic trendN Europe was the driving force, particularly the monopoly markets, which gave distribution preference for organic winesUS/Europe now more aligned with regulations on organic winesWhole Foods was a pioneer in the USBrand development processE.g., “I’m Your Organic” brandHad nice juice to make an approachable wine made the tannins softer to create a very juicy style of wineCould make it cost $10-12Need to communicate a message to consumers to create a competitive edge -> every bottle (or bag in a box) sold, they will plant a treeLeverages Global Datato mine macro and micro consumer trends (e.g., organic product trend)Used to support decision makingDoes other consumer research - “lots of reading” - real all magazines, including grocery store magazinesImportance of the story -> need to have a purpose of the product, more USPs (unique selling propositions) -> e.g., where does the product come from (i.e., sense of place, which gives traceability), winemaker, etc. -> something apart from a pretty labelWants to be an ambassador of affordable luxury, $9.99 or $11.99 wines that taste and feel like $14.99 winesPackaging - requires a lot of trial and error to testThe more exclusive products tend to look more straightforward and more elegantScale buying power allows for lower costs for high-end closures, packagingE.g. - Mirada Rose from La ManchaDefined specific fruit flavors - berry citrusWant a “Provence” like colorUses extended time on leesIt has a unique bottleUses repeat buying to measure success - Mirada is seeing steady increases year over year in salesWines mostly have a DO/DOC designation - they need to taste like the region, but in a modern wayFinding new names - “a major headache” - legal names for the US, Europe, and Asia has become a lot more complex than ten years agoCreating the wineThe company is asset-light, leverage other people’s facilitiesGo for a more modern, fresh style of wineOnce they have a clear idea of what they want to do, they search for vineyardsTry to source from a diverse set of vineyards to reduce nature risk (e.g., hail)Old vines are key -> gives a more u