Food

At the Olive Garden restaurant chain’s annual Wine Category Management Meeting, vendors met with company marketers to discuss the future. In a savvy spirit of partnership, Olive Garden revealed its goals, growth opportunities and areas of improvement with its winery partners. In turn, winery vendors shared the latest industry trends, pricing and marketing ideas and other valuable suggestions. hfbexecutive.com
Greg Rees, director of beverage marketing for Olive Garden, describes how Trinchero Family Estates Winery responded at the company’s recent event: “They always do a great job. They think outside the box, give us interesting tactics and different ways of presenting
wines. What’s neat is they are not strictly selling their own product but recommend wines that aren’t theirs if they believe it benefits our overall wine list.”
Bill Barry, VP of hospitality and foodservice for Trinchero Family Estates, says his company has built a skilled marketing department that supports their customers with innovative data, analysis, and growth recommendations.
The most innovative idea presented by Trinchero to Olive Garden? “Wine-based cocktails,” says Rees. “They created recipes and held a tasting.
Most people think Sangria when they think about wine drinks. Trinchero’s idea helps grow the entire wine category.”

Jeanne Bischoff
infohfb@gmail.com

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