Indevin GROUP PROUDLY PARTNERS WITH THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM CHAMPIONING VILLA MARIA AS OFFICIAL WINE SUPPLIER

As excitement builds for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Indevin Group, New Zealand’s leading producer of high-quality wine heroed by the iconic Villa Maria Brand, proudly announces its partnership with the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) as the Official Wine Supplier.   

Indevin will provide its award-winning Villa Maria wines at all NZOC events around the globe, including those hosted at New Zealand House in Paris during the Olympic Games. This partnership emphasises the shared values, vision and commitment of both Indevin and NZOC, while ultimately showcasing the best of New Zealand with the world.  

NZOC CEO Nicki Nicol says the NZOC is proud to welcome Indevin as an official supplier. “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Indevin to our Olympic family at a really exciting time,” said Nicol. 

“Indevin is known for excellence in winemaking and at the NZOC excellence is what we stand for so there’s a really nice synergy between our brands and we look forward to promoting and showcasing their fantastic locally made products.” 

Duncan McFarlane, CEO of Indevin, says, “We are thrilled to support this partnership with our Villa Maria wines for the NZOC and Paris Olympic Games. This is the pinnacle event for New Zealand’s athletes and an opportunity for all New Zealanders to support the hard work and success of our team. At Indevin we believe that we’re stronger together, so we’re honoured to have Villa Maria contribute to the celebrations as our incredible athletes compete on the world stage.”  

Indevin has grown to become New Zealand’s largest wine company in under 20 years, maintaining its global wine credentials and serving as ambassadors for the New Zealand wine industry. McFarlane says supporting NZOC in their mission to enable athletes to reach their Olympic dreams aligns naturally with being a proud New Zealand owned business.   

“At Indevin, we’re dedicated to building a business that supports our communities, reflecting our commitment to the long-term development of the New Zealand wine industry across the globe. We share NZOC’s ambition to deliver meaningful impact both within our own teams, and in the communities within which we live, work and play. 

“As the Official Wine Supplier of the NZOC, we look forward to raising a glass of Villa Maria to the success of New Zealand athletes and contributing to the vibrant spirit of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”  

Indevin Founder and CEO Duncan McFarlane to retire after 20 years at the helm

Indevin Group, New Zealand's largest producer and exporter of quality wine and owner of the iconic Villa Maria brand, announced today that Silver Fern Farms CEO, Simon Limmer will replace Duncan McFarlane early 2024, further cementing Indevin’s leadership and commitment to the thriving New Zealand wine industry.

McFarlane, who founded Indevin Group in 2003, will retire after 20 years at the helm of the business, a period which saw exponential growth from a contract wine maker to New Zealand’s largest wine company. After his long and successful tenure as CEO, McFarlane will remain a valuable member of Indevin Group as a Board Director and consultant for critical strategic projects, while continuing to serve the New Zealand wine industry in a range of advisory roles.

After five and a half years at Silver Fern Farms, and previously 10 years leading Zespri’s global operations, Limmer joins Indevin Group with an aligned vision of sharing the best of New Zealand with the world.

Indevin Group Chairman, Greg Tomlinson says, “Limmer has a clear affinity with New Zealand primary industries and delivering premium New Zealand brands internationally, both of which are critical to the next chapter of Villa Maria and Indevin Group’s growth strategy.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Simon Limmer as our new CEO. Simon is a highly regarded leader with extensive experience in exporting quality New Zealand products to the world. Simon brings a deep understanding of representing New Zealand brands globally, the importance of grower and partner relationships and is the ideal person to lead Indevin Group into the future.”

Limmer says, “I am excited to be joining the Indevin team and looking forward to playing a part in the next chapter of what is already a great New Zealand success story. I believe that the business will continue to exceed consumer expectations when it comes to offering the best of New Zealand through iconic brands such as Villa Maria. By combining Indevin’s proven ability to grow and produce premium wines with globally recognised brands, there is a very strong model, poised for further growth.”

Next up in our People of Indevin series, celebrating 20 years of Indevin, is Vince Edwards, our Brand Experience Lead who is based at Fairhall Winery in Blenheim and started with Villa Maria in 2001.

PEOPLE OF INDEVIN

What’s your favourite thing about working at Indevin?

Getting to meet people from all over the world and sharing our wine with them.

What has been your favourite memory from your time at Indevin?

Too many to pinpoint just one. Taking guests fishing has to be one of them.

What are you most excited about for the future of Indevin/Villa Maria?

Seeing Villa Maria become the No.1 New Zealand brand world-wide.

What makes Indevin such a special place to work?

The opportunities that I’ve been given to try so many new things, while discovering and learning new skills.

What was your most memorable vintage?

It would have to be our 2020 Covid “Coachella” vintage.

What advice would you give to someone joining Indevin?

No matter what job you’re doing, do it well. People will notice.

What Indevin wine do our people absolutely have to try?

The magnificent Ngakirikiri. It’s very close to perfection.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Playing guitar, cycling, walking the dog, spending time with family and friends, reading, puzzles and travelling.

Next up in our People of Indevin series, celebrating 20 years of Indevin, is one our talented winemakers, Priyanka Kulkarni who is based at our 15 Valley Winery in Blenheim.

PEOPLE OF INDEVIN

What’s your favourite thing about working at Indevin?

The amazing people I work with. There is never a dull day at the Indevin Winemaking office.

What has been your biggest highlight from your time at Indevin?

Being a part of this amazing business is the biggest highlight for me. I’m overwhelmed and excited with how the 2023 vintage turned out and the wines are looking stunning.

What are you most excited about for the future of Indevin?

Indevin is growing at such a great pace and I’m so excited to be part of this growth and the opportunities that will come along with it. I'm thrilled to be a part of the biggest wine producer in New Zealand.

What makes Indevin such a special place to work?

Hands down the people! I’m so lucky to have met some outstanding people here who inspire me daily to do better, look after me and are there for me every day. To have a work environment that challenges you to keep pushing to achieve big is very special and I love learning and developing new and existing skills in my career growth as the business continues to grow.

What advice would you give to someone joining Indevin?

You are up for an amazing rollercoaster of a ride! You are going to learn so much and meet some amazing people to learn from.

2023 is a very special year as we celebrate 20 years of Indevin. This is a huge milestone for everyone who has worked so hard to contribute to the success of our business over the years.

There have been many highlights…four wineries, thousands of hectares harvested, tonnes of grapes processed, vintage meals eaten, beautiful wines drunk, belly laughs, early morning yawns. From our first vintage of approximately 3,000T to over 100,000T last year, it has been a rollercoaster ride and we are loving it.

Over the years, we have been lucky to have had many incredibly talented people working at Indevin. Over th next few months, we’ll be focusing on a few of the people who have contributed to our journey along the years in a series of 20 Year Profiles.

Cheers to the next twenty years!

We are so proud to announce that Zac Howell, one of our Marlborough Graduates won the 2023 Marlborough NZ Young Viticulturist of the Year regional final on 6th July.

Zac is no stranger to the competition, having competed three times previously and so we are really chuffed to see him take the title this year! Competing against seven of his peers in the wine industry, the standard was high, but Zac performed consistently to take home the winners cup with a resounding success.

Zac faced a series of rigorous challenges throughout the day, including pruning vines, budgeting, fixing irrigation, operating machinery, and identifying pests and diseases. The Marlborough team rallied behind Zac, showing their support during the infamous “Hortisports” event at lunchtime, which saw him bear crawling, rolling barrels and building an electric sheep fence.

Following a swift transition to the prize giving dinner, Zac impressed in the quick-fire quiz and concluded the day with a speech to an audience of 180 attendees. We look forward to cheering Zac on at the national competition in Hawke’s Bay in August. We are delighted that Indevin representatives have taken out the title the last three years running, with Tahryn Mason in 2022, Sam Bain in 2021 and Rhys Hall in 2020.

As a key sponsor of the NZ Young Viticulturist Of The Year competition, we are always proud see Indevin people competing! Huge congrats also goes to Maddie Griffith who competed in the Hawke's Bay heat earlier this month, coming way with first prize in the Vineyard Budget section.

We are proud to have formed a partnership with New Zealand Ethical Employers (NZEE) to uphold worker protection measures. This partnership is an integral part of our dedication to safeguarding the wellbeing of workers, including people on the RSE scheme who work on our vineyards and the vineyards of our growers.

The primary objective of NZEE is to enhance employment conditions across all workplaces in New Zealand’s Primary Industries, ensuring that competitiveness does not come at the expense of workers. By partnering with NZEE, we aim to improve ethical employment standards, fostering an environment where people can thrive at work.

Duncan McFarlane, CEO of Indevin, says the partnership with NZEE reflects the company's commitment to the growth of New Zealand's wine industry. He states, “It’s vital that people are looked after in all areas of the industry, with safety and wellbeing at the forefront of decision-making. We are proud to be supporting NZEE in their mission to elevate employment standards for workers and assist labour suppliers in achieving the highest global employment standards."

NZEE Chief Executive Tanya Pouwhare says, “We strive to elevate the quality of workplace experiences for all individuals, emphasizing fairness, dignity, and respect. Collaborating with Indevin allows us to advance our mission further, ensuring that workers thrive in their roles and that New Zealand's wine industry sets a shining example of ethical employment standards."

Our Director of Winegrowing, Patrick Materman, takes a look back at the highs and lows of Harvest 2023.

Marlborough

Despite early season weather concerns, Marlborough has had a superb vintage across all varieties with superb quality and yields being above the long-term average. The fruit remained clean with vibrant flavours and the resulting wines are looking outstanding. With high soil moisture levels leading into the season from heavy winter rain events, the vines got off to a good start with strong canopy growth setting up a strong ‘solar panel’ to ripen the crop. Temperatures hovered just over the long-term average; cool enough to extend the growing season and develop great depth of flavour and bright natural acidity in the fruit. With more elongated, looser grape bunches, there was very little berry squeeze, which coupled with dry weather from veraison through to harvest, resulted in low disease pressure.

Season Standouts

The Awatere Valley vineyards have been a real highlight this season, the wines showing amazing aroma and flavour intensity. It has also been a great vintage for Pinot Noir, the wines primary in colour, and carrying a purity of fruit character along with fine tannin structure. The Pinot Gris has also really shone this year.

Hawke’s Bay & Gisborne

Cooler conditions and unprecedented rainfall through the growing season, along with the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle have been particularly challenging and required vigilant vineyard management. Unfortunately, some vineyard blocks were not able to be harvested but despite these challenges, our significant vineyard holdings in the Gimblett Gravels region performed well; their free-draining soils providing the vines with more resilience to weather events. For both Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, whilst the season has not delivered to the high-quality standards required for our top tier wines, and these won’t be made; there are plenty of clean, fruit driven components to compile our main blends. It will be a vintage of elegance rather than power, where great vineyard sites, along with a highly experienced winegrowing team have delivered an amazing result given the challenges of the season.

Season Standouts

The late ripening reds from the Gimblett Gravels such as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache are some of the highlights. Thicker skins, lower cropping levels, and some settled late season weather saw these grapes picked close to optimal ripeness and in good condition. These wines currently display good colour and flavour concentration and are a step up in quality over 2022. Later ripening sites for Chardonnay delivered our best results, and a particular stand-out was our first harvest of Sauvignon Blanc from Springhill, a new vineyard well inland in Central Hawke's Bay. The resulting wine shows huge promise for this new grape growing subregion.

Above: A selection of the awesome entries into this year’s photo competition!

We are proud to be sponsors of the New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year competition. This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for young viticulturists to upskill, grow in confidence, widen their network and start making a name for themselves within the industry.

Supporting this competition is important to us because it helps grow New Zealand’s wine industry and develop the industry’s future leaders.

Last year our Bankhouse Assistant Vineyard Manager, Rhys Hall, won the prestigious title and we couldn’t be prouder. This year we are proud to congratulate Sam Bain from Villa Maria for becoming the 2021 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year!

While our biggest vineyard, Bankhouse Estate, was meant to play host to the finals, due to covid precautions they moved to a more remote location. However they had an amazing day and all showed great skill, knowledge and leadership skills, especially with all the extra challenges during the week.

Indevin Group (including Villa Maria) is pleased to announce that it has signed an unconditional agreement to purchase a 75% shareholding in Thornhill Horticultural Contracting Limited, an industry leader in sustainable and ethical labour supply for the horticulture and viticulture industry. The transaction will settle on 1 November 2021.

The completion of this purchase follows Indevin’s acquisition of Villa Maria Estate Limited in September and forms a significant part of the company’s strategic road map and long-term growth strategy.

Commenting on the purchase, Duncan McFarlane the CEO of Indevin/Villa Maria, said, “Thornhill is recognised as an industry leader in labour supply with a focus on the development and training of people in our industry. We know those that have worked with them have always been impressed by the quality of service, commitment and investment they make in their people.”

“We’ve also admired their back to work programmes through partnerships with the Ministry of Social Development and Department of Corrections. Having highly skilled staff in specific areas that are important to our business is crucial in building ongoing growth opportunities and value for New Zealand wine. It made sense, as one of New Zealand’s largest wine businesses, to invest in a business that is focussed on empowering people for the overall benefit of our industry.”

Richard Bibby, who purchased the business in 2009, will move into a board role with Thornhill, with day-to-day operations remaining in the hands of Nick Bibby, and Drew Bibby continuing to lead the New Zealand programmes with the Ministry of Social Development and Department of Corrections.

Commenting on the acquisition, Richard Bibby said, “Indevin Group and Thornhill are a great fit. With Indevin and Villa Maria’s scale, our people will have exposure to more opportunities to move from seasonal roles to permanent positions within the business. This collaboration is a really good thing for the New Zealand wine industry as a whole.”

“We’re fortunate that we will have the Bibby family still leading this successful family business, importantly sharing similar values to us and now with the increased support and investment from Indevin,” continued McFarlane.

Following the confirmation of the investment, the Indevin/Villa Maria and Thornhill teams are now working together on plans for this new phase of the business, plus getting to meet the wider business teams.

Murray & Co acted as financial advisor to Thornhill with Wynn Williams providing legal advice to the vendor and Webb Henderson for the purchaser.

Indevin New Zealand is pleased to announce the completion of the deal to purchase 100% of the shares of Villa Maria Estate Limited.  The deal was settled on 30 September, 2021. The coming together of two successful New Zealand businesses is the start of a joint vision to become the leading New Zealand global wine business, spearheaded by the Villa Maria brand.

This collaboration is significant for the New Zealand wine industry and we are delighted Villa Maria is staying in New Zealand hands.  Indevin is a significant player in the wine industry and Villa Maria is an iconic kiwi brand – together, the two businesses are a powerful combination and there are many competitive advantages that both sides bring to the table.

The businesses have aligned visions and are committed to showcasing the best of New Zealand wines to consumers all over the world.  It is an exciting phase in the evolution of both companies.

MEDIA RELEASE:

Indevin New Zealand is pleased to announce the recently completed purchase of 100% of the shares of Villa Maria Estate Limited. The transaction was settled on the 30th of September 2021. Indevin entered into a conditional agreement in early August 2021with Calibre Partners, the receivers of FFWL Ltd.

The completion of this sale follows an extensive nine month process that was concluded by Calibre Partners and UBS after the parent company and sole shareholder of Villa Maria Estate Limited, FFWL Ltd was placed into receivership.

Indevin, an established wine business is committed to showcasing New Zealand wines to consumers all over the world. The addition of the Villa Maria portfolio of brands to its stable is a logical next step for Indevin.

Commenting on the purchase, Greg Tomlinson the Chairman of Indevin said, “The coming together of two successful New Zealand wine export businesses supports our vision to become the leading New Zealand global wine business, spearheaded by the Villa Maria brand. This collaboration will be significant for the New Zealand wine industry and we are delighted Villa Maria will remain in New Zealand ownership.”

The sale includes Villa Maria’s Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Auckland wineries, vineyards, supplier agreements, the flagship brand Villa Maria as well as Esk Valley, Vidal, Leftfield and Thornbury.

“Villa Maria is an iconic kiwi brand and Indevin is an established participant in the New Zealand wine industry – together the two businesses are a powerful combination and there are many competitive advantages that both sides bring to the table. This is exciting for the future of one of New Zealand’s oldest and most admired wine brands”, said Malcom McDougall, Chairman Villa Maria Estate Ltd.

Indevin identified some time ago that, in order to achieve its ambition of being a leading player in the New Zealand wine industry, acquiring a strong New Zealand wine brand would be a crucial step.

“We had looked at a number of wine businesses with brands over the last few years, but none provided the strategic fit of Villa Maria. We are excited by the opportunities this collaboration offers”, said Greg Tomlinson.

“Indevin’s business is built around holding and building value for New Zealand vineyards and growers. Our strong supply chain coupled with the strength and heritage of the Villa Maria brand will create a sustainable business for the future and grow value for the New Zealand wine industry”, Tomlinson said.

Receiver, Brendon Gibson, commented, “We are very pleased to conclude the sale. We see this is a good outcome that provides certainty for the business, staff, customers, suppliers and the communities in which Villa Maria operates.”

Greg Tomlinson also said, “The businesses have aligned visions and are both committed to showcasing world class New Zealand wines to consumers all over the world. We are excited to be a part of Villa Maria’s next chapter of growth – it is an exciting phase in the evolution of both companies.”

We are pleased to announce that Indevin has signed a conditional agreement to acquire Villa Maria. We are very excited about the prospect of adding such an iconic brand to our portfolio and believe it will be an excellent opportunity for the long-term growth of both businesses.

PRESS RELEASE:

The Receivers of FFWL, the parent company of Villa Maria Estate – Brendon Gibson and Neale Jackson of Calibre Partners – are pleased to announce that they have today signed a conditional agreement for the sale of 100% of the shares in Villa Maria Estates Limited.

The conditional sale follows an extensive nine month sale process that was concluded by Calibre Partners and UBS after the parent company and sole shareholder of Villa Maria Estate Limited, FFWL was placed into receivership.

The business has been purchased by Indevin, a Marlborough based New Zealand owned wine company.

Indevin, which is a large player in the New Zealand wine industry, is committed to showcasing New Zealand wines to consumers all over the world and is excited at the prospect of adding a set of such iconic kiwi brands to its stable.

Commenting on the conditional sale, Chairman of Indevin Greg Tomlinson says, “Our business model is all about producing quality wines, creating authentic brands while retaining and building value for New Zealand wine in international markets. Adding Villa Maria to our portfolio fits within our long-term growth strategy and will complement our existing business.”

If the sale is finalised, it will include Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Auckland wineries, vineyards, Supplier agreements, the flagship brand Villa Maria as well as Esk Valley, Vidal and Leftfield.

“Our whole business is built around holding and building value for New Zealand vineyards and growers. If the conditions of the sale are satisfied, we plan to drive focus and increased investment behind Villa Maria to further enhance its reputation for quality and protect its brand value. This will be an important next step in the story of the brand.” concludes Greg Tomlinson.

Chairman of the Villa Maria board, Malcolm McDougall says of the conditional sale; “It’s reassuring that Villa Maria’s new owner will be another Kiwi company. There is genuine compatibility between the businesses. Indevin is a successful operator, it brings a strong supply chain and has established key export markets with contracted long-term partnerships. Meanwhile Villa Maria brings a legacy and strong brands that command a premium. Together that’s a powerful combination.”

Receiver, Brendon Gibson, comments, “We are working closely with Villa Maria management and the purchaser to satisfy the sale conditions, which are typical for a transaction of this nature, with a view to settlement on 31 August 2021. We see this is a good outcome that provides certainty for the business, staff, customers, suppliers and the communities in which Villa Maria operates.”

Calibre Partners also announces that FFWL has entered into a conditional contract to sell 34 hectares of light industrial land surrounding Villa Maria’s Auckland winery to Goodman Property Trust. The land sale is expected to settle later in 2021.

Once updates become available they will be announced in due course.