Building brand ambassadors through hospitality w/ Meaghan Frank, Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery

As the pioneer of Vitis Vinifera in the Eastern US, Dr. Konstantin Frank is one of the key leaders of the Fingers Lakes region in New York. Meaghan Frank, a fourth-generation vintner, has been leading the charge to evolve its hospitality program to create brand ambassadors for the winery and the region. Its 1886 Wine Experience has won Best Wine Tour by USA Today in the last two years. Meaghan breaks down their hospitality program and its impact on their business.  Detailed Show Notes:  Finger Lakes region, NY - 150 wineries (of 400 in NY), NW NY State - 5 hrs from NYCSkinny, deep lakes that moderate weatherGlaciers left diverse soilsTourism-driven, seasonal visitors (spring to fall) for lakes, hiking, close to Niagara Falls, Corning Museum of Glass Dr. Konstantin Frank - PhD in Viticulture from Odesa, Ukraine; a grape scientist; fled to NY during WWII35 years of cold climate grape growing experience when moved to NY1st to plant vinifera in Eastern USPlanted experiment station in the 1950s - 68 varieties, including Furmit, Pedro Ximenez, and Touriga Nacional) to research what would work best Dr. K Frank Winery17 vinifera varieties → 40 wines60% wholesale, 40% DTC40 states, 9 export markets (5%, incl Japan, Aruba (lots of NY visitors), UK)DTC 60% e-commerce (driven by wine club), 40% hospitality Hospitality programThe goal is to create brand ambassadors and loyalty, get the word out about the Finger LakesInspired by Australian hospitality programs - private, educational~40k visitors/year (#1 PA - 1 hour away, NJ, OH, NY core markets) - all seated, paidPre-pandemic - ~80k visitors/year for free bar tastingsMoved to an experience-driven program with wine educators, take advantage of lake view Three experiences: Eugenia’s Garden - modeled after great grandmother’s garden, most casual, can do a la carte glasses/bottles/flights; enables people to enjoy the day; targets a younger demographicSignature Seated ($15pp) - most popular, educational, 1 hr, 6 wines, 5 different themes that are part of the winery’s story (e.g., traditional sparkling, Riesling pioneer, groundbreaking grapes, red wines)The 1886 Wine Experience ($75pp) - only May-Oct, 2-2.5 hrs, led by wine educator, a tour of the vineyard, sparkling and still wine cellars, seated tasting of 4 wines with bites, followed by additional tastings; won best wine tour by USA Today last 2 years; lots of 1st-time visitors book 1886 due to unique natureLessons learned - used to do 6 wine flight w/ bites, which was too many; did themed months (e.g., sparkling) - did not work with mostly touristsDifferentiators - spend lots of time, has a separate private space for 1886 Wine club evolutionUsed to have people pay upfront for the year - bigger barrier to signing up, always feel like “playing catchup” to ensure value delivered, concentrated work during shipment periodsMoved to more subscription model - quarterly, 3 wines w/ default package, fully customizable, no upfront fee, 20% discount on wines, and get free tastings (no limit)8% club conversion - the only way to get free tastings now, used to waive w/ 4 bottle purchaseLocals small portion of the club - pickup option only 10%, PA #1Avg tenure 1.5 years, seeing it extend with the new club model Popular winesHospitality - Rkatsiteli #1, traditional method sparklingWholesale - #1 & #2 - dry & semi-dry RieslingRiesling 60% of production, traditional method growing Increasing issues around climate change - 2023 had the largest spring frost in history, increasing water issues Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.