|  Kiran Patil is one of the primary driving forces behind the growth of Vintage Wines Pvt. Ltd – a company formed with the primary objective of producing quality wines. A management graduate, she worked with Companies like K. Raheja Constructions and Mahindra Gesco, gaining significant marketing experience in a corporate environment. It taught her the essence and the finer nuances of marketing. ‘The product being a given, the key really lies in linking it to the basic need of the consumer’, says Kiran.
Getting into the alcoholic beverage sector really complemented her husband, Yatin Patil’s decision to start a winery in 2005. Kiran had no qualms about turning entrepreneur; once she supported the husband’s idea, she kept solidly behind Yatin in building a brand and handling the entire marketing & sales operation for Vintage Wines that produces Reveilo brand of wines.
Both Yatin and Kiran left their corporate jobs to pursue their entrepreneurial dream and the vision to evolve the family’s agriculture heritage of around 200 acres of land near Niphad on the outskirts of Nashik, into a brand. ‘The wine industry was a sunrise industry. With only a few players there was a gap in the market with respect to quality, finesse and consistency - critical parameters in the case of wine. This is exactly where we thought of bridging the gap and went on to form Vintage Wines and create the Reveilo label, which was launched in 2006,’ she says.
It proved to be a prudent decision, as they synergized in managing the entire set-up. Yatin overlooks the entire operations and handles the company from a macro perspective, whilst Kiran handles the entire sales and marketing function and is responsible for the micro management. This includes formulating marketing and sales strategies, conceptualizing successful launch of new products, advertisement and promotion plan for creating brand equity, accelerating growth and ultimately achieving desired sales goals.
Kiran is a totally hands-on woman. Her forte lies in a systematic and a meticulous approach to every facet. ‘Consistency’ and ‘Persistence’ are her driving force. She is passionate about making Reveilo one of the premium Indian wine brands in the global market.
Reveilo wines have received critical acclaim and consistently won awards. ‘We have attained almost a pan India presence and are steadily increasing our international footprint. We were aware that the untraveled path that Reveilo had chosen was difficult, strewn with obstacles like wrong perception of wine in the Indian society, inter-state taxation, inconvenient licensing and label registration procedures, accounts receivables etc,’ Kiran says. On the marketing front also, this sector offers a lot of challenges like direct advertising being banned. Combating those challenges and creating opportunities proves to be a great stimulus for her, she feels.
 The way ahead for Reveilo is to increase the share in the Indian market and overseas. After struggling through the recession period resulting in financial constraints, Reveilo wines has now stabilized and almost reached the mark of 10,000 cases in the domestic market 2012-13, with a significant growth expected this year. ‘One would like to influence the course of the industry towards quality production, as well as increased confidence in locally manufactured products,’ she feels.
Although the Patils are running a tight ship, their quality consciousness and willingness to experiment with new varieties with the help of their Italian consultant is bound to make Kiran’s job interesting, challenging and rewarding. A woman as a wine producer should also go a distance in removing the misconception amongst middle class Indian women that wine is like any other alcoholic product.
We wish her and Vintage Wines a great future and are happy to have Kiran Patil as one of the Top Ten WOW women of the Indian wine industry.
Subhash Arora
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Tags: Indian wine industry, Top Ten WOW , Kiran Patil, Vintage Wines, Reveilo Wines, Yatin Patil, Nashik, Reveilo |