Rajeev Samant: Tiger of Sula continues to Roar

Rajeev Samant seems to be firmly at the driver’s seat despite his shifting base to Miami and London in around May 2017. Many tongues had then started wagging about his possible waning of interest after his personal wealth creation due to massive induction of PE capital in the company. Rajeev had scoffed at the idea when I suggested it to him at the SulaFest 2018. He had just bought the Heritage Winery near Bangalore and was already working on drawings and designs to refurbish it with a different look.

Heritage Winery

It is not easy to scale up a winery that has been used to make fortified wines selling for Rs. 100/150 a bottle. It is not easy to change the mindset of the working staff or the type of tourists visiting the place. ‘We needed to totally refurbish the winery and set it up of wine tourism as well. I am happy that within a year we managed that and now the winery is open for a visit,’ he informed delWine at SulaFest 2019 earlier this month.

The sales of Sula wines touched the one million-mark case in 2017-18. While explaining that, rajeev stressed that Sula might have not grown in terms of sales volume during the previous two financial years but ‘that was because we had intentionally de-emphasised the lower-ended products and raised the bar on the quality productsfetching higher prices-thus raising our revenues consistently during this period.’

Rather than sitting on their laurels, Rajiv has been forward looking and was bubbling with confidence when he told delWine that Sula was well on its way up, expecting an incredible 25% growth this year in 2018-19! ‘Our performance has been solid this year and we are confident of achieving this growth, that will include the production and sales of Kadu wines at the Heritage winery as well,’ he said.

SulaFest at its Best

Rajeev might be in London, Goa or Miami but at the time of SulaFest he is always in Nashik and very much involved in overseeing even the minute details. One could see him at both the VIP Stands during performances in the evening, while he held forte in his office during the daytime, holding meetings with various senior stakeholders, journalists, distributors etc. despite the heavy après parties the night before.  SulaFest continues to give Sula a tremendous boost in its branding and he is there to conduct the orchestra for a continuing better performance.

New High Quality labels

Much aware of the competitors bringing out higher quality products, he has been focusing on new lables of higher quality during the last couple of years. After bringing out ‘The Source’ label last year based around the new Resort made in place of the old winery- its Grenache based Source Rose is perhaps the best Rosé in India today and at a very affordable price with an MRP of Rs. 800-850, his quest for newer and better wines continues.

After launching the exclusive Blanc de Blanc Brut made from Chardonnay grapes a couple of years ago-first in the winery and then into Mumbai and other markets, it has stepped up the production of this elegant, bubbly giving sparkling wine lovers a unique choice.  Last year, Sula introduced a red Shiraz Sparkling Wine, filling in the gap for those who prefer their bubbles in red colour over Rose or ordinary white Brut. For the maiden attempt, it has come out rather well.

The existing Dindori Reserve Shiraz is complemented well by Dindori Reserve Chardonnay which is still in its nascent stage but improvements are anticipated. Similarly, The Source has seen a new variant- Sauvignon Blanc Reserve which is absolutely delicious with enticing aromas, flavour and structure, thanks to the right touch of oak. Similarly a Zinfandel Red has been just added to the range-unfortunately it did not agree with my palate and seemed out of balance but some others disagree. Hopefully, it will see better days in future. The packaging of new products is certainly very chic and modern, especially for the sparklers- he seems to be well aware of the competition and the big opportunity ready to unfold.

The biggest revolutionary concept seems to be changing the Tropicale Brut and the pink version- the biggest sellers in the Sula premium range to second fermentation by Charmat method, making them lighter and much cheaper, giving Sula a competitive edge in the market. It is to be seen how the market reacts, considering Chandon, Grover and Fratelli use the Traditional Method of second fermentation in the bottle- akin to what is used in making champagne.

The fact remains that he is very much on top of the technical changes, improvements and new processes at Sula group.

The Source Resort getting bigger and better

Although The Source Resort has been operational for two years, expansion and beautification work continues. A new fountain in the courtyard, an inspiration from his wife gives it a European look. 8 rooms were added to the complex during last year-in fact I was accommodated in one of them during SulaFest. The room is large and very comfortable with all the usual amenities provided. More rooms are to be added, giving wine tourism further boost. The kitchen has seen a massive boost since last year too.

New COO to be in place

In the meantime, delWine can confirm based on very reliable sources that Sula Vineyards has appointed a new COO to start work from April 1 to assist Rajeev Samant. Since the company has not officially announced the name, we don’t feel it proper to jump the gun and write what we know. Suffice it to write that he is a Board member and represents one of the early investors of Sula. This ought to reinforce the management strength further and fill the gap left by Nick Pringle suddenly resigning last year, a little over year after being at the helm of affairs.

Sula seems to be well on its way to cementing further its solid leadership position, the possible potential challenge from the like of Grover and Fratelli notwithstanding. rajeev Samant is sure it would be 10 years away and you may rest assured he would not be relaxing on the beaches of Miami or Goa or hibernating in London during this period.

Subhash Arora

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