Describe your business in one sentence?
We set out to bring unique, undiscovered and great value wines from Australia to the UK. 
When did you launch and who is behind it?
We founded the company in 2023, but it wasn’t until the first shipment of wine arrived from Australia in March 2024 that we could really launch the business. The business was founded by Ben Harvey and Paul Bartram, lifelong friends and long-term Wandsworth residents.
When did your ‘lightbulb moment‘ happen?
Over a beer in the Rose & Crown in Tooting. We both realised that we wanted to build our own business, that we shared a huge passion for doing things our way and for wine of course!
What special products do you offer at Christmas?
We have put together a series of Christmas boxes that showcase the best wines Australia has to offer, curated to match people’s Christmas food! We put them together based on how we share Christmas day with our families and of course included a nice discount to make them more of a gift for Christmas!
What did you do prior to starting your business?
We worked for two decades in finance within London and have worked together for a number of years so knew we made a good team.
What type of support have you received since starting your business?
It’s a cliché but the amount of family and friends support is what has got us going. It’s an extremely competitive world, but we have had some wonderful support from those around us – not just in buying the wine, but also in offering the benefit of their own experience, especially from our friends with expertise in marketing, PR & branding!
What does Christmas mean to your business?
Christmas is the season where so many people celebrate for a whole host of reasons. This makes it a very busy time for us, especially in sparkling wine!
What would you say were three of the most challenging aspects of setting up your business?
- It’s been a huge learning curve and the administration side of setting up a business is really a huge challenge. We’ve had to seek a lot of support in things like VAT, import handling and tax – all of which costs a lot of money to get advice on.
- Building a database of clients is really tough and made tougher by the rules around data protection.
- Dealing with the knockbacks which impact every small business. You have to roll with the punches as they say but it can be tough especially when competing against far more established rivals.
If you had the opportunity to do it all again, what would you do differently?
I’m not sure there’s any one thing, most likely we would try to start off with more impactful launch events to make as much as possible of the initial momentum.
What’s your favourite part about running a business during the festive season?
There’s so much excitement around this time of the year – parties, dinners, friends and family. We have a number of great events we’re doing for people and that’s such a fun thing to be part of.
What three tips would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs?
- Don’t underestimate how hard it is – especially in a mature industry like this one.
- Think really hard about your cashflow in the first 2 years and how you will fund growth.
- Think creatively about how you reach your target customer and think very hard about who that is!
How can the community support local businesses like yours this Christmas?
Visit our website, come find us at local events, follow us on Instagram, and above all – get in touch and ask us how you can discover what glorious wines Australia has to offer!
Finish this sentence. I like being based in Wandsworth because…
It’s home. It’s our favourite part of London and there’s nowhere else we’d rather be!
Do you have any special offers or events for the holiday season?
As above – we have special Christmas boxes which offer amazing discounts on our range.
How can people connect with you and learn more about your business?