HOW MUCH IS A SPIRIT START-UP WORTH? ANSWER FROM CAMPARI BUYING BULLDOG GIN

Bulldog Gin Sold to Gruppo Campari February 2017

It is not often that one gets to see the insider of a transaction and get to read the details.

Shanken Daily News offers this info:

"Italy’s Gruppo Campari has acquired Bulldog Gin for roughly $58 million.

Launched in the U.S. in 2007 by entrepreneur and investment banker Anshuman Vohra, Bulldog (roughly $26 a 750-ml.) is currently available in nearly 100 markets around the globe, with a strong concentration in Europe.

. Bulldog sold around 150,000 cases in total in 2016.
. The brand’s net sales were around $12 million (+22% sales previous year).

The deal values the independently-owned Bulldog at approximately 13.6 times the expected CAAP (contribution after advertising and promotion) of about €4 million ($4.3m) in 2017."

The ratios are starting to look like those App start-ups and Dot-Com Companies.

There is a spirit valley after all!

Sources: Bulldog, ShankenDailyNews

ARRIVEDERCI TO COGNAC MARNIER-LAPOSTOLLE GOING TO GRUPPO CAMPARI

I am a little sad to see Marnier-Lapostolle go to Campari Group ($761M). It reminds me when Volkswagen bought Bentley in the 1990s. The name Marnier-Lapostolle is deep rooted in the Cognac region, and it is far away from Milano.

Not easy to keep a family business going for more than 150 years inside a family.

Some key figures:

1827: Establishment of the Marnier-Lapostolle distillery in Neauphle-le-château, Yvelines, Paris region.
1880: Creation of Grand-Marnier liquor.

1919: Purchase of Vineyard with Chateau de Sancerre.

1921: Purchase of castle in village of Bourg-Charente, Cognac region.

Marnier Lapostolle Castle in Bourg-Charente, Cognac

1994: Starts wine business in Chile.

2013: 100% of Grand Marnier moved in Bourg-Charente.

Marnier-Lapostolle was in recent years the 5th largest buyers of cognac from the region since 60% of the Grand Marnier recipe composed of cognac, with about 12 million bottles sold per year.

Grand Marnier is exported in about 150 countries and the USA accounts for 60%, while Europe = 30%, Asia 10%, and France 8%.

Lapostolle Wines in Chile is composed of 370 hectares, with 3 vineyards and an annual production of 200,000 cases.

Once a year the Marnier-Lapostolle Castle in Bourg-Charente was opened to the public and mostly full of locals which really enjoyed visiting it. I wonder if this tradition will be kept!

History is made!

Sources: Lapostolle.com, Forbes.com, Charente Libre.fr, House of Marnier