Ecuador is mostly known for its export products petroleum, cocoa, and bananas. Until recently, wine was not on this list. Jochen Heigoldt, CEO of Vioneers from Backnang, decided to change this and initiated an import process that would cost him and his team months of sleep and almost their sanity.
Wine from Ecuador
Ecuador is particularly known for its main export goods: petroleum, bananas, cocoa, and shrimp. For a long time, it was considered impossible to cultivate wine in Ecuador because the exotic climate at the equator "couldn't" support it. A favorable constellation of Ecuadorian extremes – from the coast through the rainforest to the high mountains – favored by the cooling Humboldt Current, was to provide an ideal climate for premium wines.
What was thought impossible had indeed come true: The winery Dos Hemisferios is one of only two wineries in all of Ecuador and thus an absolute rarity.
The Wine Merchant
A few years ago, Jochen Heigoldt, the CEO of the wine merchant Vioneers, by chance tasted the wines from Dos Hemisferios and simply couldn't forget them. The decision was made – an import had to be initiated.
The order was placed, and the winery quickly shipped the goods. Finally, a few months ago, the news arrived: the pallets were on the container ship in the Atlantic Ocean. But this is where the real thriller began...
The Import Thriller
Curtain up for the EU.
Customs in Hamburg: “How are we supposed to know that there's actually wine in there? This product has never been imported from Ecuador to Europe before! Unfortunately, we cannot accept these details on the label.”
For logistics manager Leonhard Kurz, months of back-and-forth followed with Hamburg customs over lab values, re-labeling requirements, and the Ecuadorian authorities. Late-night calls with Quito (the capital of Ecuador) were on the agenda almost daily. Hamburg customs was on Leo's speed dial – there was truly daily contact. Always with the sword of Damocles hanging over him, if not all requirements were met 100%:
“Then the wines will have to go back to Ecuador or be destroyed!”
The Turnaround
After long and intense efforts, however, the turnaround finally came: Deadlines were met at the last minute, processes began to take hold, and new labels were affixed to the bottles like an honorable distinction. All efforts seemed to pay off – yet no one dared to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was finally a cold and overcast Wednesday morning when the horn of the forwarding agent echoed through the Swabian forest, and with one last effort, the pallets were finally stored.
The response to the exotic wine was now so overwhelming that Vioneers had to reorder: Thus, the import game begins anew – fortunately with the prior experience from the first import of Ecuadorian wine into the EU.
