BY LAURENCE P. GOTTLIEB
At the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.”™s recent Hudson Valley Beer, Wine, Spirits & Cider Summit 2.0 at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, 400 business executives and government officials gathered to discuss the meteoric rise of alcoholic beverage production in the Hudson Valley.
The summit, now in its second year, featured two high-profile speakers ”” James Mariani, co-CEO of Banfi Vinters, one of America”™s leading wine importers, and Richard Ball, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Mariani underscored the importance of effective marketing in achieving success in the industry.
“It is critical to communicate your product”™s unique advantage into your marketing messages and then to learn what market segment you need to reach,” Mariani said. “It is impossible to reach everyone.”
Mariani also discussed the many challenges facing the wine industry and identified a number of interesting trends:
”¢ “Firewalls between the beer, wine and spirits categories existed in the past but those firewalls are now breaking down and the category lines are getting much fuzzier.”
”¢ “Higher-quality beverage products such as craft beers and flavored malts are growing in popularity, and their market share is increasing much better than the category as a whole.”
”¢ “We are living in a different kind of world, and now everyone is trying to attract the high-spending, young consumers who are interested in trying new drinks.”
”¢ “The Hudson Valley”™s farm-to-table trend is one of the most exciting movements in the industry.”
Ball was equally upbeat about the vitality of the state”™s agriculture industry, which is buoyed by 36,000 farms.
“The differences between upstate and downstate New York have never been starker, yet the opportunities have never been greater,” Ball said. “We need to connect the dots between the upstate farms and the largest appetite in the country in New York City. The energy in this industry is incredible, and it has never had a better relationship with Albany.”
Ball said he was committed to making the state “customer friendly” to the agriculture sector.
“We must break down the barriers to doing business in state government,” Ball said. “We are determined to streamline the regulation process to be more ”˜customer friendly,”™ and to help the agriculture industry grow.”
With additional speakers from the New York State Liquor Authority and Department of Finance, Empire State Development and several major industry players, it was quite evident that the Hudson Valley is bubbling over with enthusiasm for this burgeoning industry.
Laurence P. Gottlieb is president and CEO of Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. in New Windsor. He can be reached at lgottlieb@hvedc.com.
The HVEDC is a joke.
The HVEDC is a joke and Gottlieb an obnoxious overpaid goombah for Cuomo.