Modernizing amidst turmoil
Costs are rising. DTC revenue is stagnating. Wholesale traction is absent. And the landscape seems to be shifting by the day. The team is heads-down, working to stabilize operations. But the business lacks clarity on where to go from here. Leadership just wants answers grounded in reality and tailored to their winery’s unique needs.
The solution? Blair Hall Partners.
New solutions for new challenges. A clear picture of underlying business health and real solutions to modernize and thrive. No cookie-cutter, decades-old winery playbook – an actionable plan to gain share and increase profitability now.
How we support your organization
While every winery is unique and priorities evolve in real time, we focus on co-creating value with you in three core areas.
COST SAVINGS
Current cost structure analyzed to identify immediate savings opportunities. Costs are rationalized and margins are improved to extend financial runway and fund the overall transformation journey.
operating efficiency
Growth on a shaky foundation of business operations can destroy value. A deep-dive into current company operations yields a shovel-ready roadmap of sized and prioritized opportunities to enhance the efficiency of your underlying operations.
commercial effectiveness
Acceleration of profitable and incremental growth through key commercial levers (brand, product portfolio, pricing, marketing, sales, digital) across all winery sales channels (tasting room, club, eCommerce, wholesale).
Our approach – from insight to action
Analysis and observations are critical, but they don’t show up on your P&L. We focus on shortening the time it takes to go from insight to tangible business impact.
I. Analyze & assess
Forensic diagnostic across the full business establishes a detailed picture of current-state business health and highlights key areas of opportunity relative to best-in-class peers.
II. Roadmap & plan
Target-state is defined and an actionable, phased roadmap is created to guide teams on the multi-year journey while focusing on immediate execution against highest priority opportunities.
III. Implement & scale
Pilots are launched to get real-world feedback and those results guide iterative improvement going forward. Winners are scaled and less-impactful initiatives are shelved.
Our experience is your asset
founder & managing partner
Ryan Watson
Founder Ryan Watson has a unique twenty year track record of value creation in some of the most demanding corporate environments, ranging from Amazon, Kraft Heinz, Goldman Sachs and Boston Consulting Group to VC-backed growth-stage disruptors and distressed middle market companies. He combines the strategic horsepower of a BCG Partner, the commercial mindset of a P&L owner, and the deep domain expertise of an executive who has led organizations of 150+ across multiple functions.
Importantly, Ryan was Chief Commercial Officer at Vintage Wine Estates and helped lead the company through distress and restructuring. He had responsibility for a $170M commercial P&L at one of the largest wine producers in the US with 30+ brands, 10 estate tasting rooms with 220k annual visitors, and 13 branded wine clubs. Ryan led a 155-person organization spanning Sales, Marketing, IT, eCommerce, Wine Clubs, and Tasting Rooms..
Testimonials
A consistent theme of strategic thinking, decisive leadership, and collaborative partnership…
Seth Kaufman
VWE CEO and former President & CEO at Moët Hennessy North America
“Ryan is a phenomenal change leader, data-driven decision-maker and champion of creating value for businesses in an agile, refreshing way that challenges the status quo. His depth and breadth of experiences contribute to his ability to bring forward novel solutions to complex problems. I look forward to seeing the impact he has across multiple businesses and industries, leading this new endeavor.”
Former Head of Transformation
Tesco PLC
“I worked alongside Ryan on a huge transformation project at Tesco. There wasn’t a part of the business that was not overhauled. We worked on everything from omnichannel strategy to merchandising and sourcing…we even spent days in a dusty 50,000 sq ft warehouse building it all out. Ryan’s innovation, attention to detail and ability to synthesize vast amounts of data into a precise strategy was extremely helpful. He remains to this day a highly trusted advisor.”
Former VP & Group Leader
Kraft Heinz
“Ryan has a unique ability to drive higher order strategic thinking while also delivering on tactical execution to unlock growth. He is adaptable to a variety of business dynamics and the leadership he brings to any situation is unmatched. He is able to marry business thought leadership, financial acumen, creative thinking, and an operational ability to execute the plan. Ryan brings credibility and authority with Board members while also working closely alongside junior team members.”
Customized options to partner with you
A range of flexible options exist to meet the unique needs of your winery
Health Check ‘Sprint’
A 1-2 week fast-track assessment of the business provides winery leadership with actionable opportunities across functions and sales channels to generate near-term impact and guide your teams over the coming years.
Ongoing Leadership
Longer-term, hands-on leadership support to work with you and your winery’s teams in executing transformative change. From three months to three years, we can structure the engagement in a way that meets your needs and budget.