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Coronavirus conversations: Rob Symington

We caught up with Rob Symington, director of Portugal’s Symington Family Estates, to find out how the Port and wine producer has adapted to the Covid-19 crisis.

How is business during this tricky time?

It is too early to make a full assessment of the impact of the pandemic on our business. The early indications are that parts of the off-trade have remained buoyant (especially the supermarkets) and that online sales have grown substantially. The on-trade has, of course, been almost completely shut-down apart from some home-delivery initiatives – some of which include wine deliveries. Although this obviously affects us, our concern is for our customers’ businesses, the many restaurants around the world who do a fantastic job of serving our wines and Ports week-in, week-out, who have been obliged to close.

How have you adapted the way you do business during the coronavirus crisis?

I’m very proud of the way our teams adapted extremely rapidly to this new reality – in the face of such uncertainty and worry – to ensure we could keep our critical processes running and continue supplying our customers. We immediately instituted a range of preventative measures. In all areas that require staff to be physically present, we have been operating mirrored teams to minimise the risk of infection and to ensure that, in the case of a positive Covid-19 case, we had a team on standby to ensure we could keep working.

Everyone who can work from home has been doing so. People have adapted very well to remote working.

We have launched a range of digital initiatives:

1. Our sales team have been giving training sessions to many of our customers around the world.

2. We launched @SchoolofPort – a new educational initiative on Instagram teaching wine lovers and wine professionals about Port and the Douro.

3. We are running ‘live digital tastings’ from our three visitor centres (which have been closed since early March).

4. We have begun selling a selection of wines and Ports directly to consumers (in the UK & EU) from our lodge shops.

5. We ran #PortLoversUnite – a digital gathering of Port drinkers from around the world which raised €6,000 for the International Red Cross.

6. We are hosting a live video presentation of our 2018 Vintage Ports on Thursday 14 May.

Since the coronavirus reached Portugal, we have implemented various initiatives to support the national response to the pandemic. These include the in-house production of 10,000 litres of antiseptic gel (made with distilled grape spirit, glycerine and water) which has been distributed to various hospitals in the north of Portugal, the donation of a ventilator to the Vila Real hospital in the Douro region, funding towards a diagnostic X-Ray machine for a hospital south of Porto, and the purchase of 3,000 medical-grade protective masks for hospitals in the Porto area.

Has the crisis changed drinking habits/consumption trends in your experience?

Port is widely known for being enjoyed at special occasions, be it Christmas or a wedding, however the reality is that many people, particularly in the UK, enjoy a glass of Port after a long day with their feet up reading a book or watching TV, and therefore we have seen this habit continue and increase considerably during the lockdown period. As people have more time at home, cooking interesting dishes has become a big part of our daily life and these meals tend to be accompanied by good wines and Ports.

Are you enjoying a boost in off-trade/ online sales?

Yes, despite a challenging situation, we are fortunate to have seen stable sales in the off-trade and online as a whole, with growth in some areas. Despite Port not being bought as a gift as much as we would usually see, consumers are definitely still buying Port and wine to be enjoyed at home.

How do you think the coronavirus crisis will change the world?

I think a lot more will be done online – from shopping to travel business meetings. People have had a forced induction into a new way of living and, although it has been under very difficult circumstances, they have realised that there is much you can do without having to leave your home.

On a wider scale, it is clear that when governments are forced to react quickly to a clear danger, they are capable of taking steps that under normal circumstances would be impossible. I hope this means that, over the coming years, we prove that we are collectively capable of making the necessary changes required to avert the worst of the destruction that will be caused by dangerous levels of climate change.

How should the wine trade adapt in the face of the crisis?

In the last seven weeks the trade has shown a huge amount of flexibility and adaptability. There is a huge amount of knowledge and stories to be shared and it’s been great to see so many live broadcasts, interesting initiatives and solidarity campaigns.

What is the future for the wine trade post Covid-19?

In the immediate term, we need to ensure we have enough workers to run the 2020 harvest and that we support our partners in the on-trade to get back on their feet. In many ways the challenges facing the wine trade after Covid-19 will be the same as they were before: capitalising on the opportunities provided by the digital environment and e-commerce, educating and engaging a new generation of drinkers, adapting to climate change and reducing our own contribution to the environmental problems that are going to define the coming decades.

What are your top priorities as a company going forward?

As a family wine company we have a long-term mentality. We think in terms of generations. As a certified B Corporation our goal is to run a sustainable business that contributes to the wellbeing of the regions where we work. Our priorities going forwards are to ensure we are constantly adapting to meet the challenges of our time – be they commercial challenges (engaging new consumers, developing new digital channels, implementing sustainable packaging, diversifying into new areas) or social and environmental ones (responding to climate change, protecting biodiversity, pioneering sustainable innovation, supporting our local community).

Do you have any new wines in the pipeline / news to report?

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we had to put two big milestones on hold this year. 2020 is the 200th anniversary of Graham’s Port and the 350th anniversary of Warre’s. We had lots of exciting product launches and events planned throughout 2020, much of which will happen once we are out of these uncertain times.

We have recently launched School of Port (@schoolofport) which we’re very excited about. Our objective is to educate wine lovers, from sommeliers to consumers, about the Port category using a variety of online and digital tools (and in due course, in-person training too).

Read more:

SYMINGTON: ‘WE ARE DETERMINED THAT NO ONE WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS’

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