Costco obviously wants to allow its members to toast with local wines. For three months, products from l’Orpailleur, one of the largest vineyards in Quebec, have been available on the shelves of all the store’s warehouses in the province. Other Quebec wines could be added to the offering mainly made up of foreign products.
This is the largest retail contract obtained by the Dunham vineyard, confirms its co-owner Charles-Henri de Coussergues. The idea came from her daughters who regularly shop for diapers for their children at Costco. Seeing the wine section, they asked themselves: why wouldn’t L’Orpailleur try its luck?
Without great expectations, the main interested party therefore went during the winter to meet the managers of Costco in Ottawa. “In the end it went very well. They were very open to trying Orpailleur,” says the winemaker who produces 360,000 bottles annually with vines grown on 47 hectares in the Eastern Townships.
But Charles-Henri de Coussergues, whose wines – a red, a white and a sparkling – are on sale in the 21 warehouses in Quebec, knows that he must work so that they are not forgotten on the shelves. “At Costco, you don’t see a lot of dust on the products,” he illustrates. The square inch must be extremely profitable. It has to work. This is an issue I have. But there is an opportunity, so we try it,” adds the man whose wines are also offered at the SAQ as well as at Metro and IGA.
For the moment, the producer says that his wines are quickly finding buyers at Costco. The brand’s spokesperson, Martin Groleau, also assures that “for the moment, sales are there”.
In Saint-Eustache, the Rivière du Chêne vineyard also made a brief foray into Costco in order to “sell out” the stocks of a range that it will no longer produce and which is no longer offered in supermarkets.
“This range needed far too big a marketing boost for there to be a certain amount of success both financially and commercially,” explains owner Daniel Lalande, who sells other product ranges in branches of the state corporation and in grocery stores.
At Costco, he therefore speaks of “ephemeral positioning”. As the experience is conclusive, Mr. Lalande is not closing the door to a possible return of other products to the American giant’s warehouses. But for the moment, he wants to concentrate on the supermarket network where he sells his La Cantina products in a few stores.
“As a team, we instead chose to expand distribution through Metro and IGA before continuing in this chain. But we might go back. I would have given it a try. I see it can work. I won’t cut ties. »
Furthermore, l’Orpailleur and Rivière du Chêne may not be the only representatives of the province in the wine aisle at Costco. Other Quebec bottles could also make their debut in the brand’s wine section. “It is always a possibility depending on the interest of our Quebec members,” Martin Groleau indicated by email. We are always looking for new products that fit our business strategy. »
According to Charles-Henri de Coussergues, “it is in Costco’s interest to show that the company is receptive to local purchasing.”
“It’s crazy how many members there are at Costco,” adds Mr. Lalande. Not everyone buys their wine at the SAQ. The customer who buys at Costco, buys wine. »
“I dare to hope that this chain will do its homework to have wines of protected geographical indication (PGI) origin from Quebec on its shelves,” he continues. Having a blue logo on wines that come from elsewhere, but which are bottled in Quebec, I find that it sows confusion. A Quebec wine is our land, our terroir, our know-how. »
In Quebec, French, Italian or Australian wines sold in grocery stores are bottled here. The same goes for wines put forward by well-known people like restaurateur Stefano Faita or Bob le Chef. Although they attach their name to these wines, they are not produced here.
Quebec wines: a decline in enthusiasm?
Furthermore, in 2023, sales of local wine remained stable with an increase of 0.3% compared to 2022, according to data provided by the Conseil des vins du Québec. At the SAQ, sales of local wines in liters decreased by 8.5% over the last year.
Is the craze running out of steam? “I think this is a false reading,” maintains Charles-Henri de Coussergues. Be careful. There was a craze because of COVID-19. All alcoholic beverage producers in Quebec ran out of stock. It creates disproportionate hope. After COVID, we returned to normal. It is certain that there are winegrowers who are very disappointed because they cannot maintain the same rate of sales as during COVID. Yes, it’s quieter, but it’s not dramatic. »
“I sell a little less than during the pandemic, but I sell the same thing as before COVID. But it is certain that the consumer will ask for more,” he says, convinced.