Purple Wine Company Appoints Peter Baedeker as Managing Director, Imports

Graton, CA – Purple Wine Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Baedeker as Managing Director, Imports.  Baedeker will be responsible for building and integrating a range of relevant international brands that are varietal-centric and regionally focused.

A California native with fifteen years of wine industry experience, Peter has held key management roles as a wine importer and distributor, most recently as President of The Henry Wine Group.  He will now be tasked with expanding Purple Wine Company’s portfolio by sourcing brands from the global market.  “I was fortunate to have worked with Purple Wine Company as their wholesaler from the beginning, and have always admired the brand building strength of the organization.  There are few in the industry with such a strong reputation for developing brands through a focused, disciplined sales and marketing strategy.  It’s a great time for an importer with fresh perspective to enter the market, especially one who has the knowledge, planning capacity and infrastructure to rapidly scale brands in the United States.  I’m thrilled to be part of the organization,” he stated.

Beginning his career as a Sales Representative at The Henry Wine Group, the same California distributor he would one day lead to a turnaround in the midst of the deep recessionary market from 2009 to 2012, Peter developed an expertise in the imported wine category throughout his career.  As Director of Corporate Sale and National Accounts Manager for Republic National Distributing Company covering the Southern United States and then at The Henry Wine Group, as Vice President of National Accounts, and Senior Vice President of Sales, he built relationships with leading producers from Spain, France, Italy, South America, Australia and New Zealand.

“With Peter in this role, Purple Wine Company is now positioned to develop its influence in the global wine market.  We intend to leverage our existing infrastructure to bring relevant imports to the U.S. market and to provide a dynamic platform for existing imported brands to grow,” commented company owner and CEO Derek Benham.  “This move expands our global reach and diversifies our supply portfolio.”

About Purple Wine Company

Purple Wine Company was founded in 2001 by Derek Benham and is based in Graton, California.  Its mission is to create wines of outstanding value, high quality and consistent style from vintage to vintage.  The wines are produced by its sister production company, Sonoma Wine Company, using water and energy conservation practices while reducing Greenhouse gas emissions.  Current brands include:  Mark West, Avalon, Bex, Rock Rabbit and Four Vines. For more information, please visit www.purplewine.com.  For press inquiries please contact Charles Communications Associates at press@charlescomm.com or 415.701.9463.  For supplier inquiries, please contact Peter Baedeker, pbaedeker@purplewine.com.

#   #   #