| After announcing its plans to diversify into wines using its parent company's wine connections, Goodricke Group Ltd., Kolkata has called off the immediate plans and concentrate on its core tea business instead.
"We have put on the backburner our plans to enter the wine business, either by marketing Camellia's wines or manufacturing and selling them in India," said Mr. P A Leggatt, Chairman of Goodricke Group, after the 31st annual general meeting of the company in the city last Saturday.
On why the company took this decision when the wine consumption was increasing significantly, Leggatt said, "We have limited resources, which should be prudently invested."
Leggatt said the company had two options, either to import wine or grow grapes and market the product here. For the time being, however, Goodricke has decided not to do either. "It is not a reflection on the Indian wine market but a business decision on our part," he clarified.
Camellia, the UK based parent company of Goodricke grows grapes for wine in Chile and South Africa . Wine is produced in South Africa at the company's Slangrivier farm, located on the foothills of the Groenberg Mountain near Wellington . It sells its wines under brands like Linton Park , Linton Park Reserve, and Capell's Court.
Goodricke had recently re-structured its Board and authorised Managing Director K.S. David to look after the diversification process and even gave him a new designation of Managing Director (diversification).
There had been a cool response to the earlier decision in the wine industry circles when it was announced last year. The company was not perceived to have the adequate strength to promote an unfamiliar brand from South Africa which has not shared the growth of overall Indian wine consumption.
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