Inside This New Zealand Winemaker’s Collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker

New Zealand winemaker Invivo is entering the ultra-competitive U.S. market with a strategy that’s now popular in the alcohol industry: partnering with celebrities.

This is Invivo X, SJP, a wine collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker. The collection already includes a sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from Marlborough, as well as a Provençal-style rosé.

Invivo, founded in 2008, has won more than 300 international awards and has expanded distribution to 42 countries. The company previously made headlines with the launch of “Invivo Air,” billed as the world’s first winery airline.

Invivo co-founders and winemakers Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron recently shared more details with us Forbes about their experiences in the American market, the impact of cooperation with SJP on reaching new customers, creative cooperation with Parker and innovative plans for future development.

Could you share some insights into your unique experience as co-founder of Invivo? How did your experiences and knowledge complement each other in building the company and driving its success, and how did these factors shape Invivo’s innovative approach to winemaking and marketing?

Tim Lightbourne: Rob and I met at the age of 14 while attending Auckland Grammar School in New Zealand. We played on the same sports team and quickly became close friends.

My experience is a mix of small business startups and working in global FMCG/luxury brands around the world including Groupe Danone, L’Oreal and HJ Heinz. From a startup perspective, I started my own company in my early twenties where I had to be innovative, with almost no marketing spend and develop important storytelling skills for myself and my business. Later, working in large international companies gave me the insight into partnering with large retailers in several countries, understanding what it takes to be successful and lead a category. I learned that the need for a lot of data is key to making good decisions and standing out in competitive categories, insight that I then applied to the wine industry, which was traditionally more traditional in its approach.

Rob was a classically trained winemaker who earned a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology from a New Zealand university and then made wine in New Zealand before moving overseas. Rob chose to avoid the beaten path of most winemakers to the glamorous Napa, Bordeaux, Burgundy or Tuscany. Instead, he worked on challenging vintages in places like Moldova, Cyprus, Hungary and Bulgaria. He then became an advisor to one of Spain’s largest wineries, Codorniu. His diverse background taught him unparalleled innovation and winemaking skills, which he brought to Invivo, helping us achieve the global recognition and accolades we have today.

Our backgrounds and skills complement each other – Rob has a background in winemaking and I have a background in sales and marketing. We opened our first joint business account in 2007 with just $65. Over the years, our unique approach to wine has built a loyal following in New Zealand. In 2015, we became the first wine company to crowdfund to secure our own winery, raising a record $1 million NZD ($600,000) on opening day. Since then, we have raised over $4 million in crowdfunding from over 800 shareholders, transforming Invivo into a true tribal winery.

Given the differences in market dynamics and consumer preferences, what were the biggest challenges you faced in entering and locating your operations in the U.S. market, particularly in terms of retail distribution and adapting marketing strategies?

Lightbourne: Coming from New Zealand, we initially faced challenges establishing ourselves in the US market, where no one had heard of us and it was nearly impossible to arrange meetings with agents or buyers. Understanding the US market and the three-tier system was new to us, so we hired two experts: Annette Alvarez-Peters, a former head buyer at Costco, and Steve Raye, a veteran of the US beverage industry and author of How to Prepare for the US Market: Wines and SpiritsAnnette’s deep knowledge of the US retail environment and Steve’s experience with distribution channels were invaluable in navigating the complexities of the market.

Given the oversaturated US market, our marketing strategies must be laser-focused. We work to run targeted marketing campaigns with branded in-store displays and tasting programs in key states. Highlighting the quality of our wine is key, as our Sauvignon Blanc consistently receives high accolades, including 90 points from The viewer of wine for five consecutive years and twice making it onto the list of 100 best wines.

In addition, our annual blending and tasting sessions with Sarah Jessica Parker have become a signature and essential part of our marketing strategy. This year, for example, as an unconventional winery, we chose a prominent location and took a camera crew and blended wine with Sarah Jessica in the middle of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, at second base.

Who is your target audience for the Invivo x SJP collaboration? Can you elaborate on the specific marketing and branding strategies you used to connect with this demographic, and what insights you gained about their preferences and behaviors?

Lightbourne: In a recent study, we tracked 3,406 U.S. wine consumers over six months through market research firm and brand Tracksuit. The research showed that our awareness is skewed toward Gen Z and millennial wine drinkers, with nearly three-quarters of Invivo X, SJP wine drinkers being 44 and younger. This contrasts with our competitors, whose audiences are typically 45 and older. Our brand was highly rated for trust, quality, credibility, and special occasions.

Our content-heavy marketing strategy is unconventional compared to other wine brands. We have ventured into the NFT and cryptocurrency space and are often referred to as a “tribal” winery due to our crowdfunding efforts. In 2023, we launched the world’s first wine airline, “Invivo Air,” an experiential campaign that garnered global headlines. This content-driven approach resonates with an unconventional and younger wine audience. Our annual tasting and blending sessions with Sarah Jessica Parker are filmed and shared on social media, engaging our wine lovers and potential customers.

There is no denying that our partner Sarah Jessica has a universal appeal that spans generations and a significant influence that resonates with our audience. Demystifying the winemaking process with a respected and credible entrepreneur who has had success in many areas is a powerful tool for engaging wine lovers of all ages, but especially the 25-44 age group we know drinks our wine.

Alcohol has become a major sideline for celebrities recently. How has working with Sarah Jessica Parker influenced the creative process behind Invivo X, SJP wines? What role does she play in developing unique blends and the overall brand identity, and how does this collaboration contribute to the brand’s appeal to consumers?

Rob Cameron:: The foundation of the collaboration is our unique approach to blending and Sarah Jessica’s input into the finished wines. Invivo is the only wine company in the world that openly shares this final and crucial step in the winemaking process year after year. The intention behind this is partly educational, helping our consumers understand how the wines are made special by the significant influence of SJP. The other part of the process is a learning opportunity, helping us better understand the American market and create wines that consumers will love.

Authenticity is the bread and butter of our partnership with Sarah Jessica Parker. She is truly committed to all aspects of the wine business we have created and are growing together. In addition to brand and marketing, Sarah Jessica handles the commercial aspects of the business, regularly meeting with clients, buyers and distributors with myself, Tim and our team. Together we have travelled across the US to meet with buyers from all over the country. We are now in our sixth vintage and she has still attended over 35 buyer meetings with us in the last 12 months. It is amazing to see her present our brand at buyer meetings; she is phenomenal and comfortable talking about wine and it is a real ‘pinch me’ moment for Tim and I.

Lightbourne: She truly cares and it’s important to all three of us that we run Invivo X, SJP that way. Sarah Jessica is a shareholder in Invivo USA, as are Rob and I. She contributes creatively to all of our label designs and color schemes. For example, the “X” on the label was hand-painted by Sarah Jessica with her pinky. Each color scheme matches one of her own footwear brands, SJP Collection. Every element of our collaboration is thoughtfully balanced between “SJP” and “Invivo.” From the very beginning, we all agreed that we wouldn’t use typical imagery like a river, a mountain, the New York skyline, or shoes on the label, nor did we want the SJP name to be everywhere. Together, we landed on the X because it represents the global symbol of the collaboration, as well as SJ’s Instagram signature, “X, SJ.” We’ve had great feedback from our customers that it stands out on the shelf.

Looking ahead, what are Invivo’s key priorities for continued innovation and growth in 2024 and beyond? Are there any specific initiatives or expansion plans in the works, and how do you see the Invivo X, SJP collaboration evolving to further engage consumers and strengthen the brand’s position in the market?

Cameron: We are focused on continuing the positive momentum of the Invivo X, SJP brand. We are currently the fastest growing premium New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the US and as we grow we need to ensure that we maintain and expand our supply. We currently manage 440 acres of vineyards and have several long-term growers with plans to increase vineyard area and winery capacity in the coming years. Our historic winery at Te Kauwhata, about an hour south of Auckland, currently has a production capacity of 3 million litres of wine and we intend to increase this.

We will continue to showcase our unique winemaking process with Sarah Jessica Parker at our annual blending sessions, attending client meetings and engaging with clients. While our primary focus is on Sauvignon Blanc, we also offer French Rosé and New Zealand Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir came about after SJP was so taken with a bottle we brought to one of our 2023 blending sessions that we decided to create a small batch premium Marlborough Pinot Noir, which was met with great reception and some great reviews. So, while our strategy focuses on key SKUs, we can’t resist exploring new possibilities.

Lightbourne: Our customers know we are a winery that likes to do things differently, so we plan to continue to be innovative in our approach. New Zealand currently accounts for about 3% of the total US wine market, so we still have plenty of room to grow.