Get to know QuayConnect, principal sponsor of the Marlborough Wine Show

Marlborough Wine Show’s principal sponsor, QuayConnect has been a key part of the Marlborough wine industry for nearly a decade, and has supported the show for much of that time. We caught up with their General Manager, Jaron McLeod, to find out a little more about why the industry, and in turn the show, is so important to the company…

How long has QuayConnect been operating, and what has it seen within the Marlborough wine industry during that time?

QuayConnect was formed in 2016 to reduce waste in the Blenheim to Nelson supply chain for wine packaging and export wine. Over the almost eight years of QuayConnect operations, Port Nelson’s wine related workload has grown by more than 60%, largely due to the success and support of the QuayConnect freight model and on-port container unloading and export packing services.

Port Nelson CEO Hugh Morrison spoke at the awards ceremony and mentioned the foresight the original winegrowers of Marlborough had to plant grapes and envision the region becoming an international success with wine. He also acknowledged the reasonably quick growth of the wine industry here, having become a world-class wine region within 50 years. Was it this potential QuayConnect could see when setting up in Marlborough? Was that a part of the appeal for the company?

QuayConnect was founded in response to a resounding call from the wine industry that smarter supply chain solutions were needed, cutting out waste and creating value for those importing and exporting. Port Nelson, in collaboration with key partners in the wine industry, took a leap of faith in building over 23,000m2 of warehousing on port in Nelson to facilitate these smarter supply chain solutions. This was recognised by the government in 2017 when the Green Ribbon award for resilience to Climate Change was awarded to QuayConnect. In that year, 5,000 truck trips were taken off the road between Nelson and Blenheim and over 1,600 tonnes of carbon removed from the supply chain.

You obviously now play an integral part in helping our wine companies operate efficiently. What does your team love about working with the Marlborough wine industry?

The Marlborough wine industry is full of genuinely good people! We love working within this industry and actually feeling like we are part of our customer’s businesses. We feel like we are part of the team, not just a supplier/customer relationship. Over and above all of this, Marlborough wine people like to have a bit of fun while enjoying their successes.

Why is the Marlborough Wine Show important to QuayConnect, and how does it feel to play a key role in acknowledging the hard work of our wine producers?

We are immensely proud to be so heavily integrated into the Marlborough wine industry, and to play our part in the success of the region and the industry. When the Marlborough wine industry succeeds, we succeed, and we have been fortunate enough to be a part of the rapid growth over the last eight years. The Marlborough Wine Show is such a fantastic event, and it gives us the opportunity each year to give back and acknowledge the vital role our customers and their world class wine plays to our collective achievements.

QuayConnect was excited to be the show's naming sponsor once again this year, demonstrating our commitment to celebrate and promote the Marlborough wine industry. We are always excited to present the QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show and have the opportunity to congratulate the industry in person. We have been really pleased to see the growth of the Marlborough Wine Show over the years. This is an important event for the Marlborough Wine Industry every year, and this year's event was even more special with the celebration of 50 years of Marlborough wine. The show acknowledges the success of its wine producers and the quality of wine produced in this region.

To the Marlborough industry, congratulations on another year of producing outstanding wine. QuayConnect is privileged to be able to export our customer's product for people to enjoy around the world.