Bank identifies 'hidden gems'

Think of international wine markets and Mexico, Brazil, Poland and Nigeria may not immediately spring to mind.

But those countries have been identified by Rabobank as "hidden gems" holding the potential to become important growth markets.

As sales mature or decline in many traditional markets, wine companies globally were increasingly searching for new growth markets.

Those four countries each offered good prospects of medium to longer-term growth for ambitious wine exporters willing to make early investments in building their brands in those markets, the bank said.

The Mexican market was proving lucrative for many suppliers.

As well as enjoying a strong economy, the growing middle-class population was consuming more wine, wine imports growing at a 20% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2006 and 2011.

Imported wine volumes in Brazil grew nearly 30% from 2007 to 2011, while Poland had also seen strong growth in demand.

While Nigeria required a much higher tolerance for risk, wine imports had been growing at a 16% CAGR in recent years.

Wine companies were now facing the question of what to do with those four countries.

Although they presented opportunities, each had a very different market with much uncertainty for traditional branded wine companies, Rabobank food and agribusiness research analyst Stephen Rannekleiv said.

Along with the opportunities came risks and the possibility the opportunity might not be realised. The "flip side" was that early exposure to nascent markets gave a company hard-won experience and expertise as well as a head start on the competition that would likely emerge as the markets developed.

Companies that managed those opportunities correctly had a chance at securing long-term profitable growth, he said.